Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler got the perfect response from Chike Kandi.

The forward came off the bench at Welling on Tuesday and produced an excellent performance up front, capping his display by firing in a late equaliser to give Whites a point.

Kandi was called into action midway through the first half after injury forced Reece Grant to come off, and he was clearly keen to impress.

“He’s got to liven up,” said Hessenthaler. “He got a kick up the backside, he needs to do more for us. We know he can score goals, he’s got pace and is a powerful boy.

“When he came on, he did great. He can play wide but we’ve got to find a way to play this group of players and the last two games I think we have.

“We look a lot more solid and the more solid we are, the more games we’ll win.”

Dover striker Alfie Pavey nearly scored twice late on while Welling keeper Myles Roberts also produced a stunning save to deny Luke Wanadio.

It was a game that could have gone either way but a point was the least that Dover deserved for their efforts.

“There wasn’t much in the game in the first half,” added Hessenthaler. “We had good spells with the ball but didn’t really hurt them.

“In the second half we expected them to come after us and they did but it was end to end and their keeper was man-of-the-match. I can’t fault my players, I thought they were outstanding.

“We had some good play, how the keeper saved Alfie’s header I don’t know and Wanadio’s shot. We’ve got a good dressing room and a good team, Welling know that and I think we showed it.”

• Report: Welling 1-1 Dover

Dover are without a game this weekend following their early FA Cup exit. They tried to bring forward a league game but instead Hessenthaler is keen to enjoy a team bonding session.

“We tried to get a game but unfortunately the team didn’t want to play us,” he said.

“It gives us a good time to get the group together. We’ve never had a session outside of football so it will be nice to get together and have a beer and get to know their characters.”