Dover Athletic manager Jake Leberl reacts to 3-1 National League South home defeat against in-form Farnborough

Manager Jake Leberl felt nobody in Dover’s squad played to their full potential in their home National League South defeat to in-form Farnborough on Saturday.

A 23rd league loss of the campaign left basement boys Whites on the brink of relegation.

Both of Farnborough’s first-half goals came in controversial fashion, a penalty and then their second coming from what appeared an offside goal by former Dover-player assistant Ricky Holmes. That left the play-off chasing team ahead at half-time after Nick Dembele had netted for Whites to put them in front at Crabble in front of a crowd of 565 on Non-League Day.

Dorking loanee midfielder Aaron Kuhl then sealed the win to complete his brace in the second half for Spencer Day’s 10th-placed side, who earned a 3-1 victory - a fifth consecutive win.

“I’m really disappointed with our performance,” said Leberl, whose team are 17 points from safety with only 18 points left to play for this term.

“I’ve just been chatting to Mike (Sandmann, his assistant) about how we have done well of late, although we have not picked up enough points from those performances. But today, I don’t think there was one player that played to his full potential, which was disappointing.

“You have got to give them (Farnborough) credit. I thought they bossed the midfield from the first minute to the last.

“It was really men against boys out there at times.”

Report: Dover 1-3 Farnborough

Forward Dembele put Dover ahead on 14 minutes. But the visitors equalised 10 minutes later, as referee Ayrton Hursey awarded a debatable spot-kick when attacking midfielder Joseph Haigh went to ground under a challenge and Kuhl converted.

Farnborough went in front during first-half stoppage time, with another goal which had