Dover Athletic boss Chris Kinnear said side were naive in FA Trophy defeat to Leyton Orient
00:00, 04 February 2018
Dover Athletic boss Chris Kinnear said his side showed a bit of naivety to not hang on to a draw in their FA Trophy tie against Leyton Orient.
The Whites had gone 3-0 down early in the second half but two goals from Ryan Bird and one from Mitch Pinnock looked like it had earned them a replay.
As Kinnear’s side were chasing a winner David Mooney got the seventh goal of the game two minutes into added time to send Dover out.
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Kinnear said: “It was obvious that we were trying to push forward and we were a bit naive.
“Once you get back to 3-3 and it didn’t look like our day we should have played it down the line, we didn’t and that’s something we will learn from.”
The Premier League experience of Jobi McAnuff and George Elokobi showed in the first half when the latter scored from the former’s corner.
Macauley Bonne then doubled the advantage four minutes after the break with a wonderful strike from 25 yards.
Matt Harrold added the third three minutes later from inside the Dover box.
Ryan Bird gave Kinnear’s side a glimmer of hope after 57 minutes after tapping in Pinnock’s cross.
Pinnock then chipped Dean Brill in the Orient goal after 80 minutes and two minutes later Bird added his second.
Kinnear praised the strength of character his side showed to get back on level terms going into the last few minutes of the game.
He said: “There was a little bit of their heads in the clouds but to come back shows you the character of the players and I can’t knock any of the players.
“They aren’t going to lie down. I thought we started really well and could have had a couple at the beginning.
“They scored from a corner and then the second was an unbelievable strike. We didn’t lie down and that’s the positive out of it. A lot of times we will play a lot better.
“Their goalkeeper pulled off a fair few goods saves as well. There was a lot of chances today. The pitch was a bit boggy but that’s just the way it goes.
“They are a massive club and have good players, some who have played in the Premier League. They have a lot of experience and they should have with a club like that and I’m sure they are disappointed at where they are.”