Ebbsfleet boss Jamie Day was upset to see his side let a two-goal lead slip in their 2-2 draw away to Gosport Borough, but revealed he was happy enough with their performance.
After Adam Cunnington scored a brace with two close range finishes, the Fleet looked like they would be heading for their first win since Day made mass changes to his squad in early January.
Sadly the hosts scored two goals in three minutes to rescue a share of the spoils leaving Day feeling frustrated to only come away with a point, although pleased with how his side was starting to gel.
He said: “I’m disappointed we gave the two-goal lead away as I thought we were cruising for 65 minutes.
“We could have had four or five in the first half but their keeper has pulled off some really good saves.
“When we went two up I thought we’d done enough to see the game out, but maybe Tuesday night’s game has caught up with them legs-wise.
“In the last 10 minutes I thought we were hanging on a bit so I’m disappointed we’ve conceded two goals, but there’s a lot of positives to take from Braintree and today’s game when you look at the bigger picture.”
Day added: “When we went 2-0 up, I thought we’d done enough and maybe the boys thought they’d done enough so took their foot off the gas a little bit.
“But it’s a tough place to come and in the last 20 minutes they’ve shown why they’re up there.
“Credit to them, they had a go and hit the bar.
“We probably would have taken a point beforehand, but we’re disappointed we took a two-goal lead and were so comfortable but then let it slip.”
After losing to Sutton two weeks ago, Day had warned his side opposing teams will start to raise their game against Ebbsfleet.
And it proved to be the case again, as Gosport keeper Nathan Ashmore pulled off a string of fine saves to keep his side in the game before Dan Wooden’s 25-yard wonder goal pulled the hosts level.
“It’s frustrating for today’s game, as the keeper pulled off four or five really good saves and the game could have been done in the first half if it wasn’t for him,” said Day.
“People raise their games and their performances and their second goal - while we didn’t close the player down quick enough - was a great strike that flew into the top corner.
“It’s part and parcel I suppose of the type of players we’ve bought in, as it raises the profile of the club and people want to beat you so raise their level.
“We have to accept that, so we dust ourselves down and go again on Tuesday.”
Day added: “We need a win, just in order to get a little more confidence and realise how good we are.
“We’ve got good players and I thought for a good period of time today we played really well and showed what we’re capable of doing against the top sides in this division who are up there for a reason.
“Obviously we didn’t get over the line today, so I just think we could do with winning one or two, then hopefully if we do that then we can go on a run and people can start believing in how good they are.”
The Fleet host Braintree tomorrow evening in an FA Trophy replay.
Follow us on Twitter @NewsShopperSprt
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here