Simon Wormull in action at Kettering.

Dover Athletic battled back first from being a goal down and then from being reduced to 10 men, to snatch all three points and end Kettering's unbeaten home record in a scrappy encounter at Rockingham Road this afternoon.

The Whites welcomed back Jake Leberl from suspension and Steve Brown who had recovered from flu, but James Virgo, who had been expected to be fit, was still unavailable, as were long term casualties Neil Le Bihan and Staurt Munday. This was the first game Athletic had to do without former skipper Joe Dunne, who re-joined Colchester United in midweek. In his absence, Jake Leberl played the midfield holding role, with Simon Beard continuing in defence. Steve Brown replaced Matt Carruthers in attack. Goalkeeper Paul Hyde was given the captain's armband. On the bench there were three strikers (Hynes, Carruthers and Godden), Dunne's departure and Le Bihan's absence having left Dover short of midfield options.

The first half was very stop-start with the referee failing to let the game flow. After just six minutes, Joff Vansittart limped off to be replaced by Matt Carruthers. The share of possession was fairly even but Kettering had the better chances, Sam Banya and Brett McNamara both headed just over and Phil Brown sent a shot just inches wide. Dover created few chances, their final ball often disappointing, Steve Brown volleyed well over with their only real chance. The Dover back four defended well, with Paul Hyde constantly barking instructions at them. Dave Clarke picked up a booking early on for a tough challenge and Jake Leberl was also shown the yellow card, for sharing his opinions with the referee rather than keeping them to himself.

At the interval the match was 0-0 but 18 seconds into the second period it swung in Kettering's favour when Simon Wormull lost possession from the kick-off allowing Kettering to pounce. Dale Watkins picked up the ball by the left touchline and cut inside, evading the attentions of the Dover defenders before hitting a stunning 25-yard strike that left Hyde with no chance.

Dover almost equalised immediately but Jake Leberl's 15-yard drive clipped the base of the post and went behind. Kettering could have doubled their lead but Colin Vowden headed Phil Brown's free-kick just over.

Bill Williams brought on Mark Hynes to try to inject some life into Athletic's ineffective attack, Danny Bolt the man to make way, with Carruthers dropping back into midfield.

In the 73^rd minute Athletic equalised, against the run of play. Simon Wormull's first corner was headed behind by a Kettering defender, but his second was more accurate and picked out centre-back Lee Shearer, who stooped to head the ball through a crowd of players and just inside the far post for his fifth goal of the season.

On 81 minutes, Roy Godden became the fifth Dover striker to play up front in the match when he replaced Steve Brown who had suffered a knock.

Dover probably would have settled for a draw on 87 minutes, when Dave Clarke obstructed a Kettering break down the right by getting in between player and ball and earning a second yellow card for his troubles. Neither of Clarke's offences were mailcious but his commitment and determination got the better of him and both bookings were probably deserved.

This was not to be the last action of the match however. With just a minute and some injury time to go, Jake Leberl found Mark Hynes in acres of space, one-on-one with the keeper. Hynes took his time and cooly slotted past Sollitt to give Athletic the lead. It was Hynes' first goal since his brace against Hereford in September, and his first in those white boots. Hynes was clearly delighted with his goal but this does not excuse the way he reacted, inciting the Kettering supporters with his celebrations, and he was rightly booked.

Dover held on for what remained of the match, Phil Brown could have equalised for the home side in the dying moments, but again the ball went just over the bar.

This was a game Dover needed to win in order to stay in touch with the top teams in the division, and they delivered the required result, thanks largely to good defending, good luck and better finishing than their opponents (Kettering had more and better chances to score but they failed to take them and it cost them the game). The pick of the Whites players were Steve Norman, who looked much more comfortable as a full-back this week than he did last week, and Jake Leberl, who proved that there is life after Joe Dunne.

The card count was 5-2 to Dover but this doesn't tell the full story. The match was very physical and there were tough challenges flying in from both teams. Whilst Dover's bookings were deserved the home team were lucky to escape with only two, four Whites players limped off the pitch at the end of the game after some pretty reckless challenges went unpunished by a referee who struggled to control the game and refused to let it flow.

Two Bank Holiday encounters with "local" rivals Welling United are next for the Whites. On paper it looks like six easy points against the worst defence in the Conference, but Welling have a nasty habit of giving us the odd unexpected shock (3-0 in the MacMillan Trophy earlier in the season), so nothing can be taken for granted.

Joff Vansittart causes problems for yet another defence in his brief appearance at Rockingham Road.

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