Jay Saunders says concentration rather than fitness is to blame after Margate missed out on two promotion-chasing scalps.

Late goals cost the Gate with AFC Hornchurch salvaging a 2-2 draw last Tuesday and Carshalton making it 1-1 in added time on Saturday after Ricky Korboa cancelled out Elliott Reeves' 42nd-minute opener.

Both sides are in Isthmian Premier play-off spots but 14th-placed Gate showed they can live with the better sides during encouraging home performances.

Boss Saunders said: "We had it against Hornchurch and the same again against Carshalton where we've let in a late goal.

"It's disappointing because we worked really hard in those games and played some good stuff but we haven't seen them out.

"Both those sides are pushing for promotion and we've shown what we're capable of but maybe we're not capable of doing it for 95 minutes.

"Hornchurch are one of the favourites to win the league but they've not beaten us this year.

"Once we got to the 90th minute against Carshalton I thought we'd see it out but then someone switches off at the back stick and it's a tap-in.

"It's happened too many times this season.

"Some people might say it's down to fitness but I don't think so, I think it's not concentrating for the right amount of time, leading to individual mistakes.

"We could be sitting here on a lot more points if we'd turned some of our draws into wins but I don't think we're in a false position because you are where you deserve to be.

"If you give away late goals and don't keep clean sheets, you don't win games.

"I think we've kept two clean sheets all season.

"If you're solid defensively, you've always got a chance of winning games but we haven't been."

Margate are due at Leatherhead this Saturday.

The Tanners are managed by former Blues boss Nikki Bull, who has strengthened his strikeforce by signing Ibrahim Olutade on loan from Maidstone for the second time and capturing Dartford's Charlie Sheringham on dual-registration.

Saunders said: "I don't know if it'll be on because the forecast is awful and their pitch has been under water.

"They've got Olutade back, who scored a lot of goals on loan there before, and Charlie Sheringham's a good signing, so maybe they're looking at a late surge for the play-offs."

Winger Kadell Daniel serves the second game of a three-match ban after seeing red for an off-the-ball incident against Brightlingsea.

Saunders said: "It's the first time he's been sent off.

"He just said it was a moment of madness.

"The fella he kicked out at had constantly been pulling his arms and his shirt and kicking the back of his heels and he just reacted. You can't explain it.

"These are the individual mistakes I'm talking about.

"Out of all the games we've had that's the most comfortable I've felt.

"I don't think they'd had a shot before the red card but we end up drawing 1-1."

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