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Dover Athletic manager Chris Kinnear keeping cool head amid Vanarama National League promotion play-off push

Chris Kinnear plans on keeping his cool during the climax to the Vanarama National League promotion race, although he hopes he has cause for excitement on the final day.

Throughout Whites’ push for the play-off places Kinnear has maintained his stance that it is ‘pointless’ in worrying about the table, other teams or anything other than fourth-placed Dover’s next game.

However, since back-to-back defeats to Nantwich and Southport, Dover have gone five games unbeaten – four of them wins – which means they have won more than half of their 37 games so far.

Chris Kinnear Picture: Matt Bristow.
Chris Kinnear Picture: Matt Bristow.

Kinnear said: “It’s important to not get too stressed. Teams lose games. Don’t make it more than it is. We’re doing all right, aren’t we? We’re probably doing more than we should be for a club of our size.

“To get over 60 points in this division is impressive – even more so to win more than half of our games.

"There are at least 20 teams who would love to be in our position. I sound blasé but we are doing well and the only targets we have set are try to win each game. Whether we are at home or away, we’ll try to win it.”

Dover start a run of four straight games against teams in the bottom-six when Torquay visit Crabble on Saturday (3pm).

Kinnear said: “They are another big club but the lads feel settled in this league now. We respect teams, of course, but I don’t think there’s a team in this league that holds fear for us.”

Boreham Wood are Whites’ hosts on Easter Monday (3pm) and Kinnear said: “They get an extra day’s rest which will be beneficial for them but it’s pointless to even start thinking about that game until Saturday’s out of the way.”

Dover are fourth, with a two-point lead over Tranmere, who have played two games more but Kinnear said: “There’s no point in getting excited yet.

“There’s a long way to go. I just hope I have something to be excited about on the final day.”

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