Home ground advantage again counted for little after Dover slumped to a fourth consecutive loss, and a third in-a-row at Crabble, in London 1 South on Saturday.

Visitors Cobham beat Sharks 20-15 to send coach Graham Tonks’ side tumbling two places down the table to 11th.

Cobham, who had started the clash below Sharks, led 12-0 at one stage before Jonathon Walker-Smith’s try reduced the deficit to 12-5 at the break.

Jack Ayling’s penalty early in the second half closed the gap even further but that proved to be the closest the home side got as Cobham replied through a try and a penalty.

Harry Sayers went over late in the game and Ayling converted but it was too late to salvage anything from the contest.

Tonks said his side had again paid the price for making too many errors early in the game.

He said: “We played too much rugby in our own half because of five or six errors we made.

“We keep putting ourselves under too much pressure.

“You cannot afford to do that in this league or you’ll keep getting punished for it.”

But it’s not only the errors which are a concern to Tonks ahead of Saturday’s daunting trip to second-placed Chobham.

He said: “We just have a lack of belief in ourselves, but we shouldn’t have.

“Sure we are not getting the results we want but we have the ability to play good rugby.

“We are making it difficult for sides at times during the games. We’ve just got to harness that for the entire 80 minutes.

“If we can do that then I am sure we start stringing some wins together.”