Staines Town 2 Dover Athletic 0

IF DOVER continue to pick up points in their quest to escape the wrong end of the Ryman League table, defeat in the FA Trophy is not something fans will worry about too much.

However, it was the nature of the defeat, rather than the result itself, that rankled with the travelling faithful after their first ever visit to The Wheatsheaf on Saturday.

Athletic were well beaten in a game in which they never moved out of second gear. Staines won every 50/50 ball and accepted the chances Whites gifted to them, to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Dover had looked comfortable in the early stages and they did create one decent opportunity as Danny Grieves clipped in a cross that former Staines man Roni Joe headed over.

The Swans’ Danny Gordon might have considered himself unfortunate to receive a yellow card following an innocuous-looking challenge on Joe. However, Staines midfielder Fiston Manuella seemed equally fortunate to receive just a caution for what looked a terrible challenge on Craig Wilkins.

Dover were unlucky not to go ahead when Joe collected a poor headed clearance just inside the D. Although his low drive beat keeper Matthew Lovett, the ball rebounded to safety off the inside of the left hand upright.

After this, Whites were rarely seen as an attacking force as Staines started to gain the ascendancy. Gavin Tomlin rattled the frame of the Dover goal before Athletic went behind to a 27th-minute goal.

A huge clearance from Lovett caused havoc in the Dover defence. As Dover 'keeper Kev Readings and central defender Dean Palmer both went to cut out the danger, they collided leaving Tomlin to walk the ball into an unguarded net.

In the second half, Whites never looked like putting their hosts under any serious pressure, as they gave the ball away far too often.

Although Stuart Maynard’s corner from the left just needed a touch and Wilkins might have earned a penalty after a John McDonald challenge, nothing was happening to suggest the tie might be turned around.

And it was no more than Whites deserved when Town put the fixture to bed with 11 minutes remaining.

Again the defence was at fault as Craig Cloke misjudged a headed clearance on the 18-yard line and, as the ball dropped perfectly for him, Elliott Onochie took one touch to steady himself and another to drive the ball emphatically into the bottom left hand corner..

Nobody expects Steve Browne’s new look side to gel overnight, but those fans that travel to Richmond this weekend will be hoping that, in Trophy defeat, they have got something out of their system.

Dover: Readings, Cloke, Palmer, Maynard, Shearer, Grieves, Bubb (Carruthers-55), Renner, Wilkins, Joe (Braithwaite-73), Grimes