DOVER SHOW TITLE CALIBRE
LEADERS Dover Athletic showed they are more than just title pretenders after this comfortable victory over a disappointing Eastleigh side.
Headed goal in each half from James Alabi and Connor Essam saw the Whites maintain their one-point advantage at the top of the National League. But wily boss Chris Kinnear is still not getting carried away with their start to the season, insisting the Whites are taking things a game at a time. “We can only focus on the Leyton Orient game now. They are a massive ex-Football League club and it will be a tough challenge,” he said. “The lads showed again today how well they are progressing against an Eastleigh team full of quality and experience.” The luxury of a two-week break seemed to pay off for the home side as Alabi, Nortei Nortey and Mitch Brundle all fired in warning shots from range during a lively start. And they took a deserved lead just after the half-hour point when Mitch Pinnock’s long throw was converted at the second attempt by Alabi – his first goal since joining on loan from Tranmere. Josh Passley almost doubled the lead seconds later with a curling effort that whizzed past Ross Flitney’s far post and skipper Brundle’s volley from Femi Ilesamni’s cross flashed wide. At the other end keeper Mitch Walker was relieved to see Mark Yeates’s deflected free-kick fly straight into his arms as the away side registered their first shot on target. Keeper Ross Flitney bravely blocked an Alabi effort from close range but the former Dover goalie could do nothing about Dover’s second goal on 57 minutes – brilliantly saving Essam’s header from Brundle’s corner, only for the burly defender to slam in the rebound for his first goal of the season. Walker spectacularly denied Callum Howe an injury-time consolation and according to manager Richard Hill, the injury-stricken Spitfires are “up against it”. “I have just said to the lads the only players available are the ones in the dressing room,” said the beleaguered boss. “We played some decent football, but we could not find a gap to open up the Dover defence. “I thought there were fouls on us for both goals and with a bit more luck we would have had a penalty for handball. “These things grate me and overall it was a frustrating day.”