Dover Athletic 1 Morecambe 1

DOVER’S final home game in the Conference had an inevitable air of “let’s get it over with” at Crabble on Saturday, even though both sets of players did their best to serve up a meaningful contest.

With most Whites fans resigned to relegation weeks ago and a lovely sunny afternoon encouraging thoughts of summer pursuits, there was little chance of “the tears on the terraces” which sometimes mark these occasions.

Morecambe, chasing a place in the top six and a place in next season’s LDV Vans Trophy, had more to play for and Jim Harvey’s side did enough to confirm their reputation as one of the better footballing sides in the Conference. Right from the off they demonstrated a positive attacking approach, built around neat, quick passing, and Whites were quickly on the back foot.

But Clive Walker’s men went closest early on, with Neil Le Bihan seeing his goalbound effort blocked by busy midfielder Andy Gouck after Leon Kelly had cut the ball back.

For the most part, however, the first half was a story of Dover hitting too many hopeful long balls from the back for Kelly and Tommy Tyne to chase. Matt Carruthers, in particular, was guilty of frequently squandering possession, although he partly redeemed himself with a last-ditch penalty area challenge to deny Ryan Zico-Black a goal on the half hour.

Tyne, back at Crabble after spending the second half of the season on loan at Welling, ran as willingly as ever up front but was unable to solve Whites’ fundamental shortcoming this season in front of goal, despite on one occasion being allowed two bites at the cherry from seven yards out.

Soon after, Carruthers’ low driive forced Craig Mawson into a good save, and from the ensuing corner the Morecambe ‘keeper did even better to palm Jake Leberl’s close-range effort over the bar. At the other end, Morecambe almost snatched the lead in first half injury time but Kristian James hacked the ball off the line in a goalmouth scramble following a Black corner.

Jamie Day came on for Neil Le Bihan, still troubled by a back problem, for the restart and the home side made a much brighter beginning to the half, playing the ball more frequently through the middle, and they were rewarded with a 54th minute strike from Kevin Seabury.

The hard-working midfielder, who has made a significant contribution to Whites’ recent record of one defeat in seven games, collected a lay-off from Tyne before directing a low 25-yarder past Mawson’s right hand.

The goal, only the 20th that Whites managed in 21 league games at Crabble this campaign, encouraged Dover to produce their best spell of the game, during which Kelly was unlucky to have his strike from an acute angle ruled out for a foul on Jamie Murphy, when it looked more a case of the Morecambe centre back being the guilty party.

But Morecambe, with the experienced Ian Arnold prominent, gradually began to regain their midfield authority, and it was Arnold who brought them level from the penalty spot after 69 minutes.

Ironically, on the day that he received his fully-deserved Player of the Year award, the goal stemmed from a rare error by Jake Leberl. The defender tried to play the ball out of defence when a simple hoof clear was all that was required, and Arnold grabbed his chance before falling under Leberl’s challenge as the defender tried to make amends.

It may have been a harsh award, but most Whites’ fans were past caring by this stage and Arnold duly planted his spot kick past Paul Hyde.

The last 20 minutes then belonged to the visitors, apart from Mawson having to produce another splendid tip-over save from James. But Morecambe, who had drawn 1-1 at Margate two days earlier, seemed content to settle for another point before heading back up north, which is one motorway slog that Dover won’t have to make so often next season.

Dover Athletic: Hyde; Shearer, Leberl, Norman; Carruthers, Ramsay, Seabury, Le Bihan (Day 46), James; Kelly, Tyne.