Competition for places at Ebbsfleet is fiercer than ever ahead of this weekend's National League double-header.

The return to fitness of midfielder Dean Rance and defender Kenny Clark means boss Daryl McMahon has 21 players to pick from.

Rance, Luke Coulson and Chris Bush all impressed as substitutes in the 3-0 win at Barnet, where strikers Michael Cheek and Darren McQueen didn't even get on.

McMahon, whose side host Aldershot on Saturday, said: "You want players playing for their shirts.

"I’ve been in teams where you’re not playing well but you look to the bench and think ‘nobody can really take my place here.’

"It can breed complacency and since I’ve been in charge, I’ve been totally against that. Complacency is a banned word in the changing-room.

"Players have got to be at it every day.

"We have to tone it down in training sometimes because it is 100mph where people want to play but that’s the trademark of why we've been successful over three years, because what we do Monday to Friday is intense.

"It is about winning and losing."

Fleet knocked Aldershot out of the play-offs in May and the Shots are a much-changed side this season.

They've only picked up four points so far but McMahon said: "All the games are tough.

"Early in the season, people will look at results and try to put that to a team, that they’re not doing very well, but we’re five games in.

"Gary Waddock’s an outstanding manager at this level, he’s a top bloke and he’ll get what he wants over the course of the season."

Ebbsfleet, who start the weekend 10th with seven points, visit Eastleigh on Monday.