Ebbsfleet may have exited the FA Cup last weekend but manager Steve Brown expects a positive response from his players when they resume league duties on Saturday.

A trip to Vanarama Conference South newcomers Hemel Hempstead offers Fleet the chance to banish their cup blues and potentially close to within a point of top spot.

Ebbsfleet were shell-shocked by Basingstoke’s smash-and-grab raid in Saturday’s cup tie but Brown doesn’t expect that disappointment to linger.

He said: "The way we are as a team, they’ll be absolutely fine.

"If we were dreadful on Saturday, if we lost 2-1 and it could have been five, I’d be seriously worried and so would the group. They’re down but it won’t be too difficult to pick them up.

"I’ve just got to explain to them what we have been doing and what we’ve done very well. The performance, for 70 minutes on Saturday, was very good – so that’s what we’ve got to focus on."

Hemel Hempstead haven’t won at home in the league this season but they will have been buoyed by a 5-0 victory at Chippenham in the FA Cup last weekend.

Brown said: "We’ve had them watched and we’re aware of what they do. They’re not a bad side, to be fair, but neither are we. We’ve stuttered in both the cups but, league-wise, we’re in very good form.

"We’ve had three clean sheets and some great results since that loss at Weston (on September 9) and we’ll be looking to get back on track as quickly as possible. That is Hemel on Saturday.

"We’re aware of them, we know what we have to do and we know what their strengths and weaknesses are."