Two goals in three second-half minutes condemned Dover to their second home defeat of the season at Crabble on Saturday.

Whites, bidding for a third straight National League win, were undone by two headed goals as the visitors turned the contest on its head.

Torquay skipper Asa Hall broke the deadlock powering home a corner from Jake Andrews who also provided the cross from which Jamie Reid doubled the lead moments later to give the Gulls their first away win of the campaign.

Inih Effiong did convert an 87th minute penalty after Hall had been sent off for handball but it was too little too late.

To add to their woes Dover also lost full back Bobby Joe Taylor with an Achilles injury.

Boss Andy Hessenthaler made five changes to the side that had started the dramatic 1-0 midweek victory at Barnet.

Out went Ricky Modeste, Steven Rigg, Kurtis Cumberbatch, Michael Woods and Josh Passley and in came Aaron Simpson, Oscar Gobern, Jack Munns, Jai Reason and Inih Effiong who had scored Dover's injury time winner at Barnet.

In a lively start, Dover's Alfie Pavey had an early penalty appeal turned down as he clashed with Jean Yves Koue Niate and then a mistake in the Dover defence almost let in Torquay. Reid squared the ball back to Kalvin Kalala but he slipped as he shaped to shoot and the chance went begging.

Home keeper Lee Worgan was alert to tip over Armani Little's 25-yard free-kick before, from Dover's first real chance, on 17 minutes, Reason lifted a clever volley over from a Munns cross.

Reason also whistled a low drive inches wide from 20 yards and, as the game continued to ebb and flow, Torquay's Connor Lemonheigh-Evans was presented with a good shooting chance but his effort was comfortable for Worgan.

Things began to settle down around the midway point but Dover did create an opening 10 minutes before half-time when Pavey got up well to head Simpson's deep cross back into the danger area but Kyle Cameron swept clear in front of his own goal.

The home side finished the half strongly with Bilel Hinchiri producing a fine piece of individual skill before firing wide from 20 yards with Lucas Covolan at full stretch.

The Torquay keeper had a scare moments later when he hit his clearance against Reason but ball then bounced favourably for him and he was able to gather.

• Effiong snatches late win for Dover
• Hess has it mapped out
• That winning feeling

Reason hit a shot straight at Covolan after the ball had broken to him from a corner early in the second half, but in the next few minutes it all started to unravel for Whites.

No sooner had Taylor gone down down with an injury than Torquay went ahead.

A misjudgement by home skipper Kevin Lokko led to him conceding a corner from which Hall powered home a header from eight yards.

Whites were still reeling moments later when Andrews turned provider again, crossing for Reid to head home.

Will De Havilland really ought to have given Whites a lifeline when he headed wide from close range, but to their credit they continued to press.

Hessenthaler threw on Cumberbatch and Nassim L'Ghoul for Reason and Hinchiri and L'Ghoul showed some nice touches. Modeste also felt he had won a penalty when he was clipped by Koue Niate but referee Alan Dale gave a free-kick outside the box instead.

The lifeline Dover craved should have come on 71 minutes when Effiong fired wide of the far post, but the big striker did re-ignite the contest with a goal three minutes from time.

Torquay skipper Hall was sent off after handling Pavey's goalbound header and Effiong confidently beat Covolan high away to his right. De Havilland headed wide again from the last play of the game but afterwards boss Hessenthaler had few complaints about the result.

Dover: Worgan, Simpson, Lokko, De Havilland, Taylor (Modeste 50mins), Gobern, Munn, Reason (L'Ghoul 58mins), Hinchiri (Cumberbatch 58mins), Effiong, Pavey; Subs Rigg, Mersin.

Torquay: Covolan, Wynter, Davis, Cameron, Koue Niate, Hall, Little, Andrews, Lemonheigh-Evans (Keating 79mins), Reid (Touray 79mins), Kalala (Edwards 68mins); Subs: MacDonald, Lewis.

Attendance: 1217 (away fans 59)

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent