Jack Parkinson says Dover’s youthful squad will be stronger for the experience gained through their play-off heartache.

The 26-year-old was visibly disappointed after Whites’ 2-1 aggregate defeat at the New Lawn on Saturday but claimed listening to Rovers’ celebrations focused his mind on going one better next season.

He said: “Everyone is gutted. There are no words. It’s frustrating, listening to them in their dressing room – it rubs it in a little bit.

“We’ve got a quite a young squad and this will stand us in good stead. We won’t think like that for the next two weeks but coming in for pre-season, it will be a massive learning curve.

“Forest Green got beat in the play-offs last year and came back this year and have done it. Sometimes you just have to use these things to your advantage, as horrible as it is.”

Parkinson expects manager Chris Kinnear to add to his squad this summer, with Dover being an easy sell, adding: “The gaffer and his staff have put together a good squad, a squad who have more than competed this year.

“It’s a different style but one that’s effective. It just wasn’t quite enough.

“We’ll go again in pre-season. I’m sure the gaffer will bring in some good players. I’m sure players will want to be at a club like Dover with the chairman doing his bit off the pitch and us doing ours on it.

“The future’s positive, though, it’s tough at the minute.”

Parkinson revealed after Ricky Miller levelled the aggregate scores early in the second half in Gloucestershire that: “I thought we’d go on and win it.

“We peppered their goal in the first half and couldn’t quite get one. We deservedly got one early in the second half, that’s where it’s so important to stay tight for 10 minutes, we didn’t unfortunately."