One in One out at Ebbsfleet

Former Gillingham striker Cody McDonald has become Garry Hill’s first new signing as Ebbsfleet manager after completing a deal earlier today.

The scorer of almost 100 goals at Football League level, McDonald played non-league football for Witham Town, Maldon and Dartford, scoring 65+ goals before interest from clubs higher up the pyramid. Norwich City signed him for a fee in 2009 and he played in the Championship and League One for the Canaries, helping them to promotion in 2009/10.

In two loan spells at Gillingham, he scored 29 goals in 50 games, in between which he spent two seasons with Coventry City who paid a fee for his signature in 2011. Gillingham signed McDonald on a permanent deal in 2013 and he spent four successful years with the club, striking up a partnership with Danny Kedwell in League One in 2013/14.

With 77 goals in 200 games for the Gills, McDonald interested Daryl McMahon in the summer of 2017 but he chose to stay in the League, moving to AFC Wimbledon last season. The 32-year-old has been a free agent since the summer and has attracted plenty of interest in non-league circles before Hill tempted him to the Kuflink Stadium.

He will wear squad number 7.

Ebbsfleet have also announced that defender Kenny Clark has departed the club to join Dagenham & Redbridge on a permanent deal.

The 30-year-old was the club’s second longest-serving player behind Dean Rance having played for four managers at the Fleet since being signed by Steve Brown from Dartford in summer 2014. Clark clocked up 175 appearances in four years and had one of the best goalscoring ratios for a defender in recent times, finding the net 15 times in his career at the Fleet.

For more from Ebbsfleet Utd please visit their website here