Ebbsfleet United can go top of Vanarama Conference South this weekend – but they’ll have to beat the league’s form side to do it.

With only two of the top-six in league action on FA Cup weekend, third-placed Fleet know they’ll overhaul leaders Basingstoke with a win against Bath City.

But Saturday’s visitors to The PHB Stadium, although lying 16th, will arrive in confident mood having won four of their last six games.

Fleet boss Steve Brown said: "They started the season poorly but if you look at the form table, they’ve only lost one of their last six, so I do believe they’re in a false position.

"It’s going to be another tough game but all these tough games are games we have to find ways to win.

"Bath at home and Farnborough at home (next weekend) are two games we’re expected to do well in but we have to make sure we have the correct mentality to win those games.

"We know how hard we have to work. We have to make sure we do the right things. We didn’t do the right things against Hayes & Yeading and have to make sure Saturday is different."

Ebbsfleet’s 2-1 loss to Hayes two weeks ago was their first home league defeat since New Year’s Day and it’s the reason they’re not top of the table already. They’ll have played two games more than most of their title rivals after this weekend but a positive result would shift the pressure to those chasing them.

Brown said: "We want to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. It’s important for our league position.

"We’re disappointed that we’ve lost four games at this stage of the season but everybody has lost three or four games. It’s been a strange start to the Conference South season but it’s the back end of the year when you see runs come together."

Dean Rance will be fit to face Bath despite limping off towards the end of Saturday’s 2-0 win at Staines.

Read the full story in the Gravesend Messenger.