Signing Ekpiteta is crucial for Ebbsfleet United

Given that his first appearance for the Fleet coincided with Kevin Watson’s first game as manager, and that his signing was only confirmed when he was announced on the team sheet for the match, it’s fair to say that Marvel Ekpiteta’s debut was a low-key one.

However, the ex-Oxford youngster almost immediately made himself a crucial part of the Ebbsfleet side that, until his arrival, had been conceding an average of two goals per game.

Fast-forward seven months on he has cemented himself as supporters player of the season, an award he will be taking back up the M4 as the termination of the season signals the return to his parent club, Newport County.

However, Watson’s priority in terms of player recruitment must be ensuring that Ekpiteta is making the opposite journey down the M4 in the not too distant future to join the Fleet on a permanent basis.

Ekpiteta earnt his first Football League move in the summer of 2019 when Newport County bought him from Hungerford Town where he had recently swept the board at the end of season awards. Newport manager Michael Flynn admitted that Ekpiteta had been signed to replace Mickey Demetriou, who ended up staying at the club after being linked with a number of League 1 clubs.

Flynn also admitted in the early part of the season that signing Ekpiteta and fellow centre half Lazar Stojsavljevic left him with an abundance of defensive options following Demetriou’s decision to stay at the club so it perhaps wasn’t too much of a surprise when Ekpiteta was sent out on loan midway through October.

On his debut he played on the right hand side of a back three but it was quickly clear that the ex Chelmsford defender was comfortable playing at either centre back or right back.

What also quickly became clear was that Ekpiteta was a far more reliable option at right back than the incumbent Lawrie Wilson who had struggled for most of the season. Indeed, his assured displays at centre back was a refreshing sojourn from the erratic displays that were commonplace in the latter part of the Garry Hill era that directly preceded Ekpiteta’s arrival at the club.

A strong reading of the game was complemented by the fact that he was a lot more mobile than his teammates. Whilst the likes of Jamie Grimes, Lawrie Wilson and Jack King are competent ball-winning defenders, they would often get outpaced by opposing attackers.

Being five years younger than Grimes, eight years younger than Wilson, and eleven years younger than King, Ekpiteta possessed the pace that was somewhat lacking before his arrival which no doubt contributed to the Fleet gaining 2 clean sheets in his opening 5 games (prior to that, Fleet had kept 1 clean sheet in 17).

Whilst it would be fanciful to suggest that Kevin Watson had, to borrow a phrase from the red tops, a warchest to spend on talent in the transfer window, signing a player that, on the face of it, doesn’t appear to be in his parents clubs hands seems well within the Fleet’s capacity.

One potential stumbling block is that Ekpiteta is halfway through a two year contract at Newport so won’t be available as a free agent and so dusting off the chequebook is likely to be needed to secure his services. However, Watson’s influence could well play a part in luring the 24 year old to Stonebridge Road for another season at least.

Watson coached Ekpiteta at both Bishop Stortford and Hungerford Town which was no doubt a factor in Ekpiteta coming on loan in the first instance prior to Watson’s first game in the dugout. There is clearly a close working relationship between the two and that professional bond could possibly draw the centre half for a more permanent spell in North Kent.

With Jack King having recently announced retirement, and Ayo Obileye being recently released from the club, there is a clear need to recruit a centre-half and Ekpiteta has demonstrated the capabilities that should make him the number one target.

Follow Henry on Twitter @Fleetontoast