Missing Scott McGleish and Tom Pett and with Glen Little and Luke Pigden rested to the bench for what was a fourth game in a week, Stones took the lead but failed to get the win which could have clinched title glory with six games to spare.
Even so, Conference South football next season will be all but confirmed if Bartlett’s men can see off old rivals Lowestoft at The Vale tomorrow night.
Consequently, the Stones’ boss, while disappointed at the ending of a17-match unbeaten run refused to dwell on the absentees, insisting his side must bounce back as they have done from odd adversities before this season.
He said: “It has been a long old week and if you have had that amount of games somewhere along the line it is going to go wrong for you and today it did.
“I still feel with the squad that we have got that was a good enough side to deliver and if you look at the first 20 minutes my point was proved.
“The disappointing thing was once we scored we seemed to take our foot off the pedal and from our corner they got a free-kick about 10 seconds later that their equaliser came from. You look at our reaction from the keeper catching it and they broke forward a lot quicker than we defended and that was an area where obviously I wasn’t happy.
“Full credit to Metropolitan Police who I thought other than the first 20 minutes looked strong and we are all aware of what they are capable of doing. I’ve seen them a couple of times this year and they are a good side.
“At the end of the day we have got to dust ourselves down and go again which we have done a few times this year. That is only our fourth defeat of the season. The lads are really down and disappointed, but what they have achieved is magnificent so let’s go again.”
He admits they could not face a tougher task with which to all but clinch the deal than their old adversaries Lowestoft.
Bartlett’s men have never beaten the former Eastern Counties League side since their arrival in the Ryman Premier League four years ago and lost out to the Trawler Boys in a controversial playoff semi-final in 2011-12.
They are also in resurgent form after a poor start to the current campaign, something which came as a big surprise to Bartlett.
He added: “I expected Lowestoft to win the league this year. They were my tip at the start of the season and they had a poor start but are coming very strongly lately and I expect it to be a very difficult game on Tuesday evening.
“They are busting to get into the playoff scrap and they are in and around it so certainly won’t come to lie down and die.”
