Dover Atheletic 2 Merthyr Tydfil 2

TWO goals in the final 17 minutes rescued a morale boosting point for Dover but the overall performance against mediocre opposition gives great cause for concern.

Whites were sluggish early on. They lacked urgency and the body language reflected this.

Merthyr, on the back of a five-match losing streak, went ahead on 15 minutes. Left wing back Paul Keddle, who caused plenty of problems for the inexperienced Tom Hickman, clipped a cross on the run to the near post and the unmarked Jason Donovan nodded the ball past an exposed Hyde.

The Welshmen doubled their lead on 21 minutes after another defensive error. Hyde could only parry Belle's cross-shot but the ball was rolling well wide of the goal and there was no need for Dean Readings to panic and hold down Michael Regan with his arm.

Regan made the most of it and went down but it looked a penalty and Readings escaped with only a yellow card.

Belle stepped up to roll a low shot inside Hyde's right hand post, with the veteran 'keeper guessing wrongly.

Merthyr had chances to seal the points before half time but were left ruing their wastefulness, as well as their policy of sitting back.

Whites' lack of fight immediately after the interval hardly suggested an inspiring half time team talk but a substitution on 52 minutes transformed the game.

Tony Browne replaced Andy Arnott and Whites suddenly looked capable of breaking down a far from formidable Merthyr defence. It was a lesson in what competition for places can do.

Browne's attacking prowess down the right soon set up a chance for Wilkins, but the marksman needed too many touches and Thomas blocked his effort, while Tommy Tyne shot inches wide

Just as a rare home defeat began to loom, deliverance arrived in the form of Lee Spiller. The midfielder had signalled his commitment with a new contract just before the game, and from a throw in on the left, loan signing Andy Crofts rolled a pass in front of the penalty area and Spiller lashed a rising shot from 20 yards high to Thomas' right.

Their self-belief partly restored, Whites sensed their chance but it was Merthyr who nearly scored again as Hyde rushed out to block the dangerous Belle's shot.

Six minutes from time Whites were level. From Browne's cross on the right the ball fell to Crofts and his shot from 15 yards rolled inside the unsighted Thomas' right hand post.

Neither side came too close to snatching a winner and the centre of attention became the referee, who brandished a glut of cards to bring the match total to ten.

The fightback saved face but the grim statistics for Whites' fans read just 21 points form 19 games - at least five fewer than the bare minimum required to be on course for Conference 2 (South).

Dover: Hyde, Hickman, Crofts, Readings, Arnott (Browne 52), Chapman, Day, Spiller, Wilkins, Tyne, Jackson. Subs. not used: Rogers, Davies, Glover, Postma.