Dover Athletic assistant manager Jake Leberl has called on the club’s older players to set an example where discipline is concerned.

Striker Jeff Goulding became the sixth Whites player to be sent-off this season in Tuesday’s 1-0 home defeat by Sutton United and Leberl claimed that the striker’s dismissal ruined Dover’s chances of getting anything out of the game against their Skrill South play-off rivals.

He said: “Jeff’s sending-off absolutely killed us and it was the fourth or fifth time this season that a sending-off has left us with no chance of getting back into the game.

“A couple of the sendings-off have been harsh but in Jeff’s case he was already on a booking and, when that’s the case, you don’t give the referee a chance by lunging in.
“And the disappointing thing is that three of the sendings-off haven’t been young boys. Nathan (Elder), Barry (Cogan) and Jeff have all been about.

“You can understand a 20-year-old doing it but it’s up to lads like Nathan, Barry and Jeff to set an example because it’s so important to keep 11 players on the pitch and I believe we would have got something out of (Tuesday's) game if we had done that.”

Leberl also felt that Dover paid the price for their slow start.He added: “We didn’t get out of our half for the first 10 minutes. Sutton were on top, got their goal and then did a professional job on us by shutting up shop."

Whites face another of the play-off contenders on Saturday when they travel to meet Weston-super-Mare, who are one position and two points above them in sixth place after beating Bath City 2-0 on Tuesday.