A DEBUT brace from Keanu Marsh-Brown saw Whites beat leaders Macclesfield at a snow-swept Crabble on Saturday.

The winger, signed on loan from Forest Green, made the ideal start to his Dover career, placing the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards with the game barely a minute old.

And Marsh-Brown slotted in nine minutes before half-time as Chris Kinnear’s side register a third consecutive National League victory.

However Athletic are also indebted to one of their defenders preserving the home team’s lead just minutes after the opening goal.

Defender Manny Parry bravely blocked Mitch Hancox’s volley from point-blank range to deny the midfielder a what seemed a certain goal.

Home stopper Mitch Walker was then relieved to see Keith Lowe curl the ball some distance over the bar after the centre back received the ball in space.

Scott Wilson seemed certain to add to his 13 league goals for the visitors this season after sprinting clear, but Connor Essam superbly denied Town’s top scorer with a last-ditch tackle.

Elliott Durrell then tested Walker twice with efforts straight at the home keeper.

And Dover and Marsh-Brown duly punished their opponents on 36 minutes.

The Forest Green loanee sprinted onto Femi Ilesanmi’s lofted ball and left Shwan Jalal grasping at thin air after rounding the visiting stopper.

Left-back Ilesanmi almost added a third just before the break but smashed his effort just wide of the far post.

Walker was forced into more action soon after the break, diving down low to save Hancox’s low fizzing strike and clasping onto the ball at the second attempt.

Athletic’s goalie then breathed a huge sigh of relief after the away team missed a glorious opportunity to halve the deficit.

After evading Walker’s challenge, Wilson laid the ball for Danny Whitehead to fire home, but in trying to avoid the Dover defenders on the goal line, the midfielder blasted narrowly wide.

Marsh-Brown thought he had a debut hattrick after curling towards the top corner, but Jalal denied the attacker the match ball in stunning fashion, tipping the ball around the post.

The visiting keeper produced another impressive save from the resultant Mitch Pinnock corner, this time pushing away Parry’s bullet header.

Walker punched away Hancox’s long-range shot and Keith Lowe could only find the side-netting from an angle.

And Parry ensured Whites kept a third consecutive clean sheet, clearing sub Tyrone Marsh’s effort off the line.

The victory sees Dover remain seventh in the National League standings, four points ahead of AFC Fylde in eighth.

Earlier, Chris Kinnear made one change to the side that started at Chester in their last game. Marsh-Brown replaced Ryan Bird, who started on the bench.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”250″ gal_title=”DAFC v Macclesfield Town 17/03/18″]

MITCH Pinnock’s volley eight minutes from time saw Whites beat Leyton Orient at Crabble on Saturday and move up to seventh in the standings.

The midfielder collected Ade Azeez’ pass and fired into the top corner to score for a fourth successive league match.

The game, the only National League fixture this weekend to survive the freezing temperatures across the UK, started slowly with Azeez’s shot wide from Ryan Bird’s pass the only effort of note in the first quarter of an hour.

Josh Koroma had the game’s first shot on target as home keeper Mitch Walker acrobatically saved the winger’s free kick.

And then from the resultant corner, Craig Clay’s goalbound header bounced off Azeez’ shoulder and over the bar, with some Orient players appealing in vain for a handball against Dover’s attacker.

Striker Azeez then nodded Pinnock’s set-piece over as the match picked up the pace.

The Cambridge loanee tried his luck again shortly after, this time driving straight at visiting keeper Dean Brill from an angle.

Macauley Bonne headed Koroma’s free-kick into the hands of Walker and the Zimbabwean international somehow ballooned over as he raced through following a swift Orient counter attack.

Azeez blazed over on the stroke of half time after the away defence unwittingly played him in, with Mitch Brundle quick to vent his frustration at the striker’s decision to go for glory rather than find Dover’s captain at the far post.

Following the restart, Brundle stung the palms of Brill from distance and Orient’s goalie reacted well to turn away Giancarlo Gallifuoco’s backwards header.

Dan Holman almost netted after finding room in the box and fizzing a shot just wide of Walker’s post.

And one of Athletic’s players went even closer moments later.

Brundle’s free-kick struck the visiting wall and fell into Nortei Nortey’s path, with the midfielder drilling a 20-yard effort against the base of the post.

Walker foiled another Koroma free kick, flinging himself low to tip the winger’s curler wide.

But it was the 26-year old’s next two saves that proved pivotal to Whites win.

With Holman bearing down on goal, Athletic’s keeper came out quickly to block the striker. Lemar Reynolds then fired the rebound against the post, with Walker spreading himself to deny the lying-in-wait Ebou Adams.

And once Pinnock struck, Orient were only able to muster one more attempt at goal.

But defender Josh Coulson skewed Bonne’s pass horribly wide deep in injury time as Chris Kinnear’s men held on to register a second successive home league win.

Earlier, Dover’s boss made two changes to the side that started away at Fylde last weekend. Kevin Lokko and Nortey replaced Manny Parry and Liam Bellamy, who began as substitutes.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

LEYTON ORIENT REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”248″ gal_title=”DAFC v Leyton Orient 03/03/2018″]

A STUNNING goal from Mitch Pinnock saw Whites secure a narrow win against Dagenham & Redbridge at a wet and muddy Crabble on Tuesday night.

With his back to goal and surrounded by a couple of Daggers defenders, the midfielder’s audacious 25-yard overhead kick flew over a stunned Mark Cousins and into the back of the Dagenham net as Dover ended a run of two consecutive league defeats.

But it was John Still’s men who started the brighter, with home keeper Mitch Walker forced into action with seconds of the kick-off as he beat away Charlee Adams’ piledriver.

Giancarlo Gallifuoco thought he had given the home side the lead after slotting in Mitch Brundle’s set-piece, however, the Australian’s effort was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.

Brundle then created a chance of his own making, beating the visiting defence for pace, only for Cousins to smother the ball at the captain’s feet.

Pinnock struck the opener and within ten minutes Whites almost doubled their lead.

Femi Ilesanmi powered a shot towards goal, only for Cousins to parry the ball towards Liam Bellamy. However the midfielder, making his first start since rejoining the club in December, could only head the rebound onto the roof of the net.

And Bellamy went closer still after the restart, prodding inches wide from Pinnock’s long throw.

Pinnock then almost scored directly from a corner, only for Luke Howell to head the ball away from underneath his own crossbar.

Walker was then alert to hold onto Fejiri Okenabirhie’s firm shot after the winger stole the ball off Ilesanmi.

At the other end, Ryan Bird flashed an effort past the post after latching onto Pinnock’s backheel on the edge of the penalty box.

The striker then looked to turn provider, flicking the ball on for Connor Essam to volley inches wide of the far post.

And those misses almost proved costly as Dagenham wasted a couple of chances to earn a point late in the game.

Substitute Michael Cheek dragged the ball just off target from an angle and Gallifuoco was well placed to clear Okenbirhie’s goalbound effort off the line.

Ilesanmi almost sealed the win in injury time, but Cousin punched clear his cross-cum-shot.

But Chris Kinnear’s men held on to seal their first win against Dagenham at the fifth time of asking.

Earlier, boss Kinnear made two changes to the side that started away at Solihull on Saturday. Bellamy and Josh Passley replaced Nortei Nortey and Ejiro Okosieme, who were both named as substitutes. Kevin Lokko, signed on loan from Stevenage earlier in the day, was also on the bench.

Athletic next travel to AFC Fylde on Saturday 24th February. Kick off 3 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”246″ gal_title=”DAFC v Dagenham & Redbridge 20/02/18″]