Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler had zero complaints with the dedication of his players in Monday's 2-1 defeat to National League leaders Woking.

Whites were forced to play with 10 men for over 70 minutes following Kurtis Cumberbatch's sending off early on in the first half.

Ricky Modeste opened the scoring after half-an-hour before Jake Hyde met Dave Tarpey's cross at the front post to head Woking level in the 42nd minute.

A magnificent second half effort with the score at 1-1 then went cruelly unrewarded when Toby Edser curled home the winner three minutes from time.

Scroll down to hear from Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler.

Hessenthaler said: "I thought we were magnificent today to a man.

"The work ethic and the togetherness with 10 men against the league leaders after playing on Saturday. What more could we have done today?

"If they're top of the table, we've matched them all the way and done it with 10 men until the 87th minute.

"That game gives us loads of confidence going into the rest of the season.

• Match report: Find out how the drama unfolded at Crabble

Our boys were magnificent. I want to talk about our players, I thought we were brilliant.

"You don't get carried away with the start, you just keep going what you've got to do. Would I have taken 12 points from the start of the season? Of course I would.

"I'm just a little bit frustrated because the games we have lost we've been pretty much in all of them.

"We deserved to get a point. I'll be more critical with the first goal because it's a cross, I know we're down to 10 men, but we should deal with the cross and head it away.

"But the second goal, he's got a decent left foot and we couldn't get close to him. That's fatigue more than anything, I can't be critical of them. It was a sucker-punch."

Cumberbatch's dismissal proved a major factor in scorching conditions at Crabble as a tiring Dover battled hard to earn a point.

He added: "He's apologised in there, he's gutted and he'll learn from his mistake. That's the type of lad he is.

"He's gutted in there because he's seen the lads work so hard for 87 minutes and then they got kicked in the teeth and didn't deserve it.

"He's made the biggest mistake by making the challenge, he didn't need to, he dived in.

• The rest of Monday's football results from across Kent

"He's been doing it in training, he does it a little bit in games. He did it last Saturday and we spoke to him about it.

"He's so infectious and wants to win the ball all the time and sometimes you can't do that. That will come with experience.

"I've got no problems with the sending off. Kurtis has made a couple of bad decisions, first diving in and then the second one reacting the way he did, but their players helped to get him sent off."

Hessenthaler was also left unhappy with referee Carl Brook's decision to book Josh Passley for leaving the field to get a drink during an injury-stoppage in the second half, with both sides playing their second game in three days.

"I just didn't like football today at all, it's crazy," said the Dover boss. "After 15 minutes we're down to 10 men.

"Where's the common sense in just having a water break? There's an injury and our player (Passley) goes to get a drink and gets booked, come on. Have some common sense in the game.

"That's the people that make the rules and the rules are wrong. We shouldn't have been playing today, the schedule is a joke.

"I speak for most managers in the league when I say this schedule is not right. You pick up injuries and you have small squads and it needs to be looked at."

Dover are due to face Harrogate away from home on Saturday before hosting Ebbsfleet on Tuesday night.

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