Dover Athletic 1 Windsor & Eton 0

DOVER'S fine run of form under Clive Walker continued with a 1-0 win over Windsor & Eton on Saturday.

Without a home victory in the last three months, the Hoverspeed Stadium has not been a theatre of dreams. So after Matt Carruthers' second half goal earned three points that might yet prove vital at the end of the season, it was a treat to see a few smiles at the conclusion of what was a low quality match.

Following an early scare, when Windsor skipper Paul Cook could only lob a good chance into Paul Hyde's arms having stayed up following a free kick, Whites looked sounder defensively than they have in a long time.

And although neither keeper was seriously extended during a feisty yet relatively uneventful first half, both sides had a decent chance apiece.

First, young Windsor striker Symon James, who was impressive all afternoon, turned and shot in one sweet movement, sending the ball just inches wide of Hyde's right-hand post.

At the other end, Chris Wright, an early substitute for the injured Victor Renner, made an immediate impact with a determined run that left a couple of defenders in his wake. But after Wright had threaded a perfect square ball across goal, Paul Armstrong blazed a good chance wide.

Whites were indebted to Hyde early in the second half when he went full length across his goal to keep out a free kick that Peter Holsgrove whipped over the wall. And although Dover were compelled to endure a spell of pressure, they survived it with relative comfort before grabbing the all-important goal after 62 minutes.

From a left of centre position halfway inside the visitors' half, Stuart Maynard curled a free kick towards the far post that initially looked too long. But showing the determination that exemplified his overall contribution, the outstanding Shane Hamshare rose and nod the ball back across goal for Carruthers to thump the ball home from almost on the goalline.

For a while, the game threatened to boil over, most notably when Windsor defender David Tilbury got away with a nasty assault on Hamshare.

When Windsor did cut out the rough stuff, they looked a decent side and might have grabbed an equaliser that would have brought a repeat of the 1-1 draw between the sides in September.

Yet while an equaliser looked more likely than a second Dover goal, the faultless Hyde produced a couple of good stops in the game's closing stages, keeping out efforts from both Holsgrove and James, to make sure of the victory.

Dover: Hyde, Vallance, Braithwaite, Readings (Stirling 78), Cloke, Hamshare, Palmer, Maynard, Armstrong, Venner (Wright 17), Carruthers. Subs Not Used: Hickman, Rogers, Spiller.

* Whites boss Clive Walker spoke to KM-fm sports editor Simon Watts after the game...