Jake Leberl accepts Isthmian Premier pacesetters Dover are overachieving - but thinks his side will remain strong, even when defeats come.

Whites are four points clear as they target a swift return to National League South football.

Having earned a 1-0 victory at Folkestone in front of a crowd of nearly 3,000 through midfielder Luke Baptiste’s second-half strike on Tuesday, they will have another Kent derby at Chatham this weekend.

Asked if his Dover squad were surpassing his expectations, manager Leberl replied: “I’d say so, with the squad we have got, the budget we have got and everything else.

“But I knew very early on that we have got a special group. I don’t think a couple of defeats are going to knock us.

“I think we’ll be all right - I really do - but, obviously, we have been very fortunate with suspensions and injuries.

“We have managed to keep a stable side. Roman (Charles-Cook) is suspended but, other than that, we have managed to keep a stable side for so long, which helps so much.

Report: Folkestone 0-1 Dover

‘We need to be a bit better than that’

“I have to give credit to the boys that aren’t getting minutes. They’re in the dressing room now and as much a part as the guy, who has scored the goal. It’s a great group of boys that we have got.

“They have to wait for their chance, which they fully accept. Tamas (Amgbaduba) has come in and played two games on the spin after not starting all season and he’s done a fantastic job.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be here, delighted we have recruited who we have recruited, and looking forward to seeing where this season goes.”

Weekend hosts Chatham, last term’s beaten Isthmian Premier play-off finalists, have struggled to repeat the same form this time around so far, albeit they are on a seven-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Leberl has warned his team they will need to be up for another big occasion at the Bauvill Stadium.

“I’ve been there a few times recently,” he said. “I hadn’t really been there previously because, obviously, they were in the lower leagues and they have done ever so well to climb a few leagues.

“It’s a very hostile place to go. I was quite surprised by that a couple of times when I went there.

“The boys are going to be in for another day like Tuesday, really, where they have got to deal with that.

“They have to block it out, take the emotion out of the game and we need to start a lot better. But I’ve got every faith we can continue with where we’re at, at the moment.

“We’re in a good place but I also know that football can change so quickly so we have got to stay level-headed.”

Leberl hopes having these sort of big derby matches could help his youthful team if they are still in the promotion picture at the business end of the season.

He said: “Not many of the boys will have previously played in a game like Tuesday night.

“Lots of them have come from levels below so they certainly wouldn’t have played in an environment like this.

“If we’re fortunate enough to get in and around the play-offs come the end of the season, these sorts of games will stand us in good stead to be able to deal with the big occasion.”

Young Grenada international defender Roman Charles-Cook will be unavailable for Whites’ match in Medway as he serves the final fixture of his three-game ban.