Peter Varney feels he has let Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi down after Ebbsfleet missed out on promotion for a third season running.

Fleet lost the National League South play-off final to Maidstone on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

They suffered the same fate at Dover’s hands two years ago before finishing eighth and sacking two managers last season.

Taken over by KEH Sports in 2013, Ebbsfleet now face a fourth season in National South under their Kuwaiti owners.

Mr Varney, the club’s vice-chairman, said: "I feel for Dr Abdulla. He’s put a lot of money into the club and this was the season where we thought we could deliver a promotion to him.

"With an owner, you can sense in their voice how keen they are for the club to progress. I’d be lying if I didn’t say you do feel to some extent that you’ve let him down a little bit.

"He puts his trust in us in being able to move it forward. What we’re trying to do here is build a club as well as a team.

"You can see what’s going on with the stand and everything else and you want to see that progression go hand-in-hand on the pitch.

"After last year, we thought we’d brought the squad in that could get us up. But what’s happened has come down to a lottery. One penalty save and one team goes up and one team doesn’t."

Even before the play-offs, Dr Al-Humaidi confirmed Daryl McMahon would continue as manager next season.

Mr Varney said: "I’ve been around long enough to know Daryl is destined for good things. Sometimes a bit of disappointment is character-building.

"Football’s a cynical business. Everyone wants managers changed. I read the other day the average is about 11 months now and it is nonsense.

"When I was at Charlton, Alan Curbishley came in 1991 and won something in 1998. You can quote other examples, Ferguson and the like.

"You need time to build something and get your messages across.

"He is going to manage at a high level. He’ll be disappointed but that will make him even stronger, coming back from this.

"We were half a minute away from being the winners and then to lose on penalty kicks seems harsh.

"We’ve had a great season, finished seven points clear of Maidstone and 20 clear of Whitehawk and yet the season counts for nothing.

"It all comes down to a couple of cup ties. They deserve a lot more than they’ve actually got."