NEAL ARDLEY outlined his respect for Ebbsfleet United ahead of Saturday's Vanarama National League match, despite the Fleet's current league position being below York City. 

York currently find themselves in 20th position of the National League after 23 matches, sitting just one point and place ahead of Ebbsfleet who visit the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday (3pm), with Ardley hoping to gift the City fans an early Christmas present. 

But despite York sitting in a marginally higher league position, Ardley remains wary of Ebbsfleet's threat, and hopes that his City side could one day play football in a similar style. 

“Everyone has got slightly different shapes and different patterns, different ways they do things," Ardley told the Press.

"At Ebbsfleet they are a good footballing team, they like to play out of the back and are really brave.

"Gateshead are the best at it, all the stats tell you, and Ebbsfleet are very good at it, they’re confidence isn’t great as they’ve only won one game in 13 or 14.

"They’re confidence isn’t as high and that’s something that we’ve got to try and work into our advantage, they have played a 5-3-2 but every team is open to changing.

"There are varieties to how you attack against a three or defend against a three, that’s the way they set-up.

"We’re trying to create as many scenarios as to how the game may go as I can, to give the players the answers and make sure they all know the answers together as a team.

"When they’re on the pitch, they’ve got to do it as a team."

Ardley doesn't expect his players to be vying for revenge after September's 4-1 defeat to Ebbsfleet, but will be comparing the two results to see how his team have progressed since his arrival to the club.

“I don’t know if there’s an added incentive but it is a little bit of a test for me, I said it before but I’m looking at them two games and saying that for me Ebbsfleet and Rochdale were miles ahead of York in the early season fixtures.

"Have we closed that gap and have we been able to be more competitive?

"Five o’clock on Saturday I might have a bit of an answer on that, I think the incentive is for the players to keep some momentum going, they’ve lost one in six in the league and it’s the points that we’re trying to chip away.

"We need to get our home form in a good place because if you want to survive then you can’t rely on away form, you need to rely on the home form.

"The things that the players want to do, I don’t think they need an incentive."

It will also be a first ever meeting between York and Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb, who helped guide the Fleet to promotion from the Vanarama National League South last season, with the pair never facing one another in opposition dugouts before.

“No I haven’t (met Denis Kutrieb), he’s done a wonderful job and obviously they blitzed their league last season.

"They played some great football, lost a couple of players in the Summer and recruited well.

"I love the way his team plays, it’s kind of the way I want this team to play and is experimental.

"You’ve got to respect it or they’ll pull you apart, I watched them play a couple of games, a great result at Barnet, but looking back when they played Hartlepool before us, they were exceptional and should have won the game."