DOVER Athletic's new boss Neville Southall's reckons Margate may be harder to beat at Crabble on New Year's Day than they were on their own ground on Boxing Day.

Southall knows better than to read too much into one result, but the new Whites manager could hardly have wished for a better outcome to his first game in charge.

After the 1-0 Boxing Day victory at Margate, courtesy of a second-half goal from Southall’s first signing, Jimmy Aggrey, the Welshman said: “I’m really pleased, the players are really pleased, and it’s a nice way for me to start. But we’ve got to get another three points against Margate on New Year’s Day.

"If we don’t then we will have ruined what we’ve done today - and I suspect it will be twice as hard at our place because Margate will be looking for revenge.”

Southall, however, paid due credit to his players’ performance on the day, saying: “To be fair, the lads did better than I thought they were going to. Their attitude was good and they got their just rewards in the end.

“The players gave everything they had and, whether we had won or lost, that was enough for me.”

The New Year’s Day return at Crabble kicks off at 3pm.