Dover Athletic manager Mitch Brundle reacts to 2-0 loss at home to National League South frontrunners Worthing

Manager Mitch Brundle concedes Dover’s slow starts are giving him sleepless nights after they suffered a first home defeat this season against National League South frontrunners Worthing on Saturday.

When former Tonbridge winger Nicky Wheeler put the Rebels ahead in the eighth minute, it was the third goal they had conceded inside the first 10 minutes of their opening six league games - and the sixth they had let in inside the first 30 minutes - before substitute Reece Meekums’ second wrapped up the visitors’ 2-0 win.

Brundle, whose side visit Kent rivals Dartford on Bank Holiday Monday, said: “That still keeps me awake at night!

“I’m still trying to find out what the actual reasoning is. We’ve changed things and we’ll continue to change them until we get them right.

“It has to be a lack of concentration or a lack of organisation when they’re on the pitch while they’re playing.

“Certain teams come firing out the traps, like they did and which we did at Tonbridge [in last Tuesday’s 1-0 loss] - before we then go and concede - but if you could put your finger on it immediately, maybe you wouldn’t be managing at National League South. You’d be in the Premier League.

“It’s one of those things. Sometimes, you can have a terrible warm-up, no one can keep the ball but, when you start the game, you’re absolutely on fire.

Report: Dover 0-2 Worthing

“Overall, it’s disappointing.

“But there’s going to be plenty of work in the next couple of days because, obviously, we have got a game on Monday and a quick turnaround.”

Dover had appeared eager to press high against Worthing but, after Wheeler’s opener, Brundle’s troops struggled to create opportunities until the second period.

Striker Zidan Sutherland sent a dink narrowly wide