Ebbsfleet manager Dennis Kutrieb felt the scoreline failed to reflect the true picture of their FA Cup tie at Hanwell Town on Saturday.

The Fleet went through 2-1 but they dominated the game for long periods and should have scored five goals according to their boss.

“It was a good game, a deserved win and I don’t think the scoreline reflected the game,” said Kutrieb.

“We had it under control for 90 minutes, they haven’t had many chances and the few they had we had a good goalkeeper. We were not ruthless in front of goal, if we’d scored five goals it would have been a fair reflection of the game.

“But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter as we are through to the next round.”

Kutrieb would usually be upset that his side had failed to keep a clean sheet, Hanwell claiming a consolation goal in stoppage time.

But his focus was on the missed openings at the other end. Without leading scorer Dominic Poleon, who was rested for the first time this season, the Fleet lacked a cutting edge even though they still had more than enough about them to progress.

“I’m more gutted about not scoring enough goals,” said Kutrieb, when asked about the lack of a clean sheet.

“Most of the time it is the other way around and I think we need to be better and not concede. If it’s late in the game and we were thinking in our heads that it was done then it can happen because you can switch off and get punished straight away.

“That’s not my problem today, it’s a cup game so it doesn’t matter. But we need to be more clinical because if you have four or five goals then they’d never score and we’d get a clean sheet as they wouldn’t have gone forward any more. We know 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline, though.”

Fleet started the game at a fast pace, forcing four corners in the opening six minutes alone. They created a host of early chances and Kutrieb admitted it was important to get a foothold in the game.

“In a cup game especially, you have to be on the front foot,” explained the Fleet boss.

“If you give a sniff for any opponents, especially from lower leagues, they get the feeling that they can do something. But if you’re on the front foot and start bright then the opponent feels straight away that it’s going to be a tough game for them.

“It’s a bit about mentality and mindset to set the first half or second half straight away, as you can maybe then have an easier game.

• Report: Hanwell 1-2 Ebbsfleet

“I thought we should have scored after two or three minutes, but we were not clinical enough in front of goal and that’s the only thing I can criticise today.”

The Fleet will take their place in Monday’s draw for the Fourth Qualifying Round. National League sides, including Kent rivals Maidstone, will be among the teams in the hat.

On who he hopes to get in the draw, Kutrieb said: “I’m not bothered but I would love to get a home draw. I can’t pick it anyway but the higher teams are coming in so it could be a tough draw.

“If I can get the lowest-ranked team I would be happy but regardless of who it is, hopefully it’s a good draw.”