After losing in the National League play-off semi-finals Dover manager Chris Kinnear was proud of his side but disappointed to have come so close to a first appearance at Wembley.

Kinnear turns 62 this summer but has never led a team out at the home of football, and admitted this season had been particularly testing having lost in the quarter-final of the FA Trophy long before Saturday night's 2-1 aggregate defeat to Forest Green Rovers.

Kinnear claimed: "I am, the club is and the supporters are all very proud of what the players have achieved. We've just got to move on.

"This year we're a bit disappointed because we were quarter-finals of the Trophy and close to Wembley and now we're one game away today. Maybe that's the next thing we'll do. We've been getting promotions every other year, who knows what we can achieve?

"I'm a bit disappointed that we're so close, but a lot of people get close - that's part of football. You mustn't let these things drag you down, we have got to be positive and move on and that's part of our job."

He revealed: "There were no tears in the dressing room, they are just very disappointed. It's normal. They've got to be a bit upset and it will take a few days to get through their system. We start again on June 22 and we move on, it's part of football.

"Nearly all the teams in Kent and most of the teams in the National League would want to be in the position where we are. We've got to learn from it, and we will. If you don't learn you don't progress and we've been showing a very steady and good progress the past three years.

"It wasn't that long ago we were going to Ebbsfleet (in the Conference South play-offs) as underdogs then got promoted into this league, then we were eighth and to finish fifth this season is absolutely amazing.

"Everyone's starting to know how we play. You don't finish in the play-offs above your Tranmeres and Lincolns and be in the top-six nearly all season (by accident). We didn't falter and we continue to progress.

"We'll be trying to improve again next year and hopefully we can. There are some big clubs in there. Really we are overachieving. The last two years we've been a lot of people's favourites to go down and we have finished eighth and in the play-offs. We will be looking forward."

Kinnear claimed Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat to Rovers had been crucial, adding: "We improved so much from the other game but they have got Welsh internationals, ex-Premiership players and a lad in the middle who was playing in the Championship this time last year. I thought our lads were absolutely superb. We did deserve it.

"We're just disappointed we didn't really get ourselves going in the tie. That's what happens when you have got a young side, but you have got to learn from that, and we did, it was only three days. They know they have got the beating of anyone really if they stick to the game plan and work hard."