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Sport

Dover Athletic manager Andy Hessenthaler reacts to National League draw at Chorley

By: Mark Stokes

Published: 08:40, 22 December 2019

Updated: 09:12, 22 December 2019

By Alex Birch

Andy Hessenthaler admitted Dover got out of jail with Kevin Lokko's stoppage time equaliser at Chorley on Saturday.

Whites looked to be heading for a third straight National League defeat when Alex Newby fired Chorley ahead on 73 minutes but skipper Lokko popped up in stoppage time to rescue a point

Boss Hessenthaler admits they look a nervous side at the moment.

Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler Picture: Alan Langley

He explained: "Listen the boys had a go, they ran around, I would never question that but today I can question the quality.

"We look a nervous team at the moment with the football, we don't need to be like that.

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"It was like a hot potato in the first half, second half I thought we came out and we were better, but even then we got in great areas but the quality wasn't there, the cross or the decision making.

"I felt it was all pretty much us in their half, and then we go and give a silly goal away.

"We didn't defend it properly and then we get out of jail.

"For me Kev's made the mistake for their goal and then he's got us out of jail at the death."

Struggling Chorley had held Whites 1-1 at Crabble in September and Hessenthaler said he always expected a tough game.

He added: "These are not easy places, we were in the same position as Chorley last year, we were in the bottom two about this time.

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"We know where they are, we know they're going to be fighting.

"It wasn't a particularly good game but we got a point out of it.

"We've lost our last two games we've still only lost two on our travels out of 11 matches, but we've got to improve with the ball.

"This is where you need characters who are mentally strong.

"We knew it would be tough but we made it harder for ourselves because we were not good enough with the ball.

"We nearly lost it but we scraped through in the end.

"Maybe that score right at the death might make them (the players) realise, hang on we haven't got beat can we go on a run now."

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