Dover's nightmare week deepened as they suffered a dismal 2-1 defeat at home to Southport in Vanarama National League on Tuesday night.

After exiting the FA Trophy in the quarter-final at Nantwich on Saturday, Whites produced another limp display at stony Crabble to lose ground on the play-off places in the first of their several games in hand on the top-five.

The visitors took the lead in a poor first half when Jamie Allen stroked home to complete a quick break and though Ricky Miller deftly poked his 16th goal of the season just after the hour, Andy Bishop was left unmarked to ram home a low cross 16 minutes from time to seal a dismal defeat for Chris Kinnear's side.

Josh Thompson should have done better than head over Adam Blakeman's free-kick from close range in the only real chance of a forgettable opening 20 minutes.

Ricky Miller lashed high and wide from 18 yards and Sean Raggett was off target from a free-kick before the visitors broke the deadlock on 25 minutes with a slick break down the right which saw Steven Hewitt slide the ball into the middle for the impressive Jamie Allen to slot past Mitch Walker.

Stefan Payne should have equalised within seconds when he tamely turned a Sam Magri cut-back from the right towards goal, only for Challenor to block.

From the subsequent corner from Ricky Modeste, Payne had an effort blocked on the line in a scramble, with the follow-up from Richard Orlu scrambled behind.

Walker tipped over an over-hit set-piece which was headed for the top-corner while Payne lashed a shot across the face of goal after driving in from the right.

The only real quality of the first half came on 38 minutes when Raggett freed Payne down the right and his low cross was turned over the bar first-time by Deverdics.

Two minutes later Challenor superbly clawed away a towering header from Raggett, with Deverdics' follow-up volley blocked, while Miller saw appeals for a penalty just before half-time waved away after appearing to be bundled over in the box.

The second half began in equally poor fashion as the first but Walker held a volley from Andy Bishop after Andy Wright's quickly-taken free-kick.

Seconds after Josh Thompson had hacked off his own line after turning past Challenor Miller prodded his 16th goal of the season just after the hour after controlling the ball after the keeper spilled a high ball into the box from Deverdics.

Dover could not build on their momentum however and a promising Payne run came to nothing before Southport took the lead on 74 minutes when Allen cut back from the right byline and across the face of Walker's goal, with Bishop lurking at the back post to ram home from close range.

Dover pressed in the latter stages but Miller lashed a volley wide and Jack Parkinson blazed over before Max Cartwright saw red in stoppage-time for a second caution and the final whistle was greeted with a smattering of boos.

Dover: Walker, Magri, Raggett, Orlu, Sterling, Bellamy (Marsh 87mins); Parkinson, Deverdics, Modeste, Miller, Payne. Subs not used: Kinnear Jr, DIallo, Pinnock, Crawford.

Southport: Challenor, Nolan, Thompson (Rutherford 87mins), Cartwright, Allen, Wright, Bishop, G Jones, Blakeman, Hewitt (A Jones 83mins), Crocombe. Subs not used: Viscosi, Ryan, Grimshaw.