Hendon completed the double over the Whites, as Dover fell to another 1-0 defeat. A Mark Nicholls penalty after 23 minutes settled the game, as Whites fans turned on Manager Steve Browne, after only one league win in his time at the club.

Browne was forced to change his side slightly after the disappointing defeat to Folkestone on Monday. Victor Renner was suspended, and there was no place for Stuart Maynard either. Lee Shearer returned to the side, and there was also a new face from Bromley in Gavin Rose, who took up a central midfield berth.

Both sides started fairly well, and although Hendon were the ones who gained a succession of corners, they didn’t create much to trouble Dominique Jean-Zepharin. The first real chance fell to the Whites, as Chris Wright took the ball past two men in midfield, but hit he shot too early when he could have taken it on further.

Mark Nicholls went close with a speculative effort before the visitors took the lead. Eugene Ofori was left free at the back post, and his header rebounded off the post to Nicholls. He took the ball past Jean-Zepharin, who lunged at him to concede a penalty. The Hendon captain picked himself up to put the ball past the Dover keeper.

Chris Wright, who had a better game than he has for a while, was desperately close to equalising minutes later. Warren Ryan, who was lucky to still be on the pitch after starting a fight moments beforehand, miscued his shot to Wright, 6-yards out. However, the striker saw his shot cleared at the last moment, when a goal looked a certainty.

Nicholls and Eugene Ofori both went close before Whites lost another of their most important players to injury. Lee Shearer had to be replaced by Shane Hamshare, but it was Dover who had the better chances before the interval. A great run by the superb Craig Cloke sent Wright down the left wing. He crossed to Warren Ryan, but the makeshift centre forward blazed well over when he had bundles of time to steady himself.

Dean Palmer also went close in injury time, as he headed a Nick Grime cross marginally over, but Whites went into halftime behind. However, Steve Browne was so disappointed with his players that he locked them out of the dressing room, and so they spent their break on the pitch, with Browne and Troy Townsend conducting their team talk in the centre circle.

The rollicking seemed to have the desired effect, as Whites did seem to show more of an effort in the second period. The equaliser almost arrived through Dean Palmer, who collected the ball after a poor kick from Hendon keeper Dave King. But with the keeper out of his goal, he took too long, and then curled his shot wide.

One of the biggest disappointments of the afternoon came on the hour mark, as Craig Cloke got injured, after having an outstanding game leading by example as captain. His substitution meant that the side lacked its driving force, and the crowd increasingly got on the team’s back from then on.

It was still the Whites who were creating the greater attacking threat however, and after a goalmouth scramble, Warren Ryan saw his shot saved. Dean Palmer also went close with a drive from distance, but it was met with sarcastic cheers by sections of the crowd.

Warren Ryan produced a strong run with ten minutes to go, and he even managed to take the ball past the keeper, but was forced too wide and his cross didn’t find anybody in the box. Mark Nicholls almost sealed the game on the counter attack, but his shot was well saved by Jean-Zepharin, and the final chances fell to the Whites.

Both the referee and his assistant missed a clear penalty in the final minute of normal time, as although a foul took place well within the box, referee F. Meilack awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Ryan stepped up to take it, but it went well over the bar.

Substitute Marcus Sawyerr hit the post in injury time, and then James Burgess blocked Dean Palmer’s shot, without the Hendon player knowing anything about it, before the final whistle came.

This was another disappointing afternoon for the Whites, as relegation is widely being talked about around the Hoverspeed Stadium. But we all need to keep supporting as much as we can to turn this tide, and with the greater financial stability that Jim Parmenter may be providing, hopefully the tide will turn on the pitch too.