Daryl McMahon struggled to find the words to describe Ebbsfleet's defeat to Boreham Wood on Saturday.

Fleet lost 3-0 at the Kuflink Stadium and the damage could have been worse with Wood missing several good chances and a stoppage-time penalty.

Seven days on from their hard-fought draw at Aldershot, the hosts were unchanged but the performance those players produced could not have been more different.

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"I can't even describe it," said McMahon after the game. "I don't know where to go with it when you look at the same XI that were outstanding last week.

"At the moment, we don't know what we're going to get, week to week, from some very good players.

"I actually don't know what to say. It's difficult for me to put my finger on it.

"We press the self-destruct button. We're not streetwise enough. We're lacking lots of things that I'd expect us to have."

Just two of the 14 players used on Saturday impressed their manager.

McMahon said: "I thought Sam Magri was outstanding, the whole game, and Sean Shields. He gave us a little bit more impetus (when he came on) and he had an impact on the game.

"They're the two players, for me, that are exempt from what I'm saying. Both of them were terrific."

After a tight first half, Fleet fell away in the second. Boreham Wood had conceded 10 goals in their previous four games but deserved their clean sheet and the points.

McMahon said: "It summed it up, the one that we should have scored from. We had four chances in about 10 seconds when it hit the post and came back out.

"Their desire to keep it out of their goal, to keep a clean sheet when they were 3-0 up, that's the difference between the teams.

"Goals change games, we all know that, and we conceded some bad ones. We could have conceded some more but we've been beaten by a better team right now and that's a fact.

"We were poor. Boreham Wood, for me, will definitely get into the play-offs. They look hungry to get into the play-offs and they deserved to win.

"We're too inconsistent, too up and down, to be serious contenders for the play-offs and promotion out of this league.

"We were a catalogue of errors. Any bad decision you could make was made. It was a frustrating afternoon but you can't take anything away from Boreham Wood, who I thought were excellent.

"This season tells you where we are. We have been too inconsistent.

"Some players who want to go and play at a higher level have to become more consistent, whether it's with Ebbsfleet or another football club, if they've got the desire to do that. I'm sure some of them do individually."

The search for new signings will intensify after this defeat, Ebbsfleet's third in five league games.

McMahon said: "I'm desperate to get someone in but it's got to be the right person. It can't just be anyone. They've got to get into the starting XI and have an impact.

"We'll see what happens this week."