Boss Jake Leberl always felt Dover would have to be at full tilt until the very end of their top-of-the-table Isthmian Premier match against Cray Valley on Saturday.

A frantic finish ensured it ended honours even at 2-2 between the division’s top two teams as home defender Roman Charles-Cook and Millers captain Mohammed-Idris Oshilaja both scored in stoppage time.

Substitute Matthew Vigor had netted to cancel out stand-in Dover skipper Ruben Soares-Junior's goal, either side of a missed second-half penalty by 12-goal Cray Valley top scorer Freddie Parker.

Leberl reflected: “Believe it or not, I said to the boys before that this game will go to the last kick of the game - but, obviously, I didn’t mean it that literally!

“I meant that Cray would keep going. They have had a fantastic season, they’re used to winning, and they were brilliant away from home last season, as well.

“To win it in stoppage time, and then to get pegged back, that’s so disappointing.

“But it was probably the fair result.”

Report: Dover 2-2 Cray Valley

Charles-Cook’s first goal this season, as he swept a low cross from Soares-Junior past Cray Valley goalkeeper Max Ovenden, looked to have won it at Crabble.

But Oshilaja had other ideas and netted the game’s fourth goal when he smartly sent home a cross by substitute Adam Coombes in the remaining moments before the defender got a second caution off referee Peter Conn for his goal celebration.

Asked if it felt like two points dropped for Whites, Leberl replied: “Of course, it does.

“We had seemingly won it so late so it does. But the bigger picture is that’s 10 undefeated in the league.

“We could have been 2-0 or 3-0 up at half-time against the team that are second. We just couldn’t take our chances today which is unlike us, although we have still scored two.

“We have scored goals in every single league game so there’s a lot more positives than negatives.”

But - like Leberl’s leaders, who remain five points clear - the Millers are also on a 10-match unbeaten league streak.

Dover’s manager was unsure if his players should have done better in terms of seeing out the final stages after Charles-Cook’s injury-time goal in front of a 1,020-strong crowd.

He stated: “I’d have to look back at that.

“But let’s be honest, we could - and should - have been further ahead at half-time. We had some great chances.

“Like we did at Carshalton (in a 1-1 draw in September), they stayed in the game and we then missed a couple of good chances, where it could have been 2-0 or 3-0 at half-time and I don’t think anyone would have said that would have been an unfair scoreline with regards to chances.

“I always knew Coombesy would come off the bench and they would go two up. They have got two experienced, good footballers up there, and they would cause any team difficulties.

“But on the whole, I felt we dealt with it reasonably well. We just couldn’t get hold of the ball or have any foothold in the game to implement our game on them in the second half so fair play to them.

“To get a breakaway and for Roman to tuck it away for 2-1, you do think you have won it, of course you do, but again, fair play to them. They do this regularly.

“They’re a team that don’t like to get beaten and that’s why they’re second.”

Leberl also gave an update on keeper and captain Mitch Walker’s recurring knee issue as he discussed Claudio Boakye-Sarfo’s display.

“He was always going to be a huge loss,” he said on 33-year-old England C international Walker. “We decided to give Claudio an opportunity, which I think was the right thing to do.

“He’s been with us all season. He’s never missed a session and he’s a great lad, and a massive part for us.

“Obviously, he hasn’t had massive experience at this level but, on the whole, I thought he did all right. He’ll probably be a little bit disappointed for the second one - but I’m not so sure until I see it back.

“Mitch, his knee has settled down a little bit but we’ll, obviously, have to look into that a little bit further.

“What we cannot have is it keep flaring-up so we’re not 100 per cent sure on where we’ll go with that one just yet.”

Whites, at home against neighbours Deal in the Kent Senior Cup quarter-final on Tuesday, travel to mid-table Dulwich Hamlet in the league next weekend.