Coach Mike Sandmann believes Dover’s first-team squad needs a reset as he and new boss Jake Leberl aim to ignite their National League South survival bid.

Sandmann has returned to the first-team fold to support Leberl, with the 46-year-old replacing Mitch Brundle at second-bottom Whites, albeit the duo saw last weekend’s scheduled trip to fellow strugglers Truro fall victim to the weather.

It’s been a tough few years at Crabble and Sandmann hopes himself and Leberl - both popular within the fan-base - can help Whites connect more with the community again.

Sandmann, who highlighted the work Whites have done this term already in bringing in a sensory room for fans with autism, said: “At the end of the day, the club have won one league game all season.

“The table doesn’t lie but we also cannot forget the fact that they have got nine draws.

“You don’t normally get nine draws. You normally win a couple and maybe lose a couple from that. It’s not a group that is getting battered week-in, week-out.

“It shows they’re not a million miles away and, for me, that’s a real positive.

“If we can add to that - with knowledge, organisation or players - we’re hopeful we can turn some of those draws into three points.

“But we’re not stupid and the club does need a little reset. It needs to be part of the community, the sensory room is a great start on that side of things.

“We’re a relatively big club in National League South so hopefully, if we can start turning our fortunes around, everything can fall into place. All we can do is give it our best.”

Sandmann, who has enjoyed great success in more than a decade in charge of Dover’s Academy at Faversham’s Abbey School, was more than happy to rejoin the senior squad’s ranks when asked.

He had previously been involved with Whites’ first-team but stepped down in the summer as he struggled to balance both commitments.

Sandmann explained: “It all happened very quickly.

“I’m at the football club anyway and I’ve been here for 12 years. Whenever asked to help out, I’m always going to.

“It makes sense for me to do so on the Academy side of things. At the moment, that link is particularly strong.

“From the first-team point of view, if we want to go down the route of progressing these players, it makes sense. Whenever asked to help out, I’m always going to do so.”

Sandmann and Leberl know one another well. The pair worked together when the club were battling it out in the higher echelons of the National League when Leberl was then-boss Chris Kinnear’s No.2.

“I know Jake extremely well,” Sandmann revealed.

“I was here when Jake was here with Chris. I was with the first-team when Jake was around then. It helps that Jake knows the club inside-out - as do I. I think that’s what the chairman (Jim Parmenter) wanted.

“The last couple of years have been extremely difficult.

“We need to bring everything back again, we need to bring that community side back again. Over the last few years - with disappointing results - that community aspect can easily get lost a little bit.

“Having people in charge who are familiar with the club and who the fans are familiar with, that’ll really help on that side of things.

“Is it going to be an easy task? Absolutely not.

“Whether we’re successful or not, that remains to be seen. But we will give it our best shot.”

Sandmann also admitted he had sympathy for Brundle - who was sacked last Tuesday, a day after his 29th birthday.

“Nobody can fault how much effort Mitch put in at the football club,” said Sandmann, with the side due to play a behind-closed-doors match yesterday.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But nobody can fault his work ethic. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.

“But Mitch deserves a lot of credit for what he did this year -mostly on his own.

“The players were all playing for him and the performances, bar the last couple, had been really good. He deserves a lot of credit.”

One of the first acts Dover’s new management team have been involved with has been replacing keeper Billy Terrell - who has returned to Bournemouth - with David Aziaya. Aziaya has joined on a one-month loan from National League Bromley.

Sandmann rang 20-year-old Terrell - who had made a big impression - and said: “I know the fans absolutely loved Billy.

“It’s a shame that I didn’t get to work with him. He has a great career ahead.

“In terms of the reasoning and the ins and outs of it all, I don’t want to comment too much on that. That all happened last Monday before we had officially taken charge.

“It’s a shame how it ended and it’s a shame I didn’t get to work with him. But I wish him all the best.”

Dover will host a Bath team challenging for promotion this Saturday.

When the teams met in September, Whites let a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 draw but the Romans won 1-0 at home to Luke Garrard’s National League Boreham Wood side in the FA Trophy at the weekend.

“Bath are a good side,” said Sandmann. “They’re just coming into it on the back of a very good win against Boreham Wood.

“They’re all good sides in National League South. It’s up to us to perform as best as we can because Bath are up there for a reason.

“But we will focus on ourselves and try to put in the best performance possible.”