Ebbsfleet United boss Daryl McMahon on the 4-1 defeat at Wrexham
14:18, 18 September 2018
updated: 14:19, 18 September 2018
Daryl McMahon described Ebbsfleet's collapse at Wrexham as their worst performance under his management.
Fleet trailed 4-0 at half-time after conceding three goals in the first 19 minutes.
They pulled one back after the interval but never looked like getting back into the game.
McMahon said: "The first half was poor and the game was over at half-time.
"It was probably the worst we’ve had since I’ve been manager, in that first half, against a very good side in Wrexham.
"I’m not taking anything away from them but I’m only really interested in my team. It wasn’t anywhere near the standard I expect from my group.
"I was shocked by everything about the performance. There was nothing in it that we spoke about during the week. It was a shot out of the blue really."
Of the 13 goals Fleet have conceded in the National League this season, six have been scored against them in the first 20 minutes of games.
"Conceding first is always difficult in this league," McMahon said.
"Wrexham’s got a vibe around it at the moment a little bit like Tranmere last year in the sense that the crowd are right behind the team and the manager.
"They’re a good side and when you go there and start poorly and go a goal down, you are going to lose. I can’t see many teams that concede early at Wrexham getting back into the game because the crowd are right on side.
"The manager’s doing a good job, he’s got a very good team and they’re a very different team from last year as well. Last year they were pretty defensive but this year they’ve got a nice mix of both."
McMahon explained why he substituted Ebou Adams during the first half at Wrexham, replacing the midfielder with defender Chris Bush.
It was Adams' first game back from international duty with Gambia and McMahon admitted: "I shouldn’t have played him.
"He was tired, he looked tired when he played and it was unfair of me to leave him out there when, physically, he wasn’t at the level he needed to be.
"That wasn’t down to him, it was my decision to play him. To protect him, I took him off."
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