On Saturday Ebbsfleet United entertain Welling United in a North West Kent derby that may have a lot of bearing for both clubs.

Betting odds will favour the Vanarama National League South championship chasing Ebbsfleet heavily. They have won eight home league games in a row, the most recent being an 8-0 humbling of Bishop’s Stortford.

Meanwhile Welling’s away form has not been great. They have not tasted league victory on the road since winning 3-0 at Margate on Boxing Day. However they were victorious in their last away derby winning 2-1 at National league Bromley.

When the two teams met at Park View Road earlier in the season, Ebbsfleet claimed the spoils despite being down to ten men.

Darren McQueen scored a clever goal to put the Fleet ahead but, despite the problems that he was causing, he was sacrificed when Dave Winfield was dismissed for a raised elbow on Rickie Hayles six minutes before the break.

In the second half the visitors sat deep and made themselves hard to breakdown. However, they did look susceptible at set plays and it was from one of those that Welling equalised.

Sam Hatton slung over a corner and Danny Waldren rose to head home. Nathan Ashmore then made a great save from Mitchell Nelson from another Hatton corner.

It looked as if the game was going to end up as a draw when Bradley Bubb headed for the corner flag, apparently to wind the club down. Somehow, he worked his way out of a tight spot and pulled it back for man of the match Jack Powell to slam home.

Out of eleven Welling players who started that day, just three of them, Chris Lewington, Matt Fish and Waldren, are likely to be in the first eleven on Saturday although Hayles is expected to be fit again to challenge for a centre back place.

Across the M25, only Andy Drury started for Ebbsfleet last weekend who did not participate in the game at Welling in November.

Although the numbers are heavily in favour of the home club, derbies have a habit of being unpredictable so there could be plenty of intrigue in the game.