Less than perfect defending was one of the fundamental reasons City succumbed to fellow promotion contenders Dover Athletic according to Manager Glenn Pennyfather, who believed his side were otherwise worthy of more from their Blue Square Bet South encounter.

 

Harry Baker and George Purcell put Dover two goals to the good in the first dozen minutes, with David Rainford converting a penalty in-between. But former Clarets striker Billy Bricknell came back to haunt his old employers with the clincher on 71 minutes, a Rainford spot kick miss and a Kenny Clark consolation following in injury time.

 

“It was our best attacking performance at home all season but also the worst defensively – and I didn’t expect to say that after the same back five were so fantastic last week,” Pennyfather reflected. “We created numerous chances, enough to win, and missed a penalty, but we gifted them goals and you can’t afford to do that.”

 

Unchanged from Monday’s win at Eastbourne Borough, City fell behind on 2 minutes when play developed down Athletic’s left and was worked inside to Baker, whose effort squirmed through goalkeeper Stuart Searle and rolled over the line. City responded quickly, Cliff Akurang forging in from the right and being grounded five minutes later by Shane Huke, Rainford slamming his penalty down the middle of the goal.

 

Max Cornhill struck at Dover stopper Mikhael Ruiz soon afterwards and Ricky Modeste squared inside to Rainford who angled over as City went in search of more. But they were vulnerable when a long 12th-minute pass was sent over the top which the back line couldn’t deal with and Purcell’s hassling enabled him to get a toe to the ball which proved enough to take it wide of the advancing Searle into the goal.

 

Haines later atoned for this when he put his body in the way of a powerful Sam Cutler shot to block at a crucial moment. This was preceded by Warren Whitely’s dribble into the area at the other end which forced defender Steve Watt to almost find his own net as he carved wide of the near post. From that corner, Whitely again delivered into Cornhill who struck into the side netting from an acute angle.

 

Six minutes beyond the break Chelmsford came within inches of equalising, Jermaine Brown’s measured centre from the right picking out Akurang whose header bounced off the upright. Pennyfather then made several substitutions and one of these, Joe Benjamin, saw his cross-shot fly across the face of goal.

 

Searle made a supreme double-stop to prevent Cutler’s drilled shot with a diving save, getting to his feet quickly to deny him again from the rebound, but Dover extended their lead with 19 minutes remaining. Left-back Tom Wynter’s overlapping run was found as he delivered a dangerous ball into the goalmouth which the home defence couldn’t deal with, Bricknell getting the final touch to nudge home from a yard.

 

Akurang was through with only Ruiz to beat on 73 minutes though the Dover ‘keeper got his palm behind the striker’s effort in mid-air, then Rainford nodded wide and Clark dropped his own header over. Though these were only half-chances and City had to wait until the final minute for their next real opportunity.

Benjamin brought the ball with him in from the left and found his options restricted, though a handy pull of his shirt from Athletic’s skipper Michael Corcoran earned him a penalty. Ruiz did well to turn Rainford’s well-struck bottom corner-bound shot wide though, from the resulting corner, Rainford met it with his head and Clark caused a sufficient nuisance in the danger zone to guide the ball over the line.

 

It proved too little, too late, and Glenn summarised: “Offensively we were fine and, going forward, we got ourselves into some fantastic positions. Having started well from the kick-off we then got basic things wrong and found ourselves behind. When we got level again we then started making uphill battles for ourselves. Overall I don’t think we deserved to lose but, if you defend like we did today, that’s what you’ll get.”

 

City:

 

1 Stuart Searle

2 Ben Nunn

3 Aiden Palmer

4 Mark Haines

5 Kenny Clark

6 David Rainford (C)

7 Warren Whitely

8 Jermaine Brown

9 Cliff Akurang

10 Max Cornhill

11 Ricky Modeste

 

12 Joe Benjamin (On for Modeste, 57)

14 Sam Corcoran

15 Kezie Ibe (On for Brown, 63)

16 Justin Miller

17 Greg Morgan (On for Whitely, 72)

 

Dover Athletic: Mikhael Ruiz, Phil Starkey, Tom Wynter, Michael Corcoran (C), Shane Huke, Steve Watt, Harry Baker (James Walker, 87), Sam Cutler, Billy Bricknell, George Purcell, Luke I’Anson (Matt Johnson, 64). Unused Substitutes: Ed Harris, Glen Southam, Ross Kitteridge.

 

Bookings: City: Haines (84, foul), Rainford, 88, foul). Dover: I’Anson (35, foul), Corcoran (80, handball), Ruiz (82, delaying the restart of play).

 

Referee: Mathew Buonassisi (Lincolnshire).

 

Assistant Referees: Jonathan Burridge and George Sprague.

 

Attendance: 1,031.

 

City Man of the Match: Cliff Akurang.