More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
By Ben Hardy
Loan signing Ryan Hanson saw red on his Dover Athletic debut as Whites were beaten at National League newboys King's Lynn on Saturday.
Goals from Rory McAuley and Adam Marriott ensured Lynn recorded successive league wins for the first time this season and Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler was also shown a red card after the final whistle.
The fixture saw the two National League teams with the worst goal differences come up against each other at The Walks, but the Norfolk side have now registered back-to-back clean sheets.
Steven Rigg's early header was comfortable for Archie Mair in the Lynn goal as Dover fashioned their first opportunity just short of the five-minute mark.
Captain Michael Clunan's pass ran away from McAuley, wearing a Terry Butcher-esque head bandage, but Dover failed to capitalise on the opportunity with a dangerous ball into the Lynn box amounting to nothing.
Sonny Carey and Clunan were seeing plenty of the ball in the middle of the field for the hosts with the latter playing a ball into the feet of Kairo Mitchell who turned brilliantly before striking narrowly over the bar.
With just over 30 minutes played, Ross Barrows surged down the right flank following a one-two with Sam Kelly, before cutting the ball back for Alex Brown whose effort narrowly missed an oncoming car on Tennyson Road.
Moments later Carey was booked for a cynical trip as Dover's new signing, Hanson, surged forward with the home side exposed.
But the deadlock was broken just before half-time with McAuley soaring highest as he emphatically headed into the net from a corner for the Linnets.
Kelly missed Lynn's first chance of the second-half, firing wide from just inside the box, before Rigg also saw his effort go just past the post for the away side.
And moments before being replaced by Marriott, Kelly dragged another effort wide as Lynn sought to double their lead. But it was Rigg who had the next best chance, again heading straight at Mair with a free header for the Kent side.
Linnets substitute Cameron King was brilliantly denied by Yusuf Mersin when through on goal, and Mitchell was off target with an effort on the turn after an attempted overhead kick from Marriott.
Mitchell would have been disappointed to miss the target again when played in down the right side with a two-on-two as the game really opened up.
The home side then killed the game off in the 86th minute as Mitchell was brought down as he turned away from Hanson inside the box. The Hull midfielder was shown a second yellow card and Marriott sent the keeper the wrong way with the resultant penalty.
Dover manager Hessenthaler was shown a red card after the final whistle for dissent as they remain second from bottom with six points from nine games.
King's Lynn: Mair, Barrows, Brown, Smith, Callan-McFadden, McAuley, Clunan, Kelly (Marriott 65mins), Carey, Loza (King 65mins), Mitchell. Subs not used: Southwell, Power, Lupano.
Dover: Mersin, Passley, Wood, De Havilland, Rose (Azeez 61mins), Rigg, Munns, Gregory (Collins 63mins), Ekpiteta (Bramble 75mins), Spencer-Adams, Hanson. Subs not used: Cumberbatch, Smith.
