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Manager Garry Hill has admitted he’s stunned by Ebbsfleet’s poor start to the season.
Fleet have lost all four matches in the National League – conceding 11 goals in the process.
Hill knows that Ebbsfleet face another tough examination at much-fancied Solihull on Saturday but you won’t find the manager hiding away from the challenge.
“When you’re not having the best of times, people want to play you so you’ve got to mentally harden up or you’ll find yourselves having a long, hard season,” he said.
“There will be managers who lose their first four league games and make some excuse and send their assistant out.
“It’s not my style, I come out here and I’m hurting. I’m stunned and I’m surprised that we haven’t got points even though on paper we’ve had a tough start.
“We’ve played Bromley and Fylde and Halifax who are all in the top five, and by the time we go to Solihull on Saturday all the teams we’ve played are in the top seven.
“That doesn’t mean it gives you the divine right to give goals away the way we have. We’re defensively poor at the moment.
“I never shirk from anything. I’m hurting and we’ve all got to hurt together. It’s not the start to the season that we expected or wanted but we’ve got to keep going.”
Hill is keen to ensure his players do not throw in the towel. But while his team may be low on confidence, the Fleet boss knows only hard work is going to turn their fortunes around.
“It’s hard work and responsibility,” he stated after Tuesday’s 3-1 home reverse to Yeovil. “You’ve got to take responsibility.
“When I say defending, that’s not only the defenders. You defend as a team, you take responsibility as a team.
“I don’t look at Yeovil’s goals and say you can’t do much about that.
“I thought when we got to 2-1 that the last 12 minutes were set up for a grandstand finish for us to possibly get a draw, if not to go on and win it.
“Everyone was getting excited looking at that end for the equaliser and within 30 seconds you’re 3-1 down. I know you have to take certain gambles but they’ve carved us open so easily to get the third one that it’s embarrassing really.
“The goals we’ve conceded are not good enough. We’re not doing enough. Any side is built on your backline and I don’t think they’re inexperienced players. All right, they’ve had to settle in but you wouldn’t say they are bad players.
“When you’re a team which is low on confidence or getting punished for mistakes it’s easy to make excuses or to throw the towel in a little bit but that can’t happen.
“It’s easy for me to turn round and say I’ll see you all on Thursday but I can’t be doing that. We’ve got to get back in here. If we have to do the extra hours and not get a day off to get it right then we’ll do it.
“We have to look at formations, we have to look at personnel and you learn a great deal about people on and off the pitch, whether they are a player, a manager or a supporter.
“I thought the supporters tried to give the boys a lift, they encouraged at the end and you can’t knock that. We’re judged on our league position and even though we expected it to be a bedding in time for a lot of players, after four games (with no) points on the board you can’t turn round and look for excuses.
“It’s hard work now and that’s what it’s got to be. I certainly won’t be shirking anything and we’ve got to make sure the players don’t either to get moving in the right direction.”
