Two goals from Ross Lafayette helped Dover ease to a 3-1 National League win over Woking at Crabble on Tuesday night to keep pace with the leading pack.

Birthday boy Lafayette nodded home midway through the first-half and after Moses Emmanuel had tapped-in for the second game running just before the break, Lafayette thumped a third after the turnaround, meaning Chigozie Ugwu's header was a mere consolation.

The win - achieved without the suspended top-scorer Ricky Miller - kept Dover in sixth just three points behind second-place in National League and represented a sixth in seven games in the league at Crabble.

Dover made a lightning start and inside the opening five minutes Ross Lafeyette could have broken the deadlock when he failed to make a firm enough connection to a lofted ball over the defence and pulled his volley across the face of goal.

Keeper Brandon Hall looked shaky under a high cross and Sam Magri saw another shot charged down while the visitors threatened on the break early as Chigozie Ugwu almost got on the end of a Jake Caprice cross and Keiran Murtagh lashed well over the bar after a Luke Kandi cut-back.

The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute when a Moore free-kick dropped to the feet of Jamie Grimes 12 yards out and though it was scrambled away from danger the ball only reached Pinnock who coolly dinked the ball to the back post for Lafayette to nod home from two yards on his 31st birthday.

Emmanuel was bursting with confidence and jinked in from the left before dragging a shot wide while Moore sent another set-piece straight at Brandon Hall in the Woking goal.

At the other end Steve Arnold was almost caught out by a 25-yard swerving shot from Fabio Saraiva, grabbing the ball at the second attempt, while Saraiva sliced a volley wide of target after one of a number of dangerous cross from the right from Luke Kandi.

The open game continued with Pinnock flicking through for Lafayette who scuffed his volley from a bouncing ball on his left foot seven minutes before the break, however the crucial second arrived four minutes later.

A Pinnock long throw was cleared to Sam Magri whose low 30-yard shot deflected through the defence and while it looked like Lafayette might grab his second, he was crowded out with Emmanuel pouncing to prod home from close range with the Cards appealing wildly for offside.

There was still time for Emmanuel to lash a bouncing ball on the right corner of the area high and wide before the break, and two minutes after the restart the game was all but up with a Dover third.

Grimes hit a hopeful free-kick down the middle which the Cards defence failed to deal with, allowing Lafayette a free run through to hammer past Hall for his second goal.

The visitors pulled one back just before the hour when another fine cross from Caprice was headed down and into the corner by Ugwu, who was unmarked at the far post but despite making three subs and throwing caution to the wind they could not create much pressure.

Aswad Thomas glanced a header straight at Hall playing against his former club while Lafayette saw appeals for a penalty for a shirt-pull waved away by ref Craig Hicks.

Pinnock's throws continued to cause havoc and Emmanuel saw a volley charged down after another launched effort 20 minutes from time while Hall got down superbly to stop Pinnock's low volley after some sumptuous skill to beat his man, with Jim Stevenson's follow-up deflected wide.

Hall also saved low from Lafayette a he bustled in from the left, with the rebound smashed into Emmanuel and over the bar, while sub Delano Sam-Yorke should have reduced the arrears 12 minutes from time when he fired wide from six yards after Arnold had parried a low drive from Caprice.

A Caprice free-kick dropped to Ugwu who saw a shot deflected wide by Sterling while sub Frankie Sutherland fired wide from 20 yards with Arnold flat-footed but Dover negotiated the closing stages without much drama to make it six wins from seven in the league at Crabble.

Dover: Arnold, Magri, Thomas, Orlu, Stevenson, Pinnock, Grimes, Sterling, Emmanuel (Healy 83mins), Moore (Kinnear Jr 85mins), Lafayette. Subs: Walker, Parkinson, Jackson.

Woking: Hall, Caprice, Jones, Saah, Murtagh, Ugwu, Carter (Sutherland 59mins), Saraiva, Kandi, Thomas (Yakubu 59mins), Shaw (Sam-Yorke 64mins) Subs not used: Lewis, Little.

Attendance: 823.