Dover Athletic manager Andy Hessenthaler targets positive National League points tally come the end of the season

Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler wants to take the positive points from this season - quite literally.

Whites have been cast adrift at the foot of the National League and have won just once, at home to Eastleigh a fortnight ago.

Relegation to National League South might not be confirmed until the end of March but Hessenthaler says their main aim now is to wipe out the 12-point deduction handed out before a ball was kicked after the club decided not to complete the 2020/21 campaign.

“Our aim is to get into the plus points rather than be on minus, and the players will tell you that as well,” stated Hessenthaler.

“We’ve only won one game this season, we’ve got 17 left and we want to get a few more wins on the board, then we can sit down and go forward.

“To watch some of the younger ones give their all in front of 7,500 fans at Stockport last weekend was fantastic.

“They (showed they) can play at this level and can handle the occasion. We can take loads of positives but we’ve got to continue that now.

“We still have a say in what happens in this league and we’ve got three ex-Football League clubs in the next week.”

Dover host Torquay this Saturday and Notts County on Tuesday night before visiting Halifax next weekend. It’s a run of games they approach with increased confidence after an excellent display in losing 1-0 at big-spending Stockport last Saturday, despite being reduced to 10 men by Myles Judd’s harsh red card in the first half.

There’s been times when Hessenthaler has been questioning his players - and himself - this season but he could not have been prouder of his squad, even if they didn’t collect what they deserved.

“I was a proud man on the touchline,” said Hessenthaler.

“The average age of the 16-man squad was 22,