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Dover Athletic assistant manager Jake Leberl says honest team talk was key to big win at Eastleigh

Dover assistant manager Jake Lerberl says an honest chat with the players after Saturday’s goalless draw with Guiseley acted as a catalyst for Whites’ first away win of the season.

Whites won 5-2 at Eastleigh on Tuesday, their biggest win of the year and their first victory in four games, following three goalless draws and a 3-2 loss at Cheltenham Town.

Leberl said: “There were no raised voices or anything like that – it was a matter of telling the lads what we wanted because we haven’t seen it of late.

Jake Lerberl
Jake Lerberl

“You could say that they took it all on board with this performance but we should have scored five against a lot of other sides this season.

“Now it is important that we build on Tuesday’s win and what will help is that the goals will help settle everyone down after being on edge because they were not coming, despite the chances we created.”

Dover moved up four places to 10th after the impressive win in Hampshire and are now just three points off the fifth and final play-off berth.

They will have the chance to close that gap tomorrow (Friday) when they host sixth-placed Woking at Crabble (7.45pm).

The game will be televised live on BT Sport but Whites fluffed their lines on live TV last season, losing on both appearances, 3-0 against Barnet and 4-0 in the FA Cup against Crystal Palace.

Leberl is reading nothing into those results.

He said: “We lost to the eventual league champions and a Premier League team – it wasn’t anything to do with the cameras being there.

“You can’t afford to think about the cameras being there – you’ve just got to focus on what you are doing and treat it like any other game.”

As for Woking, they lost 2-1 at Braintree on Tuesday and Leberl is expecting another tough game with the Surrey visitors, who will have former Dover loanee, striker Dan Holman, in their squad.

Leberl said: “We played them four times (twice in league and twice in the FA trophy) last season and they were all tight affairs, apart from the 6-1 loss there in what was our fifth game at this level.

“After that, we won twice by a single goal margin and other ended in a 3-3 draw – this game will be just as tight.”

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