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Dover showed just why they’ve got the best away record in the National League to win at Ebbsfleet on Saturday, according to boss Andy Hessenthaler.
Delighted manager Hessenthaler praised his team after Dover kept a clean sheet on their way to an eighth away success in 12 games this season.
“The work ethic, the resilience and the desire to grind results out on our travels really pleases me,” said Hessenthaler.
“We started the game very well for half an hour. The pitch changed a bit once it broke up and we didn’t really get little Munns on the ball as much after that.
“The goal came from a great bit of play, and a good finish. They pushed us back a little bit and we knew in the second half that they would come for us because they had to.
“They are at home and are fighting but we dug in, we kept working hard and throwing bodies on the line, and showed why we’ve got the best away record in this league.”
Jack Munns again impressed at times but Hessenthaler felt he didn’t get involved as much as he would have liked on a heavy pitch.
“We just didn’t get him on the ball enough because it became a bit scrappy,” said Hessenthaler.
“He was excellent the other day but when it becomes more of a physical battle it becomes harder (for him). He has been excellent the last two games and we’ve been pleased with him.”
Dover introduced substitute Ade Yusuff in a bid to relieve the pressure in the second half.
But it need a team effort to keep Ebbsfleet at bay, including an excellent last-gasp tackle by Josh Passley late on inside his own penalty area.
“Outstanding tackle,” noted the Dover boss. “He’s got that pace to recover and could have easily given a penalty away. He was excellent.
“Woodsy made a great tackle on the edge of the box, too, and everyone to a man wants to win football matches.
“We defended for our lives and we’ve got to do that between now and the end of the season.
“I thought our fitness levels showed, people like Ricky Modeste and Inih Effiong had to do defensive jobs and drop in at times.
“We tried to attack them even though we were under pressure. We put Ade Yusuff on because we wanted to stem their flow and stop the ball keep coming back to us.
“We tried things, we weren’t negative, and Ade got in with a chance at the end.
“We kept a clean sheet and kept our momentum going away from home.”
