Chris Kinnear says getting Dover back into the National League play-offs this season would be a bigger achievement than guiding them there for the first time last year.

With 14 games left, Dover sit fifth, in the final play-off place, but are only three points ahead of ninth-placed Macclesfield after the Silkmen’s 1-0 win at Eastleigh on Tuesday night.

Eastleigh visit Crabble on Saturday (3pm) with a trip to Woking to follow on Tuesday (7.45pm) and Kinnear insisted: “We can’t worry about what other teams do, all we can do is worry about ourselves. All we are thinking about is trying to get the three points against Eastleigh.

“It’s not going to be easy, just look at the investment Eastleigh have made this year and the players they have been able to bring in.

“The league is a lot tougher than people give it credit for. If you split League 2 and National League into a Division 2 South and North then you wouldn’t know who were the league sides and who weren’t.”

He added: “There’s no doubt the league is stronger than last year. It’s not been easy, after losing so many big players after last year but if we were to get back in the play-offs, it would be an even better achievement than last year.”

Kinnear claimed he felt no additional pressure after seeing his squad bolstered by chairman Jim Parmenter over the past five weeks.

Connor Essam, James Hurst, James Caton, Nicky Deverdics and Bondz N’Gala have all arrived to give him a selection headache but Kinnear added: “We have got a strong squad and I certainly can’t complain but I don’t think there is any added pressure. The only pressure there has ever been comes from our own desire to do as well as we can.”

Tyrone Marsh (knee) is the only doubt