Dover Athletic manager Chris Kinnear insists he won’t be rushed into finding replacements after losing two central defenders in the past week.

Skipper Ian Simpemba has joined Eastbourne Borough while Danny Webb has also left Crabble and is expected to join Billericay Town.

But Kinnear, enjoying a half-term break this week thanks to his ‘day job’ as a schoolteacher, said: “I like to keep an open mind and don’t like signing people in a rush.

“It’s all about getting the right balance in the squad and working out which player will be able to play with another one, things like that.

“Some good players will become available later on because clubs higher up the ladder have a look at them and then release them after a few weeks and you have to be careful that you don’t spend all your money too soon.

“My budget is not as much as (previous Whites manager) Nicky Forster had but it’s enough to make us competitive and I intend to make the most of it.”

Finding another central defender is now likely to be among Kinnear’s priorities after the departures of Simpemba and Webb. Although the latter rarely figured in Whites’ starting line-up following Tyrone Sterling’s arrival in January, Simpemba was a virtual ever-present and the loss of the 30-year-old Dubliner’s experience and leadership qualities must be seen as a blow for Kinnear as he prepares to re-shape his squad for next season.

But the Whites boss insisted: “That’s the nature of football and I imagine a few more players will leave. ”

Kinnear said he hasn’t decided yet whether to find a replacement for Steve Brown after the latter’s decision to quit as Whites’ first-team coach and who now looks set to replace Liam Daish as Ebbsfleet United manager.