Andy Hessenthaler admits he remains at a loss to explain just why Dover have started the National League season so badly at home.

Saturday's 2-0 defeat to FC Halifax was Dover's fourth defeat in seven matches at Crabble this season.

Contrast that with their impressive form on the road where they have picked up six victories out of a seven.

Cameron King scored both goals for Halifax and Dover boss Hessenthaler admitted it was another big missed opportunity. Victory for the Whites would have lifted them up to third.

Hessenthaler said: "We lost that game in the first half didn't we? For reasons that we've got to find, we've got to find a solution at home.

"We just don't get going. It's almost, do we start playing a totally different team at home than we do away from home?

"We've got to find a solution if we're going to finish where we want to finish and we've got to change that home form.

"There was a chance for us to go above these today so it was a massive carrot for us, in front of the cameras and in the first half that's the worst I've seen us 100% and I've told them that.

"Second half, yes, we came out we changed it a little bit. We bought in Nassim (L'Ghoul) and he gave us a bit of a spark but we've said to them, when you create chances just shoot.

"I don't know, we've just got to find a way, I've just said in there, we look at shapes, we look at players and it's almost like we're scared to play at home a little bit.

"You've got to come out of the blocks at home, we're on telly, we've got to come out the blocks and I don't think we did that again today."

King's opening goal came from what was virtually the game's first shot and Hessenthaler was disappointed by the manner in which it came about.

He added: "We've got done on the counter attack and that's happened too many times this season. .

"We spoke about that yesterday (Friday), about maybe we've got to go back to last year a little bit. Let's play in their half a bit more and that's not direct football.

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"The tempo of us trying to play out from the back has been going against us.

"It's been too slow and you're giving the opposition the chance to get their shape but when we did go that way I was disappointed with us in midfield today.

"We didn't get any balls up to Inih (striker Inih Effiong), it was almost like 'Let Inih get on with it'. I can show them the video and we're not wrong.

"I just don't know why, we haven't told them to sit back, we've got to take the game to the opposition.

"I don't know what goes through their minds.

"Is it a case of 'We've haven't done well at home, we don't want to concede we don't want to be too open' but we still conceded (after 11 minutes) where we didn't push in.

"We switched off so it's very frustrating, as a management team, it's hard to put a finger on it,

"If we' re going to get anywhere this season we've got to change the home form. We can't keep relying on our away form."