Ebbsfleet United manager Dennis Kutrieb reacts to 3-2 Boxing Day defeat to Bromley in National League

Ebbsfleet manager Dennis Kutrieb was left to rue two defensive mistakes in their Boxing Day defeat to promotion-chasing Bromley.

The Fleet boss felt his team did enough to win the game but suggested the first two goals scored by the visitors were avoidable.

“We didn’t win the game, I think we should have won the game so I can’t be proud,” said Kutrieb. “Good effort, not good enough in the end.

“Two easy mistakes to let the opponent score but I think that reflects exactly where we are and they are, and that’s where we have to improve.

“Warning or no warning, I don’t know how you can trip over the ball in the sixth minute of the game, in the 95th maybe because you’re tired, it shouldn’t happen that early in the game. Obviously, it was exactly the start we didn’t want to have.

“We had a good second half, put a lot of pressure on the opponent and scored. We were on top of them, made a stupid mistake and conceded a second goal. Luke O’Neill lost the ball on the sideline where he should never give the ball away as he had space, but we gave the ball away there and from there we conceded.

“Against second in the table we did many things okay but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter because we need points.”

Individual errors can’t be rectified on the training ground and Kutrieb added: “You can’t do anything there. If you trip over the ball and the opponent passes into an empty net there’s nothing you can do as a team.

“When you give the ball away like we did for the second goal, there’s not much we can do.

“You can always encourage people to do things the right way, don’t make mistakes or be afraid or anxious about making mistakes. But ideally, they shouldn’t happen in our own third.”

There were positive signs for Ebbsfleet,