Striker Ricky Miller “gutted” after Dover Athletic’s play-off hopes were left in tatters

Pic: David Purday

DOVER ATHLETIC striker Ricky Miller was left “gutted” after their play-off hopes were left in tatters on Tuesday night following the draw with Macclesfield Town.

Ross Lafayette scored a late equaliser for the Whites but it will most likely not be enough with just one game left to go.

Dover now sit three points adrift of fifth-placed Aldershot Town but, crucially, are six goals behind in the goal difference stakes.

The Whites face a long trip to Barrow on Saturday knowing they will need to win by several goals and hope that Aldershot slip up at home to relegation-threatened Braintree.

Five wins in their last 12 games hasn’t been enough for Dover to hold onto their top five spot and top scorer Miller, who was named the National League Player of the Year earlier in the day, was left crestfallen after the Macclesfield result.

He told Kent Online: “I’m just gutted really. it’s been a long season. I don’t think we can get there (the play-offs) – it’s a bit gutting at the moment.

“We need to do a lot. We’ll go (to Barrow) with the mentality that it can be done but it’s a tall order. We were dead certs ten games ago. It’s our own fault but then again if you reflect on the last couple of years then we have done well, we have punched above our weight.

“It’s just disappointing because we know we could have done better in the last ten games. I think we had the best run-in. I think the last 16 games we had two or three teams that were above us.

“It’s a bit of a gutter because I feel we’re going to look back at that as an opportunity missed.”