Simon Walton is confident Maidstone will get out of trouble if they replicate their efforts against Dover.

The Stones lost to an 86th-minute Jamie Allen goal and remain second-bottom in the National League, now four points adrift.

But joint caretaker boss Walton saw plenty of positives in the New Year’s Day derby at the Gallagher Stadium.

He said: “It’s gone against us but what we’ve just said in there is if that group of players continues with that attitude, that desire, that application, then I believe we’ll be fine because they gave everything.

“It’s like a battle site in there. There’s people with cuts and bruises but they gave everything and we told you that we would give everything as a group.

“I don’t think anybody in the ground could disagree we physically and mentally gave everything.”

Walton and fellow caretaker manager Tristan Lewis were particularly encouraged by Maidstone’s first-half performance.

They tried to get at Dover and had chances but couldn’t break the deadlock.

Walton said: “I think we played exactly how we asked them, I’m sure how they wanted to play.

“We were front foot, everybody was positive, we played some lovely football at times and I think anyone today would have seen that the first 45 minutes was probably the best we’ve played for a long while, and if we go in 1-0 up it’s a different game.

“It’s the easiest thing for a manager to say keep believing but me and Trist have just said in there we believe and they should believe.

“I think judging by their reaction, they’re starting to believe.”

The obvious disappointment was Allen’s goal which came when Kevin Lokko flicked on Mitch Brundle’s long throw.

Walton wasn’t convinced it was a Dover ball but accepted the defending should have been better.

He said: “It’s come from a decision that’s gone against us but we seem to get a lot of them at the minute so you’ve got to deal with it.

“We’ve got to do better for the goal, we know that, but we said if those boys in there keep giving us that, then we can’t ask for any more.”

Read the match report from Maidstone's 1-0 defeat by Dover