Ebbsfleet kept their play-off hopes alive with a dramatic victory at home to Dover on Easter Monday.

Andy Drury scored the winner six minutes into stoppage-time after Keanu Marsh-Brown's late penalty looked to have salvaged a point for the visitors.

The win means Fleet, who took the lead through Sean Shields, are now just four points behind their Kent rivals with two games in hand.

Fleet came into the game unbeaten in six but manager Daryl McMahon made three changes to his starting XI. Marvin McCoy and Chris Bush replaced Lawrie Wilson and Jack Connors in the full-back positions while in midfield, Shields got the nod ahead of Jack Powell.

Neither side had played on Good Friday and Dover were unchanged from their 2-1 defeat at Eastleigh last Tuesday.

The first chance fell to Ebbsfleet in the second minute. A cross from the right dropped for Corey Whitely and his half-volley didn't clear the crossbar by much.

At the other end, Mitch Pinnock swirled a long shot well wide and a slip by Dave Winfield went unpunished as Femi Ilesanmi knocked his cross straight out of play.

Fleet were almost undone by a Pinnock long throw which bounced in the penalty area but Mitch Brundle's low shot, which took a deflection on its way through a crowd of players, was easily saved by Nathan Ashmore.

The home side were inches away from breaking the deadlock moments later. Drury drove through midfield and fed Shields, who turned sharply and saw his low shot turned against the base of the post by Mitch Walker's fingertips.

Ade Azeez headed Pinnock's deep cross wide for Dover but the home side were starting to get on top.

Ashmore caught a Whites corner and his pinpoint kick travelled 70 yards to Luke Coulson, who showed great first-time control and almost escaped the attentions of two covering defenders.

Walker made another great save when Kedwell got his head to Shields' whipped cross from the left and Coulson saw his powerful strike from distance deflect behind for a corner.

A driven cross from Ilesanmi flashed just in front of Azeez, arriving late at the back post, but still it was Fleet dominating possession and creating the better chances.

Bush combined well with Shields and the winger's low cross almost ran for a colleague in red before Dave Winfield and Kenny Clark got in each other's way, trying to convert Kedwell's dinked cross from the right.

Some of the hosts' build-up play was impressively slick. Whitely thumped a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards and with Dover under siege in the closing stages of the first half, Connor Essam had to be alert to block Shields' low cross behind. From the resulting corner, Kedwell sent a header over.

Liam Bellamy went into the book for pulling McCoy back and the first half finished with Shields slicing a shot well wide after linking with Kedwell.

Dover, however, started the second period on the front foot and it needed good blocks from Clark and Winfield respectively to thwart Brundle and Pinnock.

But the home side took a well-deserved lead on 54 minutes. Dover failed to clear a corner from the right and Shields stood up his man before driving a left-footed shot low into the net.

Ebbsfleet looked to press home their advantage and the visitors responded by making a double substitution on the hour.

They began to build up a head of steam, Anthony Jeffrey having a shot blocked behind as Whites put a series of balls in from wide areas.

But when Shields found a pocket of space at the other end, he drove towards goal and forced a low save from Walker.

Dover came so close to the equaliser eight minutes from time when Brundle's piledriver from 30 yards beat Ashmore and crashed against the crossbar.

And when Giancarlo Gallifuoco went flying under Bush's challenge in the 94th minute, referee Alan Young pointed straight to the spot and Marsh-Brown held his nerve to send Ashmore the wrong way.

But the real drama was yet to come. Myles Weston slung one final cross into the box and when the ball ran for Drury at the back post he rammed the ball home from a narrow angle to spark wild celebrations on three sides of Stonebridge Road.

Ebbsfleet: Ashmore, McCoy, Clark, Winfield, Bush, Whitely (Powell 90mins), Rance, Drury, Shields, Coulson (Weston 83mins), Kedwell. Subs not used: Connors, Miles, Wabo.

Dover: Walker, Lokko, Essam, Parry (Passley 60mins), Gallifuoco, Bellamy, Brundle, Ilesanmi, Pinnock (Jeffrey 60mins), Bird (Marsh-Brown 73mins), Azeez. Subs not used: Nortey, Daniel.

Attendance: 1,735.