Dover Athletic 2 Salisbury City 1

VICTOR RENNER'S last minute goal gave Dover Athletic a vital win in their Ryman Premier Division relegation battle and set off scenes of celebration not seen at the Hoverspeed Stadium in a long time.

This was a game that Salisbury City, the better side during the first two-thirds of the game, somehow contrived to lose after Whites, again through Renner, had equalised out of the blue after 65 minutes.

But Dover must be given credit for battling back to earn three points that seemed to be heading down the A345 to Wiltshire, especially after the visitors took the lead as early as the third minute from the penalty spot.

As City launched their first attack, Whites’ back line were caught looking for an offside flag that never came and as the lively Steve Strong burst through Kev Readings, standing in for the injured Paul Hyde in goal, whipped his feet from under him a yard inside the penalty area.

After muted protests had been waved away, Craig Davis sent Readings the wrong way from the spot, tucking the ball confidently inside the left hand post.

Whites saw plenty of the ball and put City under periodic spells of pressure, but visiting keeper Kevin Sawyer was rarely troubled. In contrast, City’s approach play was thoughtful and their counter-attacking game looked a better bet to secure the points.

However, the game changed completely 20 minutes into the second half after Whites equalised with one of the best goal seen at Crabble this season.

Renner had few options when he brought down a speculative long ball out of defence in a central position with two defenders in close attendance, so he tried his luck from 30 yards out and the ball was still rising as it fizzed into the net just underneath the crossbar.

From that point, Salisbury, presumably mindful of the fact that a draw would still leave them 11 points clear of Whites in the relegation shake-up, choose to settle for what they had. It was a policy that was to cost them, as Whites piled on the pressure.

Dover might have won the game before Renner’s late strike. First, substitute ‘Wally’ Matata headed a Danny Braithwaite corner against the top of the crossbar, before Braithwaite himself had a close range drive blocked on the line.

But Whites were not to be denied and got the goal their late pressure had been threatening deep into stoppage time.

Jude Sterling launched a trademark long throw to the corner of the six yard box. As Craig Cloke nodded the ball down, Braithwaite fired a shot across the face of goal that smacked against the outside of a post.

But as Whites enjoyed a rare break of the ball, Renner almost broke the net in smacking the ball home from point blank range to the delight of the Dover fans and the despair of the visitors.

Dover: Readings, Vallance, Braithwaite, Readings, Cloke, Stirling, Hickman, Mayard (Wright 46 (Matata 73)), Renner, Hogg, Carruthers. Subs Not Used: J. Rogers, P. Rogers, Skelton.

Attendance: 659.

KM-fm's Ed Cook spoke to Jude Sterling after the match...