Dover Athletic 0 Whitehawk 2 match report: Whites’ Isthmian Premier promotion push dented again as terrible league form at Crabble continues

Dover’s Isthmian Premier promotion push took another big dent as their miserable home form continued against Whitehawk on Saturday.

Young striker Harry Bridle gave the Hawks an early lead and they held firm before substitute Billie Clark rounded off the 2-0 victory for the struggling team in stoppage time.

It means Whites haven’t won at home in the league at Crabble since mid-November, having lost five times and drawn twice in their past seven home league games.

Shaun Saunders’ resilient outfit, who had taken a single point from their previous three matches, broke the deadlock at Crabble as in-form Gillingham loanee Bridle netted his seventh goal in seven matches.

Home midfielder Harrison Pont could only strike an attempted seventh-minute clearance against Bridle and the ball fell kindly for Bridle to expertly stroke under goalkeeper Jordan Gillmore.

Two minutes later, Hawks keeper Joseph Osaghae got down sharply to save a goal-bound header from a Tamas Amgbaduba long throw.

The first 15 minutes also saw Dover No.2 Mike Sandmann receive a caution from referee George Lynch.

Gillmore then made the first of many super saves in front of a 645-strong crowd.

Jake Leberl’s side were left short at the back from Amgbaduba’s long throw and ex-Dover forward Imran Kayani found Bridle on the counter-attack, only for the impressive Gillmore to spread himself well to deny him his second goal of the game.

Osaghae produced a fingertip save from Ruben Soares-Junior’s far-post header midway through the first period from a delivery by top scorer and fellow Whites forward George Nikaj.

At the other end, Gillmore made two saves in quick succession with 39 minutes played. He tipped over an Emmanuel Mensah header from a Kayani left-wing cross