Ebbsfleet striker Dominic Poleon believes their current struggles are a true test of character.

The Fleet have won just once this season and return to National League action after a fortnight off with a trip to Tamworth this Saturday.

It’s been a tough time for Poleon and his team-mates but he’s convinced they can turn their season around.

“For us it’s more mental than anything,” stated Poleon. “We have to pull ourselves out of this position but we’ve got to be mentally strong.

“On a run like we’re on now this is where, especially when everyone’s writing us off, you see the characters.

“When everything’s going well in football, you’re the best thing and when you’re down there you’re the worst thing. This is a test of character.

“The fans come here every week, they’ve seen the highs and now they’re watching the lows.

“It’s easy to write us off and say we’re all rubbish but it’s really about looking at my team-mates in the eyes and saying has he given everything? Looking at myself and saying have I given everything?

“That’s the stuff that is going to matter come the end of the season when we’re out of this position.”

Many of their own fans have already written off Ebbsfleet’s chances of survival, despite the season being only a third old. But Poleon insists that only serves as more fuel to prove everyone wrong.

“It's more drive, personally and collectively as a group,” he added.

“I look in that changing room and know that we’ve got enough to be better in the table and get ourselves out of this position but sometimes enough isn’t enough.

“It’s about who is going to deliver when you cross the white line. Monday to Friday is one thing but when you cross the line, that’s when it matters. We need to stand up and be counted.

“I’m not looking at the league table, I’m just looking at the next game, the next opponent and how are we going to improve.

“There’s no time to dwell. I don’t want to sound like a parrot but in the position we’re in we haven’t got time to dwell on it, we haven’t got time to have our heads down when we concede.

“From the first whistle to the last, that’s all that matters. Everything in between doesn’t really matter. It matters when the referee blows the final whistle and we’ve got a draw or a win.

“The luck isn’t good when you’re down there, something goes in off someone’s toe or whatever it is, these things happen. So, to have that defeatist mindset when you’re in the game, when things aren’t going your way, we can’t afford that.”

Poleon is disappointed with his own return of four goals so far this season, having scored 16 in the league last term.

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He’s still trying but he’s not had that rub of the green in front of goal. The striker doesn’t care about his individual tally, the team are more important in these troubled times.

“When you’ve had a rich vein of form that I’ve had since I’ve been at the club and you find yourself in a patch like this, it is tough,” he admitted.

“I care about goals, that’s what I thrive on and pride myself on, but at the moment it’s anyone score, anyone get us a result, anyone save something, anyone block something off the line. It’s really a collective thing at the moment.

“When you’re up there you can start looking at your personal achievements and your goals, but when you’re down there it’s not about the individual.

“Football’s never really about the individual, anyway, because it’s a team game but more so, for us, now than ever. We’re down there and we really need to come together, work on things and everyone raises their game to get us out of it. It’s only going to be us that gets us out of it.”

The Fleet’s break from league action gave manager Harry Watling the chance to carry out a “mini pre-season”.

Speaking ahead of those sessions, Poleon admitted: “If the manager feels that we need it then I’m on board, it can’t hurt us. In the nicest way possible, it can’t get any worse.

“If that’s what it is going to take, I’m on board. I don’t think anyone in the changing room can have anything to say like ‘why are we doing that?’. Things haven’t been going well. If things need changing, things have got to change.”