Shane Huke was substituted on Saturday to save him from being sent off.

Huke started at left-back for Ebbsfleet against Welling in the absence of of Joe Howe (suspended) but he was brought off six minutes before half-time by caretaker manager Daryl McMahon.

He didn't look injured - and McMahon confirmed that he wasn't.

"I took him off because he was on a yellow card," McMahon said. "I think the ref would have looked to even up the game (having already sent off Welling's Joe Taylor) and he’d been booked.

"There was the incident with the penalty (Huke fouled Tyrone Marsh) and I didn’t want him to get sent off.

"It was difficult. I didn’t want to make the decision in the last game I’ve got. He’s a good friend of mine and a team-mate but I just thought he would have got sent off.

"I could see it happening and I didn’t want it to go 10 v 10."

It was a Fleet performance of two halves as far as McMahon was concerned.

He said: "We weren’t good enough in the first half. We were well off the pace, we didn’t get close to them, we didn’t win any challenges, didn’t get on the ball, didn’t pass it well enough.

"In the second half we did it a lot better. It helped that they went down to 10 men but there was more intensity in our play in the second half. That was more of what I think we’re about."

McMahon, who won two and drew one of his three games in temporary charge, now hands over to new Ebbsfleet manager Jamie Day.

Saturday's FA Trophy first-round tie finished 1-1 so Day's first match in charge will be the replay against his old club at Park View Road on Tuesday night.

"It was meant to be," McMahon said. "If they’d scored through Kieron St Aimie at the end, I’m sure we would have scored to make it 2-2. It’s one of those where it was destined to be, on Tuesday night, back at Welling, for Jamie’s first game.

"I’ve heard good things about him. I met him on Wednesday for a little conversation, I liked what he said, he’s enthusiastic about coming here and all the boys are excited about working with him as well.

"In the first half (on Saturday), he might have been thinking ‘I should have stayed at Welling’ but in the second half I’m sure he would have thought ‘OK, we’ve got some good players here’.

"He’ll be looking at different areas he needs to strengthen. It was better in the second half."