Dover Athletic 2 Hampton & Richmond 0

DOVER secured a deserved victory against promotion hopefuls Hampton on Saturday that maintains their hopes of avoiding the drop.

While this wasn’t Dover’s best performance at home this season, it was certainly their most comprehensive win against a promotion side who, for the most part, weren’t at the races.

With both Victor Renner and Craig Cloke available again after suspension, Whites' manager Clive Walker made a couple of changes to the side that performed so well at Braintree last week, with Sam Vallance and Ali Heselton dropping down to the bench.

Whites were soon out of the blocks and might have taken the lead as early as the third minute. Dean Readings lobbed the ball up from a free kick inside his own half and Craig Wilkins got on the end of it to fire in an angled drive that keeper Keiron Drake did well to block.

Although the visitors seldom figured as an attacking force, with Whites’ back line looking exceptionally solid, the Beavers did carve out one good chance. Elliott Godfrey, booked moments earlier for a challenge on Nicky Humphrey, played a beautifully weighted ball into the inside left channel to pick out the run of Ryan Ashe. His well struck shot was tipped over by keeper Paul Hyde.

From this point, Whites got well and truly on top and were unfortunate not to go ahead after 20 minutes. As workaholic Shane Hamshare nodded the ball on, Matt Carruthers fired over a cross from the right that Renner met with a smartly struck half-volley, but the ball smacked against the left hand upright.

In the event, Whites didn’t have to wait too much longer before securing a lead that their first half endeavours richly deserved.

Cloke hurled a trademark long throw into a congested penalty area from the right hand touchline, and it was the in-form Wilkins who made the vital connection.

As he flicked the ball over his own shoulder with his left foot, it looped over and beyond Drake and into the net at a point where Hampton might reasonably have been expected to station a covering defender.

Whites sealed the victory five minutes into the second half. Carruthers’ inswinging corner from the left was beautifully flighted. As Cloke flicked the ball on at the near post, Humphrey arrived to head firmly downwards past Drake.

Whites, playing well within themselves as the clock wound down, did have one chance to put a cherry on their cake. Drake, under pressure from substitute James Rogers, made a hash of a clearance, putting the ball straight to the feet of Wilkins. However, his tame finish was hacked off the line. With four points still to make up with three games remaining, Whites might still save themselves. Realistically, the losers of Saturday's Tonbridge verus Dover derby drop down a division.

Dover Athletic: Hyde, Cloke, Bernard, D. Readings, Humphrey, Hamshare, Carruthers, Wilkins (Heselton-89), Renner, Hogg, Braithwaite (Rogers-76). Subs not used: Matata, Smissen, K Readings.