Ebbsfleet United have added a fourth defender to their squad with the signature of 27-year-old Shane Huke, who has Football League experience with Peterborough United and Dagenham & Redbridge – and also played for Rushden & Diamonds and most recently Dover Athletic.
Having spent part of his formative years in Australia, where he began his career with Rochedale Rovers, Huke returned to England in 2003 to play for Peterborough. While getting League games under his belt, he also featured on loan for Kings Lynn, Bedford, Heybridge and Cambridge City before John Still recruited him for Dagenham’s first assault on League Two in 2007.
Returning to Australia in January 2009 to join A-League side Central Coast Mariners, Shane played in the Asian Champions League but came back to the UK a year later to sign for Rushden & Diamonds. In May 2011, he joined Dover for a two-year stay at Crabble.
Something of a utility player, Shane played in midfield for the early part of his career but has been deployed in a right-back role for the past few seasons. Speaking upon signing at Stonebridge Road, he told EUFC.co.uk: “The main reason I was attracted to Ebbsfleet was Steve Brown who I worked under at Dover. As soon as he gave me the call I was interested in what he had to offer – he was a great footballer in his time and has a great understanding of the game and actually wants to play football, not long-ball, which is a big draw for me.”
