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Dover Athletic assistant manager Jake Leberl credits defence for victory at Maidstone

Dover’s strikers did the business at Maidstone but assistant manager Jake Leberl was equally happy with their defence.

Keeper Steve Arnold and his back five survived heavy early pressure in Whites’ 4-1 victory on New Year’s Day.

And Leberl said: “It probably wasn’t a 4-1 game, was it?

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Dover assistant manager Jake Leberl, left, and the boss, Chris Kinnear
Dover assistant manager Jake Leberl, left, and the boss, Chris Kinnear

“We were very fortunate to go in 1-0 at half-time I felt but we put our bodies on the line and defended for our lives. Arnie in goal made some crucial saves at some crucial times.

“So at half-time we said we needed a little bit more from everyone to get a result here because, like they showed on Boxing Day, they’ve got a bit of spirit, Maidstone, and they’ve got some good forward players who looked dangerous over the two games.

“We were a little bit concerned but fortunately everyone raised their game, I think we probably looked a little bit fitter as well later on and the three front boys did what they’ve been doing all season with some clinical finishes.”

Moses Emmanuel made it 11 league goals for the season with his double, Ross Lafayette moved on to 10 with a lovely finish and Ricky Miller has 26 after adding Whites’ fourth.

Moses Emmanuel scores his second Picture: Andy Jones
Moses Emmanuel scores his second Picture: Andy Jones

Leberl said: “That’s all of them in double figures for the league at the turn of the year.

“All three of them have always scored goals their whole career.

“Even when we’re perhaps not quite at it, they can get us out of a hole and perhaps that’s what happened today.

“I thought defensively we put our bodies on the line but it’s four clinical finishes from three top strikers.”

Victory sent Dover up to fourth place in the National League and the challenge is to stay in the top five.

Ross Lafayette makes it three for Dover Picture: Andy Jones
Ross Lafayette makes it three for Dover Picture: Andy Jones

Leberl said: “It seems we’ve been sixth, seventh for an age and every time we win the clubs above are winning and we haven’t managed to get ourselves in the play-offs for a long period where the run we’ve been on, we’d have thought we’d be there by now.

“There’s some strong clubs but we’ve worked so hard to get in the play-offs and now we’ve got to show that grit and everything that we are to stay in there.

“We’ve got loads of tough games coming up but over the season we just keep doing what we do.”

Read the match report from Dover's 4-1 win at Maidstone

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