Dover Athletic 1 Billericay Town 1

DOVER could not claim that they were unfortunate to only draw against a side as impressive as any in the Ryman League's premier division.

Shortly after the start of this absorbing game, they were counting their blessings. Goalkeeeper keeper Dominique Jean- Zepherin was allowed to stay on the pitch after hauling down Billericay front man Neil Cousins, seemingly denying him a clear goal- scoring opportunity.

As referee Mr Smith produced just a yellow card, we can only assume that the relatively close proximity of Craig Cloke earned the Frenchman the benefit of the doubt. Had Smith produced a red card, I suspect that few would have protested too vehemently.

To add insult to injury, as far as Billericay were concerned, Keiron Gallagher "netted" from the resulting free kick but was denied by the fact that the ref hadn't given permission for the kick to be taken.

For the opening 20 minutes, Billericay looked a class act that Whites looked unlikely to match. They stuck to the task outstandingly well, however, and slowly but surely gained the upper hand the longer the first half progressed.

Whites might have gone ahead when Paul Armstrong went clear of the Dickies’ otherwise outstanding central defensive pairing. But from a good position, Armstrong snatched at his shot, sending the ball just wide of a post.

As Whites continued to press, Maynard's free kick evaded everyone in a crowded penalty area and almost crept in unaided. But the closest Whites came in the opening period was when Armstrong struck the crossbar from close range

In terms of quality, though the fare on offer was entertaining enough, the second session never quite matched up to the opening period. But this was a fact that was lost on Whites' long-suffering fans when they went ahead after 59 minutes.

After Town's centre back Pat Sappleton was cautioned for a foul on Renner, Maynard floated a free kick towards a congested far post area. And as Gothard lost the flight of the ball under challenge from Craig Cloke, Lee Shearer was on hand to toe poke the ball into an unguarded net from no more than three yards out.

If Billericay were the better and more fluent side in the second half, Whites were certainly unfortunate with injuries that were to change the pattern of the game. Armstrong had been a handful before limping off to be replaced by Chris Wright. By the same token, Matt Carruthers, having one of his better games of the season, had been getting behind the Dickies' left flank regularly before being flattened by Steve Forbes' somewhat crude challenge that somehow went unpunished.

After Carruthers limped off to be replaced by Shane Hamshare, Billericay were level within four minutes of his departure. Indeed, Hamshare was still adjusting to the pace of the game when midfielder Jamie Dormer sneaked in behind him in the inside left channel before driving crisply and clinically into the bottom left hand corner.

From this point, Billericay always seemed to be the more likely winners. And they looked as though they had snatched the three points on offer, when Dormer's long range drive was deflected home by a team mate who, fortunately from Whites' perspective, was deemed to have strayed offside.

At the final whistle, Whites' fans didn't seem quite as disappointed as they have in recent times at the loss of vital points. They were quick to remind Steve Browne that losing to Folkestone in the club's next fixture simply isn’t an option, however. Humbug to Christmas, bring on Invicta!

Dover: Jean-Zepharin, Cloke, Braithwaite, Palmer, Shearer, Grimes, Carruthers (Hamshare 71), Maynard, Armstrong (Wright 50), Renner, Ryan. Subs not used: Readings, P Rogers, Sawyerr.

Mercury MoM: Warren Ryan.