Dover Athletic manager Jake Leberl reacts to 4-0 National League South defeat at promotion-chasing Ebbsfleet United on Easter Monday

Realistic Dover boss Jake Leberl admitted it was always going to be tough for his depleted squad to compete at Ebbsfleet on Monday.

Despite a bright first half, part-time Dover fell away after the break and lost 4-0 in National League South.

“A very tough afternoon,” stated Leberl, who saw his side lose 2-0 at home to full-time Maidstone on Good Friday. “It was always going to be, coming here with what Ebbsfleet have got.

“As mad as it sounds, I thought in the first half we'd done all right, and I think we hit the woodwork three or four times, and I thought we were in the game.

“It was always a worry with, obviously, what Ebbsfleet got off the bench, and I just felt they just got stronger and stronger and absolutely blew us away in the end.

“We’re in a totally different playing field to Ebbsfleet.

“Would it have been a different game if we'd scored the first goal? Who knows?

“I’m really disappointed with the second half, but I think I've got to give Ebbsfleet full credit for that. You can see we’re dead on our feet. We’re absolutely knackered with quite a few injuries.”

Dover hit the woodwork twice in the first half and were unfortunate not to score either side of Ebbsfleet’s opening goal by Ronny Nelson.

However, they tired in the second half as the Fleet’s full-time status came into its own.

It was a familiar story for Dover who have shown glimpses in their run of four successive defeats but cannot put it together for long enough periods.

“The four defeats that we've had, we've done reasonably well in the first half of every game,” added Leberl.

“Where we were slow starters earlier in the season, we've turned that around.

“We've been beaten 4-0 and, at the end, it could have gone on to be more and more. But until the