Chris Kinnear admits Dover had to show all their battling qualities to edge past relegation-threatened Torquay in the National League.

It was The Gulls who effectively ended Dover's play-off hopes last season with a 2-1 win at Crabble and the Devon side arrived on Saturday in good form.

Gary Owers' team won both their matches over Easter and were unbeaten in their last three away matches, winning two and drawing the other.

Ryan Bird's 55th minute penalty was all that separated the sides, with Torquay finishing the game with nine men after Rhys Healey (60 minutes) and Elliott Romain (94 minutes) were both sent off.

Healey picked up two yellows – the first for simulation and the second for a challenge on Connor Essam – while Romain was given a straight red after catching Giancarlo Gallifuoco high.

Dover boss Kinnear – who was taking charge of Whites for the 900th time – admitted: "These are a decent side, they're on a great run at the moment and they did not make it easy.

"They had five sat at the back there, which is their prerogative. I don't mind that, people can play any way they want to play.

"It's down to us to try and find ways (to get round that) and that's why we changed maybe the formation a little bit so we could play to that. It was just a matter of keep ticking away, keep making it difficult for them.

"They would have been happy for a 0-0 here but in saying that I think we deserved the points...just.

"I think Mitch (Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker) pulled off one good save and that was it.

"It's difficult when the other team loses players because they (the rest of the team) run about even more, it becomes disjointed. We've scraped through a game which on another day we might have lost which shows the players are learning. I thought they did really well."

Whites remain eighth – one place outside the play-offs – but are just three points behind the four teams ahead of them, with four games remaining.

Kinnear admits he loves this stage of the season and still believes his team can figure in the promotion shake-up.

They face Tranmere and Gateshead at home and Maidenhead and Woking away.

He added: "At this stage it's just a matter of picking up points, there'll be sides dropping points, not winning, everyone seems to be playing each other so we've just got to get on with it."