Tonbridge Angels manager Alan Dunne praises Ebbsfleet United’s quality after their 2-1 defeat in National League South

Tonbridge manager Alan Dunne reckons Ebbsfleet are a “National League side playing in National League South”.

The Fleet inflicted a fourth home defeat of the season on Dunne’s Angels after goals from Gene Kennedy and Kwesi Appiah.

Frankie Baker pulled a goal back for Tonbridge on the stroke of half-time but Dunne praised the visitors’ quality after they were unable to get back on level terms.

“I think it came down to that little bit of quality,” said Dunne. “They were a top side. I mean, you look at them, they're a National League side playing in the National League South.

“You look at their physicality, the power, there's a lot of them. Then you've got little old Tonbridge trying to compete with them.

“But, saying that, we gifted them the second goal. The first goal was a worlie, which gave them a lift. It was just a goal out of nothing.

“We get an opportunity, it's similar, we kick it over the bar. We get a header from two yards, miss it.

“They just had that bit more quality. I think the goal before half-time helped give us a bit of belief - and that's what it is.

“If we start with a bit of belief, we look like a decent team. Second half, there was only one team in it. We just couldn't unlock them, we look like we look to score the perfect goal sometimes and we haven’t got a rubbish goal in us, like a goal off your knee or your shin.

“But for a club like Ebbsfleet, and the resources they've got, full-time to us doing two mornings, the gap isn’t millions of miles away in terms of the result and how well we've done.”

Dunne felt his players went too direct at times and that lack of belief meant they were caught cold early on by the visitors’ double strike.

“We’ve scored a lot of goals this year, and we've got goals in