Manager Daryl McMahon says Ebbsfleet need a reality check.

Fleet's 0-0 draw with Tranmere on Saturday was their ninth draw in 11 games since promotion to the National League.

McMahon's side are 19th with 12 points and there were some boos at the final whistle after Fleet were held by a Rovers side who played for 40 minutes with 10 men.

But McMahon said: "We’ve become accustomed to winning here and I think people forget there’s other teams.

"We’re a small team compared to Tranmere. I’m not saying that negatively because we’re competing against them and doing all right and across the season, we’ll be OK.

"I fancy us, from what I’ve seen so far this season, once we get going, to be in and around it. But every time we don’t win, it’s like the end of the world. We need a reality check a little bit.

"We took four years to get out of Conference South and now, all of a sudden, we should be smashing everyone in the Conference. Unfortunately it’s not like that.

"(This week) we’ve played Aldershot, an ex-League 2 club and Tranmere, an ex-Championship club. We’re Ebbsfleet from the Conference South, we’re not those big clubs. I know everyone thinks we are but we’re not.

"We’re a small team compared to them and we’re fighting against them in this division and we’re doing all right."

McMahon dropped Danny Kedwell and Darren McQueen against Tranmere, handing Danny Mills his first league start for the club against the pre-season title favourites.

"We needed to do better with the ball (than against Aldershot)," he said. "I thought the lone striker role would suit Millsy better out of the four of them - his height if we needed to drop one into him, good legs, a target man, and I thought he did really well in the role.

"He can occupy two or three defenders by himself.

"I thought we were very good from the start of the game. I asked them to move the ball better than we have in the last two games and I thought we did that.

"I thought we dominated in possession. Even when it was 11 v 11, I thought we looked very good and in control of the game. But that elusive goal didn’t come for us.

"Myles Weston had a couple (of chances) and put a couple of great crosses in as well where you think we can get a little tap-in.

"What I asked of them was to control the game with the ball and I thought we did it really well. That was more of an Ebbsfleet performance in terms of with the ball than we’ve seen in the last two matches.

"It’s just that little bit better in the box that we need to be and we’ll be all right."