The sole downside to Dover’s resurgence has been the unenvied decision making process that is now faced by manager Andy Hessenthaler.

Whites conclude their National League season at home to Sutton on Saturday in what could mark a final outing for the club as far as a number of players are concerned.

With preparations for the 2019/20 campaign very much under way, squad changes may well be in the offing in the coming weeks.

Read more: Dover midfielder Stuart Lewis targets winning finish after 1-0 victory at Ebbsfleet

Hessenthaler said: “I’ve got to make some really tough decisions because there’s not one bad lad in there.

“I’m not a big believer in the farewell thing really, we’re out there to win the game of football.

“I’ve got respect for every single player in that dressing room. Some get frustrated, some don’t play, I’ve got some decisions to make but I’ve got every respect for them. When you make these decisions it’s not a personal thing, it’s something a manager has to do.

“They’ve been a credit to Dover Athletic Football Club since I’ve been here, every one of them. They’ve helped me immensely.”

For Dover to play with such purpose and aggression in Monday’s derby win at Ebbsfleet, having already secured safety, proved testament to the work ethic the players have displayed since the former Eastleigh boss returned to Crabble.

Hessenthaler added: “We could have easily taken our foot off the gas after we got safety at Barrow, but we didn’t do that so credit to the group of players I’ve got in front of me and the staff that are working with them.

“It would be lovely to get a win and get to 60. It could be scuppered by Sutton, but if it is it is, we’re not going to be too disappointed. It would be lovely to finish off on a high and win the game and get to that 60 mark.”

Hessenthaler also paid tribute to his players at Friday’s end-of-season presentation, where Kevin Lokko was named players’ player of the season and captain Mitch Brundle picked up both the supporters’ and away supporters’ player of the season awards.

“It’s been fantastic to be back,” admitted Hessenthaler. “We came back in October with seven points, we had to do a lot of work both on and off the pitch, changing from part-time to full-time. It took time, but we got there in the end.

“I think we’ve reaped the rewards and we have to give the chairman a lot of credit for that.

“It was going to take time and I think you could tell that in the first part of our results.

“Gradually on the training ground we started to get the work done. The hard work for me starts now, we have to start thinking about next season.”