Dover suffered a blow in their promotion hunt as they went down 2-0 at Vanarama National League leaders Lincoln on Friday night.

In a game televised on BT Sport the Imps - fresh from an FA Cup win against Ipswich at Sincil Bank just 72 hours earlier - struck in the first and last 10 minutes to inflict a second straight away defeat on Chris Kinnear's side.

Whites were seeking to complete the double over the leaders, aswell as closing the six-point gap between themselves and the Imps, who have played two fewer games, but were caught cold on a freezing night in Lincolnshire, with Ricky Miller's superb free-kick off the post the high point for the visitors.

After a low-key start Ross Lafeyette needed treatment early-on after coming off second best in a challenge with Luke Waterfall.

The opening goal came on nine minutes when Elliot Whitehouse played Sam Habergham in on the left to drive to the byline and then cut back sharply into the middle where the ball looped off Tyrone Sterling and drifted into the far top-corner.

Habergham put in a series of enticing crosses from the left flank and saw another low cross in the box again richochet off Sterling on 16 minutes, only to fly the wrong side of the post.

After a move which swept from City's own half, Habergham turned provider when he slotted through for Terry Hawridge whose fierce low drive was blocked at his near post by Steve Arnold on 19 minutes and soon after a Hawkridge cross from the left was glanced wide by big Matt Rhead.

Dover had been restricted to a couple of set-pieces for the opening 22 minutes but Sam Magri did test keeper Paul Farman with a curling effort from the corner of the penalty area.

FA Cup hero Nathan Arnold blazed well over his namesake Steve's bar and also saw a burst into the box thwarted by a defender.

Rhead should have connected with a low cross from the right while Ricky Miller won and took a 25-yard free-kick at the other end, only to see his effort charged down.

Former Whites man Sean Raggett fouled Lafayette 30 yards out eight minutes before the break but Miller's lovely cross was headed off-target by Jamie Grimes.

It was nearly two before the break as a Habergham corner was headed goalwards by Waterfall only for the ball to deflect into the arms of Arnold on the line.

Farman thwarted Miller in first-half stoppage-time while the bar of the same goal was struck by a lofted Sean Long cross second after the restart.

The ball fell to sub Theo Robinson whose low shot was parried by Arnold but only to Adam Marriott who somehow turned wide from two yards with the goal gaping.

The chances dried up but after the introduction of Joe Healy off the bench Whites grew in stature and just after the hour that Miller curled a delicious 25-yard free-kick off the outside of the post right in the top corner.

Seconds later at the other end Robinson pulled back from the right for the well-placed Whitehouse who could only swing his shot over the bar from 16 yards.

Moses Emmanuel spun and saw a shot deflected just past the angle of post and bar and inside the last 20 minutes a superb Healy corner saw Aswad Thomas' effort somehow blocked in a melee on the line.

Whitehouse lashed wide after being played in to the left of Arnold's goal with little over 10 minutes remaining but the clincher arrived with eight minutes left when Hawkridge drilled low through a crowd to beat Arnold in the corner and send the 6,000+ crowd wild with a mix of relief and glee.

Dover were unable to mount a comeback, though Connor Essam saw a low volley stopped by Farman in injury-time.

Lincoln: Farman, Habergham, Whitehouse, Waterfall, Rhead (Robinson 46mins), Marriott (Power 59mins), Hawkridge (Wood 83mins), Long, Raggett, Arnold, Woodyard. Subs not used: Howe, Ward.

Dover: Arnold, Magri, Thomas, Orlu, Sterling, Grimes, Essam, Hurst (Healy 55mins), Miller, Lafayette, Emmanuel (Marsh 84mins). Subs not used: Kinnear Jr, Parkinson, Pinnock.

Attendance: 6,491 (85 from Dover).