Jack Powell believes taking the plunge into non-league football with Ebbsfleet has made him a better player.

The Londoner came through West Ham’s youth ranks and spent three years with Millwall but only made 10 appearances for the Lions first-team during that time.

He faced a crossroads last summer, chose to sign for Fleet and it turned out to be the best decision of his fledgling career.

Powell started 39 games, scored 13 goals from midfield and helped Ebbsfleet to promotion in his first full season of senior football.

He said: "I’ve enjoyed it. It’s the first season when I’ve played a big part and had a lot of starts. I feel I’ve contributed a lot to the team.

"I’ve been excited leading up to every Saturday and the games couldn’t come soon enough. It’s been a productive season for me.

"I’ve been in and around League teams since I left school.

"I started at West Ham and then signed at Millwall. I got a little go at Millwall but never got any regular football, so having to drop down a few levels to play games wasn’t an issue.

"I went with my gut in the summer and joined a team that had a lot of ambition."

Powell’s class on the ball was evident straight away but his willingness to learn and adapt has been his greatest strength this season.

He said: "There’s two ways to improve – playing with better players and playing a lot of games. I did a bit of both.

"We’ve got some experienced players that have played in the League so I’ve been able to learn from them but ultimately I’ve learned a lot from the games, knowing what it’s like to play week in, week out for points.

"I’ve taken on board what the manager wants in a certain game. It’s not always about yourself and how you’re improving like it is when you’re a young player at an academy. It’s more to do with the team winning."

Daryl McMahon played in Powell’s position and the 23-year-old hailed his manager as a great mentor.

Powell said: "He’s someone I can lean on, someone I can talk to. We did that quite a lot. After games, we sat down and spoke about what I could have done better and what I did well.

"When you start getting closer to the end of the season, it’s more important to win than for me to get in the box and try to score.

"The manager definitely helped this year. He gave me the opportunity to play regular games and that’s what all young players need.

"He’s got a lot of confidence in me and I believe in what he’s doing, so that goes a long
way."