Steve Brown was as surprised as anyone to pull off the deal which brought fans’ favourite Michael West back to Ebbsfleet.

The 22-year-old re-joined the Fleet on a free transfer from Crewe Alexandra on Friday and has signed an 18-month contract at Stonebridge Road.

When West was snapped up by Crewe in July 2012, Ebbsfleet supporters thought they’d seen the last of their local hero, who inspired them to Conference South promotion in 2010/11.

And Brown, who scouted the midfielder for Charlton while Liam Daish was Fleet manager, admitted the transfer was completed against the odds.

He said: "I wouldn’t have looked at Michael West and said we’d get that deal done. But you hear a rumour and you have to act on it. In 99% of cases, you hit a dead end but every now and then it comes off.

"Quite a few things start with conversations involving one of your players, as this did. But it was the desire from Michael to come back down and want to play at Ebbsfleet that really got us over the line."

Read the full story in the Gravesend Messenger.