Ben Chapman scored his first-ever hat-trick as in-form Ebbsfleet won again in National League South on Saturday.

The Fleet blew away Maidenhead at a soggy Stonebridge Road and closed the gap on Maidstone ahead of the top two meeting at the Gallagher on Tuesday night.

Ebbsfleet made two changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Horsham in the league on Tuesday night.

Ronny Nelson and Kwesi Appiah both came off injured in that game and were replaced by Will Tizzard and Finlay Barnes.

Chapman’s ninth-minute cross was hooked over by Daniel Ogunleye before the Fleet went ahead on 17 minutes.

Lennon Peake’s left-wing cross was turned in at close range by the onrushing Chapman.

That was his third goal of the season and he duly scored his fourth of the campaign eight minutes later.

Unselfish play saw a flowing Fleet move see Toby Edser break through and he teed up Chapman to produce a low left-foot shot into the bottom corner.

With the wind in their favour and the rain increasing, the Fleet were in the groove as they sliced Maidenhead apart at will.

Ogunleye turned Peake’s cross wide and Edser then played in Barnes, whose right-foot shot was saved by the body of keeper Jordi Van Stappershoef.

Chapman went close to completing his hat-trick early in the second half but fired just wide of the near post.

Edser’s shot then lacked power after more intricate Fleet play and Barnes’ left-foot drive was beaten away by Van Stappershoef.

Maidenhead had a rare break just past the hour mark when Josh Coley went clean through against his former club but Will Buse was down to make a smart save.

Ogunleye was played in by Barnes but fired just wide of the far post

It needed a fine tackle by Maidenhead skipper Matt Robinson to deny Chapman a potential hat-trick with 13 minutes left.

But the 27-year-old was not to be denied and he duly scored his third goal of the afternoon from the penalty spot after Barnes was tripped with three minutes remaining.

A fourth arrived in stoppage time as David Mantle turned Jake Vokins’ left-wing cross into his own net.

Ebbsfleet: Buse, Passley, Gbadebo, Tizzard, Chapman (Manktelow 88mins), Vennings, Kennedy (Hessenthaler 64mins), Edser (Seaman 74mins), Barnes, Peake (Vokins 80mins), Ogunleye (Samuel 80mins). Subs not used: Box, Walker.

Maidenhead: Van Stappershoef, Cochrane (Nkrumah 46mins), Ragguette, N’Guessan, Coley, Johnson, Mitchell-Lawson (Welch 78mins), Robinson, Umerah, Mantle, Onariase. Subs not used: Collins, Abbott, Pendlebury, Achuba, Odeniran.

Referee: Ethan Murray.

Attendance: 1,152.