BY OSCAR PICK

The rain at the Crabble Stadium was relentless; but so were the Beavers, as a goal from Jake Gray was enough to secure a sixth win on the bounce. 

The first chance came from the hosts within the first five minutes of the game, as Henry Young’s shot from outside the box was driven into the hands of Adam Debois.  

After a short corner from Sam Deadfield, the ball found its way to Jake Gray who scooped it over the Dover defence for a Luis Fernandez header that dipped just over the bar.  

Following a series of crosses from Paris Lock, whose pace was evident from the opening whistle, Isaac Pitblado and Dan Wishart doubled-up to keep the busy winger isolated on the right-hand side as best they could. 

Having recognised this, Lock chose to distance himself from the byline and, instead, cut inside to play a through ball into the box for Archie Hatcher.  

Having pivoted to the right of Dean Inman to get his shot off, Hatcher forced a routine save from Debois to provide some much-needed breathing space for a shaken Hampton backline. 

Ruaridh Donaldson came off the bench to deliver a cross for Gray whose shot was blocked by a sliding Peter Ojemen to clear it off the line.  

Then, following his heroic moment, Ojemen earned himself the first booking of the game after a reckless challenge on Ben Seymour. 

With neither side able to stamp their authority on the game, Dover attackers assembled for a final attempt before half time, as Fuad Sesay skilfully brought down a high ball that he struck with power into the strong hand of Desbois. 

There was a lack of clear-cut chances during the second half, but Lock continued to chip away at the Hampton & Richmond defence with his shot hitting the side-netting to alert Desbois.  

Eventually, it was Gray who took control of a chaotic offensive effort from Hampton & Richmond, as the skipper pounced on a loose ball that hit the roof of the net to put the visitors 0-1 up.  

The Beavers then showed an eagerness to extend their lead, as Connor Kurran-Browne came off the bench to burst past a scattered Dover backline, but his shot was fired well over the bar. 

The last minutes of the match, however, caused Hampton & Richmond to panic when Dean Inman was sent off for a last-ditch foul on a Dover attacker, who had skipped past Desbois to be denied a goal scoring opportunity.  

But the score remained 0-1 when Dover’s freekick was blocked, as Hampton & Richmond saw out the half to maintain their spot in the playoffs.