Nicky Southall said getting off the foot of the National League table was the most significant aspect of Dover's win over Hartlepool on Saturday.

Dover's 2-1 victory at Crabble lifted them above rivals Braintree who slumped to 24th after being beaten 3-1 at Harrogate. Bedsente Gomis and Inih Effiong put Whites 2-0 at up half-time before Josh Hawkes netted a late consolation for the visitors.

Southall admitted that no longer being bottom will give the players a big psychological boost ahead of Tuesday's trip to Boreham Wood.

He said: "We're buzzing, I think everyone, even the boys who came off the bench, were fantastic, you can see clearly that we are one team.

"The boys sat in that dressing room after the game delighted that we are off the bottom of the league.

"I think out of everything today that is the biggest thing, getting off the bottom of the league, the boys see that and they get a bit of fire in the belly."

• Dover sign striker Alfie Pavey from Havant

Southall felt Dover were well worth their win – just their third of the season – and that the squad are definitely starting to feel the benefits of full-time training.

"Going full-time you're going to get fitter, stronger, more organised. It also gives us a little bit more of a turnaround time to sit with the players and show them footage of the opposition to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

"The boys applied themselves really well, and executed the plans that we spoke about midweek.

"We had to start really quick and I thought we did and at half-time we could have been three or four goals up, but the game wasn't won.

"We spoke about how we hadn't been given three points at half-time, you don't get three points at half-time you get them after 95, 96 minutes and it was a case of 'Can we get the next goal?'

"If we do we win the game even more comfortably but they got the goal and they start chasing things, the goalkeeper coming up and you just think 'Here we go' and that hopefully one does not drop to them.

"Three points today gives us great confidence to go into the Boreham Wood game."