Terry Brown could not hide his frustration after the optimism of Margate's best performance of the season was undone by another blank afternoon infront of goal.

Despite bossing long spells of the 2-0 defeat at home to Ebbsfleet, Brown's men have now mustered just four goals in nine games in Vanarama National League South to find themselves mired in the bottom three.

The Gate manager conceded: "It's a typical example of every game we have played this year, apart from Dartford, who were better than us when they came down here.

"To be fair Ebbsfleet were better than us too because they came here, kept a clean sheet and scored two goals."

He admitted: "It's very, very difficult to keep lifting the side when they fail to score every week.

"We have got hard-working forwards, talented forwards, who haven't found the back of the net in nine games this season.

"We have got attacking midfield players who are great going forward but who don't score goals. The difference between the two teams was they have got goalscoring forwards and goalscoring midfield players in abundance. That's why they are top and we are bottom."

The pivotal point of the game arrived a couple of minutes before the break when Gate were foiled on a fine break forward before conceding a free-kick from which Fleet snatched a half-time lead.

Fleet keeper Brandon Hall dived to his left to parry a drive from Nathan Green just moments before Kenny Clark's opener late in the first half and Brown admitted: "That's the difference between being top and bottom.

"It's not bad luck. I'm not saying how desperately unlucky we were, that to us was no different to the other games we have lost on the break where we dominate possession but fail to finish anything.

"The difference between the two sides is that they have got finishers and we haven't."

Freddie Ladapo endured another goalless afternoon, despite a handful of chances and industrious hold-up work, while Kane Wills spurned a couple of good openings and Danny Green was denied by Hall.

Brown admitted: "The front two caused their back four all sorts of problems all day but if you're not going to stick the ball in the net, eventually you're going to concede, and we did.

"The mantra I've been using all year is 'keep going, it will come' - and it hasn't. I think what needs to come is a goalscoring forward or midfielder.

"We tried in the week to get a goalscoring forward and we thought we had him but we couldn't nail it down. At this time of the season, who's going to get rid of a goalscoring forward? it's what everyone wants. I think the chances of us actualy getting someone that can stick the ball in the net is an outside chance."

Brown allowed himself a wry smile after seeing Gate actually climb one place to third-bottom, despite the loss, but added: "As the team that went below us lost 5-1 to the team we are playing on Tuesday, that doesn't fill me with a lot of heart."

Gate visit Eastbourne Borough on Tuesday (7.45pm).