Ebbsfleet manager Danny Searle had no complaints after they were brushed aside at Solihull Moors on Tuesday night.

It was only a second National League defeat in 12 games at the helm for Searle, who saw his side trail at the break before two second-half goals sealed their fate.

“We were lucky to get away with 3-0 to be honest,” Searle told the club’s media.

“Full credit to Solihull, sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say they were the better side.

“When we went in at 1-0 at half-time, we’d rode our luck so much and it could have been four or five.

“You think maybe that gives us a chance as we can’t be that bad again. I thought we started the second half a lot better but they got their second goal and from our perspective, the third was always going to happen as we were trying to get back into the game.”

Solihull booked their place in the FA Trophy Final by winning at Bromley on Saturday, but there were no distractions for the hosts as they closed in on securing a play-off spot.

“From a standards perspective we were nowhere near our levels tonight,” added Searle. “We just have to own that and take accountability for that, we made it far too easy for them.

“They’re a really good side, they’ve just got to Wembley and you don’t do that without being a good side.

“They’re fourth in the league now so it was never going to be an easy night. We’re a relegation-battling team against a team that is potentially going to be in the Football League next year.

“There’s always going to be that potential gap in performance. They were very good on the night but we contributed to how good they were with the amount of time and space that we gave them.”

Ebbsfleet remain four points from securing their safety with three games left to play, although that number could be fewer if the teams below them drop points.

The Fleet host play-off chasing Altrincham at Stonebridge Road this weekend.

“I’ve no doubt that you’ll see a better performance on Saturday against Altrincham,” said Searle.

“We’ve got a five-point cushion from the relegation zone and we’ve still got a game in hand on some teams.

“We just need to make sure we bounce back and get something from the Altrincham game.”