Dover started the game with a skeleton crew with no substitutes and a reserve goalkeeper who normally plays outfield. Both teams started with some clever flowing football and the game was evenly balanced. Kennington struck first with a goal halfway through the first period, against the run of play.

With Kennington attacking more and moving in the 18yard box a shove in the back by the backtracking midfielder gave the referee no choice but to award a penalty. Calmly slotted away with no chance for the goalkeeper, Kennington doubled their lead to 2-0 and it looked like a long match for a bare Dover 11.

But a great crossfield pass from George Cudworth split the Kennington defence and set Max Spurr on his way toward goal and slot the ball home for a 2-1 scoreline. Opportunities were squandered with Wes Chadwick through on goal if the ball was played through but the pass wasn’t made and Kennington outnumbered the striker to gain control back. Going into half time Dover were looking good and could continue the revival.

Dover came out in the second half with the familiar desire to score again and get something from a game they were not out of. Pressure and attacking chances were building and a confusion on the edge of the box after Lewis Saunders challenged the keeper allowed Kyle Manton to flick the ball over the goalkeeper’s head into an open net from 25 yards to level the scoreline. Dover were buzzing and a side top of the league were being taken to the limit.

With Kennington pushing for a winner, they were rewarded with some luck from a shot on the edge of the box that was not shutdown quick enough, only for wet slippery conditions to allow the ball to get through the otherwise faultless goalkeepers grasp to secure all points.

A sad, all too frequent, end to a game that Dover should have come away with a point from. That much needed full 70 minutes of concentration is sure to come, but with a skeleton squad and reserve goalkeeper filling in, Dover can be proud of the commitment they showed against the team top of the league, who were gifted a goal with the penalty. Special mention has to go to the reserve goalkeeper Carson Philpott who tended exceptionally and denied Kennington increasing the scoreline further on many occasion.