One goal was always going to win that, says boss

Ebbsfleet manager Garry Hill said he will need to strengthen his side to get the points on the board he requires after seeing Wrexham get “the big break” of a winning goal this afternoon.

The Fleet boss had no complaints about his side’s effort but felt they didn’t take the chances they had early on in the game.

“We were in control of the first-half,” Hill told BBC Radio Kent’s Phil Kinsella. “I felt we had one or two very good opportunities early in the first five or 10 minutes to put ourselves in front but we never took them.

“We know we’re in a battle at the minute where players will be coming into the club, there’s no doubt about that. We’ll have to strengthen now and hopefully push on and get more points.”

The points that were up for grabs at the Racecourse were in the mix until the final 15 minutes and Hill would have taken a goalless draw on the run of play.

“I think one goal was always going to be a big goal for whoever got the first,” he said. “It was the deciding factor because I could see it being 0-0. They’re all big games whoever you play and to go back south with a 0-0 would have been a good result for us. But we’ve got beat 1-0 and we have to push on now and look forward to Harrogate.

“We had a very good midweek result against Barnet. I have no problem with the performance today in that there was no lack of effort. We were in the game, it was first goal wins the game and wins it in a big way.

“The standard you always look for is competitive[ness] and commitment all over and work rate. We worked hard today, I’m not saying we can’t look at the situation. The standard we want to play to every week is like against Barnet but it wasn’t a poor performance, they got the break.”

Hill was disappointed his side didn’t push on after yet another penalty escape for the Fleet, Jordan Holmes making a good save after what the manager felt was another soft award against his team.

“They get a penalty out of nothing,” he said. “The referee’s said there was shirt-pulling in there, he’s given it. It’s a great save. I felt that should give us a spur on with the last 15-20 minutes to go.

“We were playing against a team very low on confidence and I think we had a lot of the play [in the first half]. But coming in 0-0 at half-time, there wasn’t a real threat from an attacking point of view to be concerned about, no disrespect to Wrexham. The second-half, I thought it looked like it was going to be 0-0. It was one of those games where we looked very solid defensively and in midfield.”

The winning goal was a very well struck effort by Paul Rutherford and Fleet just couldn’t find a way back.

“From where I am, over the far side near the halfway line, it looks like I’ve got two players going for a ball and somehow their player has wriggled through and there’s a lot of space and we’re stretched,” Hill said. “Rutherford’s bent it into the top corner under the bar. From then on we were going for the equaliser. We took a defender off and pushed on. We had two or three good opportunities to ask them questions but it’s not to be.”

Listen below.

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