A TEN-GAME unbeaten run ensures that Dover Athletic boss Chris Kinnear goes into today’s FA Cup second round tie at Cheltenham as the Vanarama Conference manager of the month.
The Whites are unbeaten since October 18 having turned over play-off hopefuls Gateshead on the road last Saturday before coming from behind twice to draw 2-2 at home with Torquay.
Many tipped the Kent side to struggle in their first year back in the top flight following their promotion via the playoffs last year, but Kinnear’s men just love proving their critics wrong.
He told The NLP: “It took a while for us to get going but we’ve now gone ten unbeaten and that shows that we are coming to terms with this league. We’re not taking it too lightly though, there’s a long way to go.
“We’ve got a good home record and it makes it tough for opposition when they have a long way to travel to us. The club have struggled at home over recent years but I think we’ve come up with the right formula now.”
Kinnear may have picked up the manager award for his effort, but the modest boss insists it’s a collective effort.
“It’s not just me,” he adds. “We have a tight group, we all know each other and how we work. It’s strange to get manager of the month because it isn’t just the manager.”
Macclesfield‘s Scott Barrow won the player of the month award after his wondergoal against Alfreton helped Macc pick up 11 points in November, with their only defeat coming at leaders Barnet.
In the Vanarama Conference North, it was a Worcester double as manager Carl Heeley and FA Cup hero Sean Geddes took the accolades as City made progress in both league and cup.
And it was Gosport Borough boss Alex Pike who took the Vanarama Conference South gong, while Boreham Wood‘s Lee Angol found the net four times in November to lift the players’ award.
