Ebbsfleet boss Josh Wright left with "sick feeling" ahead of long trip to Hartlepool United

It's been a nightmarish campaign for the Kent side, who were relegated last month and have won just two of their 40 National League games so far this term, one of which came against Pools in September. Their misery was compounded on Wednesday night when they were beaten 1-0 by National League South strugglers Welling United in the Kent Senior Cup final despite fielding a strong side.

Just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Fleet this season has gone wrong. Having narrowly avoided relegation last term, manager Danny Searle, who masterminded their last-gasp escape, was sacked after picking up just one point from the opening seven games of the campaign. Searle was succeeded by former QPR and Rangers coach Harry Watling, who made a winning start to life in the dugout, beating Pools 1-0, but left after failing to repeat the feat in any of his next 12 matches.

It was left to skipper Josh Wright to pick up the pieces. The 35-year-old had been a regular in the Fleet side in the opening months of the campaign, featuring 20 times, but brought the curtain down on his playing career in order to replace Watling in December. Although results have generally remained pretty miserable, Wright has won himself some admirers during his first stint in the dugout. The former Scunthorpe, Gillingham and Leyton Orient midfielder has made Ebbsfleet more competitive, organised and hardworking, even if it took him 17 games to record his first win. At long last, there have been some signs things are starting to improve as the Fleet begin to turn their attention to next season, when they'll look to win promotion from the National League South at the first time of asking. Wright's side finally got over the line when they edged past fellow strugglers Fylde 1-0 last month and will arrive at the Prestige Group Stadium unbeaten in their last three league matches.

Even so, the statistics don't make for good reading. Ebbsfleet have lost 14 and drawn six of their 20 away league games this season and have conceded a remarkable 85 goals, leaving them with a goal difference of -53; the Fleet shipped six at home to Solihull Moors, lost 5-1 against Gateshead on the opening day and have conceded four goals a remarkable six times this term. Although the Kent Senior Cup title might have been scant consolation for such a miserable season, it would at least have given Ebbsfleet something to celebrate and Wright admitted Wednesday's defeat had left him feeling dejected.

"It shows where we are, it shows the way the season's been," he told BBC Radio Kent.

"Tonight sort of sums up the season. I've got a sick feeling now in my throat and my chest. We seem to take a little step and make a little move in the right direction and then all of a sudden we take a smack in the face and suffer another setback. It's no coincidence the way the season's been and the way it's turned out in terms of how things have happened. Tonight, it was almost as if that was going to happen, it's the way the season's gone.

"We're working tirelessly and very, very hard and giving everything to finish this season as strongly and positively as we can and take that into the summer and next season. That's now the main and sole focus."

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