National League

Forest Green 1

Dover Athletic 1

A 91st-minute Kieffer Moore Forest Green leveller served up a spectrum of emotions.

Dogged Dover had looked to have pinched it when Moses Emmanuel nodded home with 20 minutes to go, but Rovers responded thanks to Moore’s last-gasp stab for his 10th league goal of the season.

And Rovers’ boss Mark Cooper, who celebrates his 48th birthday today (Sunday) was forced to lament his side’s prolificacy in front of goal and  pre-match power failure, which resulted in a 3.45pm kick-off.

In worsening conditions, players were struggling to find each other and it was left to Moore to get on the end of a Shamir Mullings header from a Liam Noble corner to snatch a point at the death.

Earlier, National League hot-shot Ricky Miller was well-shackled, which must have pleased chairman Dale Vince, who saw his bid for Dover’s prized asset rebuffed in October.

Miller was a marked man and Charlie Clough saw a fourth-minute yellow for a nibble on the prolific marksman.

The game was far from fluid and Rovers were spitting feathers when referee Thomas Bramall called play back after a foul on  Charlie Cooper, with Moore booked for ball throwing dissent.

Angered by this, Rovers cranked it up – Rob Sinclair’s short corner allowed Darren Carter to dink a ball to the back post for Mullings to thump a header that looked destined for the net, but somehow Aswad Thomas got a goal-saving block.

Miller showed his menace with five minutes of the half to go. Cutting in, he pulled back his ferocious left-foot from 30 yards to demand a finger-tip save from Sam Russell.

At the other end, Noble opened Dover up, but Moore was denied by the quick-thinking Steve Arnold who smothered at his former team-mates feet.

And Miller became the third booking of the half when failing to retreat from a quickly taken Noble free-kick.

Jack Parkinson incurred a yellow card moments after the break for curtailing a Carter break.

Miller made it to the byeline to tee-up Moses Emmanuel who fired just wide of the sprawling Russell’s far post.

With fog sweeping across the pitch, Sinclair ghosted forward almost unnoticed to find Cooper on the right and his deep cross forced Arnold to drop on a stabbed strike from Mullings.

Lafayette slipped beyond Rovers’ defence but found Russell a redoubtable figure.

Bookings were the order of the day and Many Monthe became the fifth booking for a challenge on Lafayette and Cooper soon followed.

With 20 minutes to go Dover nosed ahead - Modeste picked out Emmanuel who planted a header beyond Russell.

Rovers looked for parity and almost found it with four minutes to go but Richard Orlu headed off the line from a Moore header from a Clough surge and Cooper cross.

And they snatched a point in the 91st-minute – Moore smashing home from inside the box from a Mullings header after a pin-point Noble corner.

STAT ATTACK

FGR 1  Dover Athletic 1

Goals: Moore 91, Emmanuel 70

 9  SHOTS ON TARGET 6

 7 SHOTS OFF TARGET 3

10 CORNERS 3

8  FOULS CONCEDED 11

4 OFFSIDES 5

4 YELLOW CARDS 2

0 RED CARDS 0

STAR MAN: Ethan Pinnock (Forest Green).

ATT: 1,818

ENTERTAINMENT: 3 /5

REFEREE: Mr Thomas Bramall  5 /10

FOREST GREEN: ( 3-5-2) Russell 7 ; Clough 7, Monthe 7, Pinnock 9; Sinclair 7 (Traore, 6, 74), Noble 6, Carter 6 (Marsh-Brown 6, 64), Cooper 7, Kelly 6 ( Frear 7, 64); Moore 7, Mullings 6.

Subs not used : Doidge, Wishart.

DOVER ATHLETIC: ( 5-2-3) Arnold 7; Grimes7, Orlu 8, Sterling 7, Thomas 7, Magri 7; Modeste 7, Parkinson 6; Miller 6, Lafayette 7, Emmanuel 8 ( Kinnear, 6, 84).

Sub not used: Walker, Marsh, Pinnock, Healy.