Imperious Ricky Miller fired another hat-trick to propel Dover to a convincing win over Eastleigh on Saturday to strengthen their grip on a National League play-off place.

Miller made it 30 goals in Vanarama National League this season and 35 for the season with an early strike and two more in the last 20 minutes at Crabble in a game otherwise somewhat short on intrigue and quality.

The three points - just Whites' second in six league games at home - took fifth-placed Dover within eight points of leaders Lincoln and kept them clear of the play-off chasing-pack.

It took less than four minutes for Whites to break the deadlock as the visitors failed to deal with a high ball in the box and after Miller and Ross Lafayette were crowded out, the ball fell to Deverdics whose stinging 12 yard volley was blocked by keeper Ryan Clarke but only to the lurking Miller to ram home inside the six-yard box.

The Spitfires forced a couple of free-kicks in dangerous areas but Dover were equal to crosses from Tyler Garratt and Ross Stearn with former Dover defender Ayo Obileye heading a half-chance well over the bar at the far-post.

Stearn blasted even further over from 25 yards on 16 minutes but the visitors should really have been level three minutes later when skipper Sam Togwell superbly slotted Craig McAllister through.

McAllister clearly though he was offside and panicked 15 yards out, instead of pulling the trigger he opted to try and square the ball across goal to a teammate who wasn't there and the chance was gone.

He failed to make amends when he headed a cross from the right from former Arsenal man Gavin Hoyte off target soon after.

The game got increasingly tetchy with Dover convinced decisions were going against them and Lafayette was booked for back-chat while Miller trod a fine line given his nine bookings this season, one short of a ban.

Joe Healy just overhit a volleyed through-ball to Miller, allowing Clarke to gather, Obileye crowded Miller out after Deverdics played a ball through the backline while another familiar face at Crabble, Ben Strevens, went down in the box under pressure from Richard Orlu but to no avail.

Miller and Deverdics missed the target just before the break but Dover had a scare in stoppage-time when James Constable fizzed a half-volley inches over the bar with Steve Arnold flat-footed.

After the break Lafayette saw a curling shot from the left of the area deflect just past the far post and was inches away from collecting a dinked Miller throughball.

Chances were at a premium and a searching crossfield ball from Dugdale which was headed down and into the ground by Garratt just after the hour was a rare highlight.

Soon after Whites launched a lightning break which ended with Deverdics playing Lafayette through to chest down and drill low on the half-volley, but his effort went straight at Clarke.

Clarke thwarted Lafayette - who has only scored once since November - again when he turned aside his stinging shot from 18 yards with 20 minutes left but he was beaten two minutes later when Miller shot on the turn from 12 yards and his powerful low effort squirmed free of the keeper's grasp and agonisingly nestled in the corner.

Miller completed his fourth hat-trick of the season with eight minutes to go when he showed his persistance by chasing a long ball down the left, nabbing the ball off Dugdale who seemed to pull a groin muscle, and cutting inside before drilling low into the far corner for a superb goal which brought Crabble to its feet.

He departed seconds later to a standing ovation and with 30 league goals to his name, while Dugdale was withdrawn with a limp as Dover saw-out the closing stages with ease.

Dover: Arnold, Magri, Thomas (Sterling 86mins), Orlu, Modeste (Hurst 46mins), Miller (Emmanuel 82mins), Grimes, Lafayette, Healy, N'Gala, Deverdics. Subs not used: Pinnock, Parkinson.

Eastleigh: Clarke, Green, Dugdale (Odoffin 82mins), Constable (Wilson 76mins), Stearn (Leonard-McLeod 76mins), Togwell, McCallister, Hoyte, Garratt, Strevens, Obileye. Subs not used: Close, Stack.

Attendance: 1,164.