Ebbsfleet assistant manager David Kerslake was left bemused by the big decision of the day at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

The Fleet’s winless run continued with a 2-0 home National League defeat to title-chasing York but it could have been a different story had Josh Passley’s first-half header not been ruled out.

Referee Alan Dale, who did not endear himself to home fans throughout, disallowed the goal after consulting with his assistant, after they adjudged Toby Edser’s presence blocked keeper Harrison Male’s ability to make a save.

“I don't know how the goal has been disallowed from the corner,” said Kerslake.

“When we spoke to the referee, he said that he and the linesman were chatting all the way through the corner.

“The linesman said that Toby was in an offside position. He was asking the referee to get a better feel for it if Toby was interfering with play.

“They ought to employ them in the Premier League because them two are better than VAR.

“We didn't see it on the side. When we’ve asked the referee, they said they were in conversation before the corner kick was taken.

“It's still baffling me how they've come to that conclusion.”

The incident came on the stroke of half-time but Kerslake didn’t accept that it was a turning point in the contest.

“I don't think it's the turning point because we've come out at half-time and I still felt they were there for the taking, as good as they've been all year,” he said. “I think we rattled them a bit.

“It was going to be a tough game. They're a really, really good team. They can pop it about a lot of the time.

“I reckon if you look back over their games and their stats, they're probably most games 75% in possession, but that wasn't the case here.

“We've reduced York who are probably the best footballing team around to crashing it forward. They had two big lumps on up top, one that is extremely expensive for this league. I thought we were going to win it, but we ended up conceding the penalty.”

Read more: Ebbsfleet 0-2 York match report

On the challenge of playing against York, Kerslake added: “We've watched them over a period of time now. You can see what they can do, they can really hurt you in midfield. They've got players who can handle themselves.

“One of the big things people don't realise is how hard they run. The boys in midfield are launching 30, 40, 50-yard runs beyond players and you've got to have a team who can match it.

“Our players right now have a real spirit about them. We haven't been in a great place recently, but in the last ten games, we definitely feel we've turned it around. They’ve matched everything York has thrown at us.”