Vieira is Ebbsfleet top scorer this season with 15

Ebbsfleet kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Blue Square Premier with victory over fellow strugglers Gateshead.

Knowing only victory would do, Fleet had the perfect start when Magno Vieira tapped them in front from close range after just two minutes.

But they had to wait to wrap up the points, Alex Stavrinou finishing Ricky Shakes' pass from six yards late on.

The win moves Ebbsfleet to within two points of safety with one game left.

But defeat for Gateshead drops them into the relegation zone, one point behind fourth-from-bottom Eastbourne, but with a game in hand at home to champions Stevenage on Tuesday.

For Ebbsfleet to survive, they must win at Tamworth next Saturday and hope other results go their way.

They realistically need Gateshead to pick up only a point from their final two games and for Eastbourne to lose their final fixture at home to Oxford.

Ebbsfleet United manager Liam Daish told BBC Radio Kent:
"A well deserved win and it's kept us in with a shout going into the last game of the season. All I asked was to keep the season alive and go into the last fixture still being able to stay in this league.

"It's about fighting, it's not about anything technically. It's about rolling your sleeves up and just getting those wins.

"I asked the lads beforehand to just give us everything, run yourself into the ground, they did that and we were deserved winners."

Ebbsfleet: Cronin, Salmon, Pooley, Crooks, Charles, West (Shakes 78), Stavrinou, Holmes, Bailey, Vieira (Ginty 90), Ashikodi.
Subs Not Used: Hagan, Heeroo, Wills.

Booked: West, Charles.

Goals: Vieira 2, Stavrinou 89.

Gateshead: Farman, Baxter, Swailes (Turnbull 76), Curtis, Heckingbottom, Richardson (Phillips 60), Ferrell, Gate, Winn, Armstrong (Wake 74), Clare.
Subs Not Used: Provett, Cave.

Att: 1,169.

Ref: Michael Bull (Essex).

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