Ebbsfleet United have announced the appointment of Garry Hill as the club’s new first-team manager.

The former Woking boss becomes the Fleet’s 32nd manager, having agreed a contract with the club.

Garry (pictured with Fleet director and general manager Dave Archer) will be best known for his accomplishments in seven years as Dagenham & Redbridge manager, guiding the Essex club to the Isthmian League title in his first season. He twice took the Daggers to the FA Cup Third Round and a replay with then-Premier League Charlton Athletic as well as third-place and runners-up finishes in the Conference plus a play-off final.

His success was not just limited to Dagenham, however. Starting out at Heybridge Swifts in 1991, he won promotion to the Isthmian Premier and took them to the FA Cup First Round. At St Albans City, he achieved third place and an FA Trophy semi-final and following his time at Dagenham, he managed Hornchurch, Weymouth (where he won the Conference South title) and Rushden & Diamonds.

His most recent job was as Woking manager where he qualified for the Conference South play-offs in his first season and won the title with a 97-point haul in 2012 before consecutive top-half finishes with the Cards in the National League.

Ebbsfleet United chairman Dr Abdulla Al Humaidi told the EUFC website, “We have moved quickly to appoint Garry. He has a proven track record in almost 30 years of management and his exceptional experience was what stood out for us when considering who to entrust with the next steps forward for this club. I  am delighted Garry is on board and I hope all Fleet fans will rally behind the club and the manager as we seek to climb back up the table.”

The new Fleet boss is due at the club’s K Sports training ground at Cobdown today and he said, “I am delighted and honoured to be given this opportunity at such a club. I’ve managed against the Fleet at pretty much every club I’ve been with, they’ve always been tough games and I know the expectation and the history here.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead and getting going in the National League again. It’s a capable squad here at Ebbsfleet and I’ll be meeting and speaking to the players later on this morning. We’ll get straight down to business and with an important FA Cup tie coming up this Saturday, it’s vital we all hit the ground running. I can’t wait to get going, this is a fantastic football club and the hard work starts now.”