Assistant manager Mike Sandmann admitted in-form Dover made it difficult for themselves after their entertaining Isthmian Premier win against Canvey Island on Saturday.

Table-topping Whites extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches with a 3-2 victory at Crabble.

But they twice had to come from behind as forward Ruben Soares-Junior levelled before half-time.

Midfielder Alfie Matthews and 15-goal top scorer George Nikaj then decisively struck inside two second-half minutes after Canvey had retaken the lead following an uncharacteristic error by keeper Mitch Walker from a free-kick by two-goal visiting captain Elliott Ronto.

Asked what he felt after the game, Jake Leberl’s No.2 said: “Frustration.

“We made it difficult today but you have to give credit to the opposition, I thought Canvey were excellent. They caused us lots of problems and made it extremely difficult.

“A little bit of quality before half-time got ourselves back into the game. There’s then a mistake by Mitch - he doesn’t make many - and he’s held his hands up, but he’s been excellent throughout the season.

Report: Dover 3-2 Canvey Island

“You do start to think ‘Is this the day where we just get undone?’. But credit to the boys and the character that we showed.

“A bit of a set-piece routine towards the end is the difference.”

Free-scoring Dover have already scored 41 league goals from 15 fixtures - six more than anyone else in the division.

Sandmann said: “We want to be a team that’s on the front foot, creates chances and is difficult to play against.

“It took us a little bit to get going today but, again, you do have to give credit to the opposition.

“Sometimes, you come away, more talking about us being not very good, but the opposition put us where we were. As the game goes on, we always know we’re going to get stronger.

“Credit to the forwards, who have come up with the goods and got us the three points.”

Whites fell behind after just 10 minutes in front of a 911-strong crowd and Canvey looked good value for a half-time lead, only for Nikaj to play in Soares-Junior. His 10th goal of the season meant it was 1-1 at the interval.

But Sandmann revealed: “It didn’t change too much at half-time because we were still disappointed.

“But we have been speaking a lot to the forward boys about becoming closer, getting more connected, and we have done a lot of work on that in training in the second phase. You saw that today.

“I’m really pleased for Ruben because he works extremely hard. He does a lot of the ugly side of the game and, sometimes, he doesn’t get his reward with the goals.

“He did today - and he thoroughly deserved it.”

After one-time Arsenal player Matthews had got Leberl’s team level once more, a powerful drive from youth-team product Nikaj was ruled to have bounced over the line off the crossbar for what proved the winning goal on 73 minutes.

“I have known George and the potential he has got for a very long time,” said Sandmann, also the club’s Academy boss.

“If he can keep working hard and keep doing the right things, who knows where that’s going to take him?”

Sandmann explained the reasoning behind the late decision to play right-back Roman Charles-Cook ahead of Tamas Amgbaduba, who hobbled off with an ankle knock in last weekend’s 1-1 derby draw at Chatham, too.

“We had spoken to Tamas before the game,” said the coach, who suggested teenage defender Matty Holness may soon head back out on loan. “Obviously, he had come off at Chatham with a knock.

“He had trained throughout the week but he just felt he wasn’t sure. He had been excellent in the last three games before today so we wanted to give him that opportunity.

“He initially felt that he was ready and he felt he was fit enough to start but, unfortunately, he had a little bit of a setback.

“Tamas is an honest boy and wanted to do what’s best for the team. If he didn’t feel 100 percent, he wanted to make sure the team didn’t suffer.

“Fair play to Tamas and that just shows the togetherness in the squad.”

Dover will look to extend their unbeaten league run at relegation-threatened Bowers & Pitsea next weekend.