Ebbsfleet manager Josh Wright conceded the first goal was always going to be crucial against Braintree.

The Fleet lost 1-0 after John Akinde’s first-half penalty in the National League on Saturday, despite the hosts having had a number of good openings in the early exchanges to have got their noses in front.

But the goal played perfectly into Braintree’s tactic of sitting deep and trying to hit the Fleet on the counter attack.

“I said the first goal was going to be crucial and if we’d got it, which we thought was coming in the first half, it would have been massive,” said Wright.

“They got that goal and dug in well. We still dominated possession and asked the bigger questions but we didn’t get that goal.”

Ebbsfleet didn’t create as many clear-cut chances as they would have liked in the second half.

“I think that’s a credit to Braintree,” reflected Wright. “They dug in, they made it hard, slowed the game up and frustrated us. They did what an away side would do with a 1-0 lead. Credit to them, you have to give them that, but there were still openings.

“We had some great set-plays and one or two efforts on another day that go in. You can always ask a few more questions or want a few more guilt-edged chances but it wasn’t to be. We had plenty in the first half when we could have gone one or two-up.

“Other than the first 60 seconds when they had a decent chance, I thought there was only one team that was going to win the game.

“We had some big chances first half where we could have gone one or two-nil up and we didn’t take them. Not through poor finishing but a bit of bad luck and one is cleared off the line.

“They’ve broken away from what was very poor for us from one of our set plays and we invited the danger. That ball has to go back into the box and we showed naivety and got punished for it.

“It just wasn’t to be. I’m pretty sure Maxx’s strike was going in but it hits one of our players.

“That one hurt as I was really confident we would get the win.”

Report: Ebbsfleet 0-1 Braintree

There was certainly a different dynamic to the game with Ebbsfleet dominating shots at goal, possession and territory against a Braintree side seemingly content to soak up pressure.

The Fleet boss noted: “It’s probably the first game in a long time where we’ve dominated the ball, dominated territory, we had them in their own half where quite often it’s been us in our own half not really having the football.

“Maybe that was a bit of a surprise to the players, not that it should be, but maybe you get a bit over-confident.

“All we can keep doing is working towards the next game and the next result. We’ve built a foundation in the last few weeks, I think the fans saw it again as the boys were clapped off.

“They deserved more out of the game. Where we’re playing such big catch-up it feels a lot worse than it should do. Every game we lose at the moment, we know is very damaging.”