Chris Kinnear insists there is life after Stefan Payne and Nicky Deverdics at Crabble and hopes his new arrivals will prove more than adequate replacements.

Barnsley-bound Payne and Deverdics, who has moved to Hartlepool, enjoyed outstanding campaigns as Dover recorded a record finish in the Vanarama National League.

Payne scored 23 goals and had 11 assists, winning the club’s Golden Boot and Players’ Player of the Year Award and Deverdics contributed 14 goals from midfield as well as notching a league-high 18 assists.

While Kinnear admits last season’s play-off semi-final berth will be a tough act to follow this season, he added: “We had a good season but we have still got nine of the side that started that semi-final (against Forest Green Rovers).

“We have kept that good nucleus together and want to add to that.”

The Whites boss insisted: “Those two players didn’t get us to where we were, it was the team who did that.

“Dev was not even in the side initially, he was out on the left, he came to us because nobody wanted him but it was the team around him that helped play to his strengths and allowed everyone to see what he can do as a player.

“Stef came to us from the Ryman League. He had not really done much earlier in his career until he got here.

“Players we sign have got to improve us but also have the ambition to go places. Every player we have is playing at the highest level they have been at.”

Kinnear fielded several trialists in the opening two games of pre-season, a win over Billericay on Saturday and Tuesday’s 4-3 win against League 1 AFC Wimbledon.