DOVER’S hopes of reaching the National League playoffs are all but over after Tuesday’s draw against Macclesfield Town at Crabble.

Boss Chris Kinnear’s side came from behind twice to salvage a point thanks to goals from Ricky Miller and Ross Lafayette.

That point sees Dover remain sixth on the table, three points behind fifth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Saturday’s final fixtures.

Whites make the long trip to Barrow AFC while the Shots host third-bottom Braintree Town.

Dover started the game brightly with Miller, crowned the National League Player of the Year earlier in the day, seeing his fifth-minute effort beat goalkeeper Scott Flinders before going just wide.

Flinders was in action again minutes later, diving low to keep out Connor Essam’s header from Joe Healy’s free-kick.

Dover continued to press and midfielder James Hurst fired wide from distance.

It was Macclesfield who threatened next with James Thorne’s shot fizzing just wide of Mitch Walker’s goal.

Miller responded for Dover, curling a shot from the edge of the box inches over before the striker had a claim for handball waved away.

The visitors tried their luck from range next, with Rhys Browne’s effort going just over.

That man Miller saw another shot whistle wide before Macclesfield stunned the home faithful with Ollie Norburn’s goal in the 32^nd minute.

The midfielder got on the end of Andy Hall’s cross to give Walker no chance and stun the home faithful.

Dover replied with Essam heading wide before the equaliser arrived courtesy of Miller’s penalty five minutes before half-time.

Healy’s flick was handled by Danny Whittaker and Miller sent Flinders the wrong way to register his 37^th goal of the campaign.

Miller was again at the centre of the attention early in the second half.

He saw his powerfully struck 25-yard free-kick gathered at the second attempt by Flinders.

His next effort was not so impressive after he deflected Aswad Thomas’ goal-bound header up and over from close range in the 67^th minute.

That miss proved to be costly with the visitors regaining the lead just three minutes later through Anthony Dudley.

He found himself free on goal and his effort went through Walker’s legs

Essam missed a glorious chance to put Whites back on level terms soon after but the big defender headed Sam Magri’s pin-point free-kick over.

Lafayette handed Dover a lifeline with three minutes to go, after the frontman fired home substitute Moses Emmanuel’s pass.

Flinders then dived bravely at the feet of Lafayette before Emmanuel headed over following Essam’s header across goal.

Healy glanced a header just wide before Macclesfield hit the post through Dudley.

Earlier, Kinnear had to make one enforced change to his starting side following Saturday’s loss with Thomas replacing injured Ricky Modeste.

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FORMER Forest Green Rovers striker Brett Williams came back to haunt Dover at Crabble on Saturday.

Williams, who scored a goal in both of Rovers’ wins at the venue last season, scored a goal in each half as Torquay moved out of the relegation zone and take Dover’s hopes of making the playoffs out of their hands.

The Devon side led 2-0 before substitute Aswad Thomas reduced the deficit just a couple of minutes after coming on.

But it wasn’t enough to prevent boss Chris Kinnear’s side from losing to the Gulls, who only had two efforts on goal, for the second time this season and by identical results.

The loss keeps Dover sixth on the National League table, four points behind fifth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Macclesfield Town at Crabble.

Whites also have a game in hand on the Hampshire side.

Dover started brightly and dominated possession for long stages, but could not make the pressure pay.

Recalled striker Ross Lafayette had the first shot of the game in the third minute with goalkeeper Brendan Moore comfortably saving the effort.

Moore then saved twice in quick succession from Ricky Miller as Whites looked for an early goal.

Ricky Modeste was next to try his luck, forcing Moore to turn away his shot at his near post after the winger had turned Lathaniel Rowe-Turner inside the box.

Torquay’s first clear-cut chance fell to Williams, but his toe-poke threatened the corner flag rather than Mitch Walker’s goal.

Dover responded with Miller turning and shooting just wide following Lafayette’s headed flick-on.

Midfielder James Hurst, playing against one of his former clubs, was next to test Moore with a 25-yarder.

Hurst’s pin-point ball over the top ended with Miller firing high and wide before the striker saw another effort end up safe in the hands of Moore.

It was all one-way traffic at that stage, but Williams was about to change that two minutes from half-time.

The Gulls leading marksman powerfully headed home AFC Bournemouth loanee Jordan Lee’s cross to give his side the lead with their first effort on target to stun the home fans.

Dover needed to react but nothing happened until the 61^st minute when Miller fired wide from distance.

Five minutes later, Williams struck again when raced on to Luke Young’s pass to fire past Walker and take his tally to 11 for the season.

Dover were down but not out.

Thomas gave Dover a lifeline after his looping header beat Moore and seconds later, Moore saved from another substitute, Moses Emmanuel, as Dover searched for an equaliser.

Dover had another scare when Young’s free-kick whistled past Walker’s goal as the visitors threatened again.

It was end-to-end now and Moore dropped Sam Magri’s cross before Connor Essam put the rebound over.

Lafayette cleared Gian-Carlo Gallifuoco’s header off the line before Miller scooped over Moore’s bar from close range as Torquay held on to keep their hopes of staying in the league alive.

Earlier, Kinnear made one change to his starting side following the defeat at Aldershot Town with Lafayette replacing Thomas.

Jim Stevenson, recalled from his loan spell at Southport earlier in the week, was named among the substitutes.

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WINGER Ricky Modeste scored a double as Dover moved up a place to fifth in the National League after beating Southport at Crabble.

Ricky Miller scored the other goal as boss Chris Kinnear’s side condemned their opponents to being relegated with their fifth win in six games.

Man-of-the-match Modeste, who got the goal in the 1-0 at Southport in September, opened the scoring in the first half.

Whites wrapped up the win with two goals in a minute in the second half when Miller took his league tally to 36 after a mistake from Southport goalkeeper Chris Cheetham before Modeste added a third with a sublime lob.

The three points sees Whites two points ahead of sixth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Monday’s clash in Hampshire.

Whites also have a game in hand on the Shots.

Connor Essam had the first chance of the game in the eighth minute when his header from a James Hurst free-kick was cleared off the line by Robbie Cundy.

Essam reacted first to the rebound but the big defender blasted his effort well over.

It was to be another 18 minutes before Whites threatened again with Modeste seeing his effort slice just wide.

But Modeste was celebrating two minutes later after he beat Cheetham at the second attempt.

Cheetham saved Modeste’s first effort before the winger kept his composure to roll the ball under him.

Southport went close to equalising just after the half-hour mark when Andrai Jones headed Rory McKeown’s cross just wide of Mitch Walker’s goal.

Dover responded with Miller dispossessing the towering Cundy before seeing his curling effort beat Cheetham and the far post.

Southport threatened again just before half-time with McKeown’s effort just off target.

Miller had the first attempt of the second half for Dover with Cheetham pushing his fierce drive away for a corner.

Joe Healy took the corner, the ball fell to Hurst, but the midfielder fired well over.

Dover doubled their advantage in the 70^th minute courtesy of a Cheetham mistake.

He appeared to have Miller’s tame shot well covered but somehow allowed it to trickle through his legs to gift the striker another goal in his prolific campaign.

Cheetham was beaten again less than a minute later when Modeste raced on to Healy’s pass before chipping over the advancing goalkeeper.

Richard Brodie headed wide for Southport before Dover substitute Chris Kinnear jnr saw his audacious attempt from just inside the visitors half finish well off target.

Earlier, Kinnear made one change to his starting side following the win against Braintree a week earlier, with James Hurst replacing Chris Kinnear jnr in midfield.

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RICKY Miller enhanced his reputation as the National League’s leading marksman after his double sunk play-off chasing rivals Gateshead at Crabble on Saturday.

The striker took his tally to 34 after a goal in each half, including a sublime free-kick, as Dover ended Gateshead’s 10-game unbeaten run in front of a crowd of 2,507 on the second Family Day of the season.

The clean sheet, Dover’s third in four games, also meant it was the first time Gateshead had failed to score in 15 games.

The three-points see boss Chris Kinnear’s side move up two places to sixth, two points behind Aldershot, but with a game in hand.

Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker made the first save of the match, comfortably catching Jordan Burrow’s header in the seventh minute before doing the same to Liam Hogan’s looping effort a couple of minutes later.

Walker’s counterpart, James Montgomery, comfortably dealt with a couple of probing crosses, including one from Moses Emmanuel which just failed to find an outstretched Ricky Modeste.

But there was nothing he could do to prevent Miller from opening the scoring with a stunning free-kick in the 33^rd minute.

The striker was brought down by Hogan 25 yards out and he picked himself before unleashing an unstoppable curling effort into the top corner of Montgomery’s goal.

Miller was at it again soon after, seeing a volley go well over before Montgomery denied him in a one-on-one.

The Heed responded with Mitch Brundle heading over Jamal Fyfield’s cross before Walker produced a great save to deny Paddy McLaughlin a certain goal on the stroke of half-time.

McLaughlin raced on to Danny Johnson’s cross only to see Walker save his effort from point-blank range.

Montgomery was the first of the goalkeepers in action in the second half, saving Emmanuel’s deflected effort seconds after the restart.

Joe Healy’s pass then set Emmanuel free only for him to drag his effort wide.

Healy was next to try his luck, seeing his shot saved by Montgomery following good lead up work involving Tyrone Sterling, Miller, Modeste and Emmanuel.

Dover continued to press and Emmanuel was again the player involved seeing his effort beat Montgomery and go just wide.

Emmanuel then played in Miller, whose shot cannoned into the post and bounced clear.

The visitors released the pressure briefly with Manny Smith heading Brundle’s free-kick wide.

Back at the other end, another Miller free-kick brought a flying save out of Montgomery before the keeper raced off his line to clear from Modeste.

The pressure finally told in the 78^th minute when Miller made it 2-0 after he cut inside and drilled a low shot past Montgomery at his near post.

Montgomery palmed away another Miller effort three minutes later.

Gateshead’s leading scorer Johnson missed a great chance to reduce the deficit a minute from time but fired well over Walker’s bar from six yards.

Time was almost up, but Miller was still proving a menace and it took another Montgomery save to deny him a hat-trick.

Earlier, Kinnear made one enforced change to his starting side following the defeat at Tranmere on Tuesday, with Sam Magri replacing the injured James Hurst.

Bondz N’Gala also returned to the matchday squad after missing the past three games for personal reasons.

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DOVER ended a 378-minute goal drought and three-game winless run after beating Kent rivals Bromley at Crabble on Saturday.

Midfielder Joe Healy’s scrappy 60th-minute goal was enough to secure the double over Bromley and a vital three points for boss Chris Kinnear’s side, who remain sixth on the National League ladder.

Dover needed to respond following Tuesday’s 5-0 loss at Boreham Wood, but it was a slow start to the game.

It wasn’t until the 16^th minute that there was an attempt on either goal – and it came from Dover after Ricky Modeste hit James Hurst’s cross well over former Dover goalkeeper Ross Flitney’s bar.

Flitney made his first save of the day moments later, pushing Moses Emmanuel’s shot onto the post after the winger had jinked his way past two defenders.

Emmanuel was proving to be a threat to his former club and saw an attempted lob and header both go over Flitney’s bar.

Recalled Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker made his first real save of the day just after the half-hour mark when he came a long way to claim Alan Dunne’s free-kick.

The next chance to break the stalemate fell to Connor Essam two minutes after half-time, but the big defender headed Healy’s corner wide.

Flitney kept out Ross Lafayette’s half volley before that man Emmanuel headed the rebound over.

Dover continued to press and a Bromley clearance cannoned into Modeste and ended up going inches wide before the visitors replied with Louis Dennis’ 20-yarder going just wide of Walker’s goal.

Walker’s counterpart Flitney produced a superb save to keep out Healy’s powerful strike from distance but he couldn’t deny the midfielder on the hour mark.

Flitney failed to deal with Modeste’s cross and Healy was there to scramble the ball home, later saying it had come off his heel.

Emmanuel went close to doubling the lead four minutes later, seeing his curling effort beat Flitney and his goal by inches.

Match-winner Healy saved his side at the other end five minutes from time, heading Dunn’s header off the line before Lafayette saw a shot deflected wide in the closing minutes.

But there was still time for more drama with Dover substitute Aswad Thomas shown a second yellow for dissent after the full-time whistle.

Earlier, Thomas was one of three changes Kinnear made to his starting side with Walker, Sterling and Hurst all coming in to replace Steve Arnold, Thomas and Bondz N’Gala.

N’Gala missed the game through personal reasons.

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