Report

Nassim L’Ghoul’s injury-time goal rescued a point for Whites at Crabble on Saturday.

With time running out, the substitute slotted into the bottom corner as the home side made their second-half pressure pay off.

Kevin Lokko’s first-half own goal had given the away side the lead until Frenchman L’Ghoul struck late on.

Earlier, Anthony Jeffrey blasted an effort straight at home keeper Mitch Beeney and Hartlepool’s giant keeper had to do more to keep out Ricky Modeste’s header moments later.

Athletic’s winger directed Bobby-Joe Taylor’s corner goalwards, only for Beeney to stick out a giant paw to prevent his header from going in.

At the other end, home keeper Lee Worgan was powerless to stop the visitors from taking the lead.

Gavan Holohan’s swirling ball into the area caught out Lokko and Dover’s skipper nodded into his own net.

Worgan fared better when he was next called into action, saving Gus Mafuta’s low drive with his legs.

Ryan Donaldson dived to meet Mark Shelton’s driven cross, only to miss the target.

Will De Havilland went close, nodding Taylor’s cross just wide of the mark.

Jeffrey curled wide of the wrong side just after the restart and Gobern

volleyed into the arms of Beeney as Whites searched for a leveller.

Pool’s former England Under-19 keeper then dived low to turned Effiong’s fizzing shot behind for a corner.

With time running out, Pools almost doubled their lead when Shelton smashed a free-kick just over Worgan’s crossbar.

That miss proved costly for the north-east team as Dover equalised after the clock had struck 90 minutes.

L’Ghoul ran onto Effiong’s nudged pass and stroked the ball into the bottom corner via the far post, his second league goal of the season.

Dover almost won it in dramatic fashion, Taylor’s swirling corner ricocheted off sub Steven Rigg and inches over Hartlepool’s crossbar and Whites avoided an eighth home defeat of the campaign.

Earlier, boss Hessenthaler made three changes to the side that lost at Bromley on New Year’s Day with Jeffrey, Worgan and Oscar Gobern all coming into the starting line-up.

Whites next travel to Notts County on Saturday 18th January, kick-off 3 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

HARTLEPOOL UNITED REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

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