Dover boss Chris Kinnear praised his side’s resilience as they moved up to fourth in the National League with a 1-0 win against Halifax at Crabble.

Despite controlling most of the game following Nicky Deverdics’ eighth-minute strike, they were put under pressure from the visitors in the second half. However the Whites held out, showing how far they have come this season.

Kinnear said: “We’ve got to be resilient, maybe with naivety earlier on in the season we might have gave one away, but we didn’t look like letting one in really, they had a couple of half chances, but we are pleased with it, without getting carried away.

“We needed that win, we managed the game well and could have won by more. We’ve just got to worry about Altrincham on Tuesday night."

Goal scorer Deverdics notched his 14 league goal of the season and controlled the midfield in the first half, however Kinnear was quick to also praise his defenders.

He said: Everyone’s in there (the side) for a reason. The front lads have scored goals because the lads at the back have defended well.

“It’s nice to have kept a clean sheet at this stage, all the other sides (at the top) would have liked to have done that today.”

With three tough away games to come next, starting at Altrincham on Tuesday night, Kinnear added that whatever happens in the run-in, it’s been a great season for the club.

“If you look at the top of the table there are some big clubs in there and we don’t really seem like we’re in the same league as that.

“But we’re playing against them, holding our own and getting good results against them.

“As a club we are overachieving at the moment, but why shouldn’t you. Everyone wants to achieve, if you look at the big clubs they are bigger than us, but I don’t think the players are over-achieving they are doing what we expect of all of them.

“People forget that this is only our second year (in the National League). Grimsby, they have been six years trying to get into the Football League, I mean how you can compare Dover to Grimsby as a club, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try and finish above them.

“Who would have believed that we would have been nearly all season in the top six, amazing really, so whatever happens the lads have done really well.”