BRAINTREE T 1 DOVER Cheek 7 ATH 2 Essam 64, Miller 89

DOVER performed a classic smash and grab raid at Cressing Road with lethal Ricky Miller heading home the winner in the last minute to keep his side in the hunt for a play-off spot.

But for the Iron, this was their four successive defeat and drops them into the relegation zone.

“It doesn’t matter how late the winner comes so long as it goes in the net,” smiled Dover manager Chris Kinnear.

“We knew it would be a really hard game on a bumpy pitch, hot day and against a side fighting for their lives. “But I was pleased we just kept going and never gave up hope of the three points. We’re not worrying about the other sides around us because we will just keep playing our football, working hard and not giving up.” Michael Cheek’s early goal was just rewards but Iron were made to pay for missed chances. The visitors equalised on 64 minutes when the unmarked Connor Essam was given so much space at the far post to head the ball past stranded home keeper Sam Beasant.

But the turning point of the game came three minutes later when a rash challenge in midfield by Craig Braham-Barrett saw him given a straight red card by referee Alan Young. From then on the Iron defended well to try and hold on to at least a point. They didn’t count on Miller popping up as he does so often to break Braintree hearts. Their manager Hakan Heyrettin was furious with both the referee and his two central defenders, saying: “It was never a sending off in the first place and the referee was wrong and had a poor game in my view and going down to ten men was obviously going to make it hard for us. “Not marking properly in the six yard box cost us.”