WEYMOUTH manager Bobby Wilkinson shrugged off the 4-1 loss at title-chasing Ebbsfleet United and insisted the Terras must fight their own battles.

Dom Poleon scored a hat-trick for Fleet, with Rakish Bingham also on target, to put the full-time hosts 4-0 up.

Keelan O’Connell netted a stoppage-time consolation with a silky goal, rounding keeper Mark Cousins, but it was far too little too late for Weymouth.

After a third straight league loss, Weymouth – if they did not already admit it – are in a relegation battle, sitting in 23rd and six points off safety.

Wilkinson told Echosport: “We were very good for 70 minutes and then the last 20 minutes a little bit of sloppy defending.

READ MORE: Ebbsfleet United 4-1 Weymouth - match report

“I make it very clear, this wasn’t our battle. This was about trying to regroup a team, get a couple of new players in, start them and let them get round the boys.

“This isn’t our competition right now. The competition is the bottom half. This team are full-time, big budget and look like they should be going up.

“In the final third they were electric. But for 70 minutes we were in the game. We lost Scott Rees, we lost a bit of bite, we lost Harry (Kyprianou).

“We had to move Chris Francis to left-back. More juggling around up there but I won’t lie, the last 20 minutes wasn’t good.

“All three of the goals, I just don’t accept. It isn’t about that, it’s about regrouping and going again and competing with the teams around us.”

Wilkinson admitted Weymouth eventually caved in to “relentless” Ebbsfleet pressure late on.

“You could just tell they were pushing,” he said. “We put so much of our heart and soul in there.

“It was relentless at times. We had a spell where we had them camped in and got caught with a sucker punch of a goal.

“It just looked like it took the wind out of everyone. Then the third goal was even more embarrassing. The fourth for me again was embarrassing.

“But I don’t take anything away from the boys. That was a new back four and I’m trying to make us more solid with more balance.

“The two new boys (Francis and Luke Jenkins) were very good. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the game.”

Reflecting on Francis and Jenkins, who have signed on loan from Bournemouth and AFC Wimbledon respectively, Wilkinson spoke of the pair in glowing terms.

He said: “Chris was very, very good, even though he had to move out of position.

“Luke was outstanding. He only came in the building (Saturday). That’s what I want people to realise, I’ve thrown them in at the deep end.

“I haven’t got time to be waiting until next week. We want to start getting the back four together.

“There was a purpose of what I was doing. If we got a point it would’ve been outstanding, and trust me we came to get that.

“But we’re in our own little group where we have to compete and start winning.”

Weymouth next host Dorchester in their Dorset Senior Cup semi-final derby tomorrow (7.45pm).