Ebbsfleet manager Harry Watling insists that he’s ready to change if it means he can get more clean sheets.

After enjoying victory in his first match in charge, Watling has seen his side give away cheap goals in defeats at Sutton and Maidenhead.

It means Ebbsfleet have just one win in 11 National League games - and no team in the league have conceded more goals.

“My big statement when I came in was I saw what I did on that Tuesday night against Aldershot, I saw a little bit of character and personality but I also see a team that lacked a bit of cutting edge and needed to score a goal,” said Watling.

“We managed to do that against Hartlepool, and we’ve scored three goals since but we’ve conceded too many at the other end.

“I’ve got to tighten things up at the back and look for a formula, a short-term fix to try and get us through the next couple of games and search for a clean sheet. It’s a big challenge.

“We’re scoring in every game. I’ve been here for three games, we’ve scored in every game, but we’ve conceded too many.

“We need to search for those clean sheets. I’ve got to discuss with the staff and the players about a system and a formula where we feel a little bit more comfortable at the back. The principles of what we want to do will always stay the same, systems and formations can always change.

“I’ve played a back four the whole time. It’s got to be what fits, round pegs and round holes. The game of football is a mentality game as well.

“It’s about learning as you go, what suits the players, what are they more comfortable with and going from there.

“It’s not going to be keys in the box and see what one comes out, it’s not going to be a coin toss. It’s going to be a proper discussion - let’s look at where the players have played before, let’s speak to the players because, ultimately, they’re going onto the pitch.

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“We need to take it one game at a time and see if we progress. I thought the performance against Sutton was really positive, I was disappointed with the goals we conceded but there were some massive positives. Against Maidenhead, not so much if I’m honest so we need to address that.”

Watling has urged his players to take the handbrake off after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at Maidenhead, which saw them take a safety-first approach at times.

Too many passes went backwards and sideways and the Fleet boss insisted that isn’t the intention.

“My big thing is, do you play at the back or do you play from the back?” he responded.

“At Maidenhead, we played at the back too much. I want my centre-halves to step into the pitch and serve the midfielders, I want the midfielders to face forwards, I want the forwards to score goals.

“A lot of the time I felt Maidenhead were really happy to sit in their block, let us have it and then any time we got in their territory, which was interesting for us, they jumped us and we went backwards.

“We made a lot of our own mistakes. I look at the two goals and they are turnovers from our possession. That’s something I’ve got to look at and try to find a formula to fix.

“I don’t want to play with fear. We don’t set that environment of safety-first. We’re front foot, we want to play forward-thinking football but we also want to be realistic and be tight at the back.

“I definitely don’t want that to set in, I want them to play with freedom and take the handbrake off.”