New St Albans City manager Ian Allinson left Ebbsfleet United disappointed on Tuesday night – after seeing his side come close to getting a positive result against the league leaders.

The Kent side picked up a 1-0 win thanks to Aaron McLean’s goal in first-half stoppage time.

Bur it was a game that was lacking many shots on target, with indiscipline and the referee’s whistle more common.

Allinson said: “I was a little bit disappointed because for 44 minutes I felt we kept them at bay. They probably had one half-chance and then it’s a shot from nothing really.

“He probably mishit it and I don’t know whether Joe mistimed it or he didn’t where it was going to bounce.

“He said afterwards it had come over Josh’s [Staunton] head and span away from him.

“So it’s disappointing to go in 1-0 down because the game plan was to nullify their strengths and I think we did that.

“It’s frustrating but they’re a good side.

“I didn’t think we could get any momentum in the second-half like we did in the first.”

Discipline, or the lack of it from both sides, could have landed either team in trouble with the referee dishing out five bookings in the space of five minutes in the second-half.

And Allinson says that is one area his team need to improve.

He said: “It comes from having a discipline about us. The way [Ebbsfleet] got around the referee after Al Bangura’s challenge; I felt the referee could have got hold of that.

“If we’ve got a discipline we could have done better. We’ve picked up three cheap bookings through people losing their head.

“You want them to be on the front foot and work hard. Not be aggressive but to have that temperament and know when to attack teams and when to hold off.”

And another area Saints must improve if they have any chance of staying in the Vanarama National League South is their attacking play.

The former Arsenal and Luton winger said: “At times we had good possession but we went side-to-side too often and it took too long to get the ball forward.

“In Charlie MacDonald you’ve got someone who won the conference last season. If you give him half a chance he’ll put it in the back of the net but he’s not getting any chances.

“And that has to come from wide areas and through the middle. It can’t come from set-pieces and long throws.”