Dover Athletic 2-2 Macclesfield Town

Dover's National League play-off hopes suffered a major blow after they were held to a draw at home by Macclesfield.

Dover realistically needed to win to have any chance of overhauling Aldershot for the final play-off position and sit three points adrift with a goal difference inferior by six, with just a game to go.

The hosts enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges but Oliver Norburn opened the scoring for the visitors in the 31st minute when he was at the back post to convert from close range after a long ball from the right.

But Dover were level five minutes before the interval when they were awarded a penalty and Ricky Miller sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

Anthony Dudley then fired Macclesfield ahead in the 73rd minute when his shot went through the legs of goalkeeper Mitch Walker.

Dover at least earned a point through Ross Lafayette's late goal but it kept their promotion hopes only barely alive.

They travel to Barrow on Saturday while Aldershot host relegation-threatened Braintree.

Match report supplied by Press Association.

• Line-ups
• Live Text

Line-ups

Dover

• 1Walker
• 27HurstSubstituted forPinnockat 55'minutes
• 2Magri
• 15Grimes
• 5Essam
• 3ThomasSubstituted forEmmanuelat 84'minutes
• 6Orlu
• 16SterlingSubstituted forFazackerleyat 58'minutes
• 26Healy
• 9Miller
• 25Lafayette

Substitutes

• 4Kinnear
• 8Stevenson
• 11Pinnock
• 12Fazackerley
• 17Emmanuel

Macclesfield

• 22Flinders
• 16Hancox
• 2Halls
• 8Whitehead
• 6McCombeBooked at 34mins
• 4Byrne
• 7BrowneBooked at 62minsSubstituted forOkosiemeat 90+1'minutes
• 15Norburn
• 23WhitakerSubstituted forSummerfieldat 83'minutes
• 29Dudley
• 33ThorneSubstituted forHolroydat 81'minutes

Substitutes

• 9Holroyd
• 13Ross
• 14James
• 30Summerfield
• 32Okosieme

Referee:

Adrian Quelch

Attendance:

932

Live Text

1. Post update

   Match ends, Dover Athletic 2, Macclesfield Town 2.

2. 90'+2'

   Full Time

   Second Half ends, Dover Athletic 2, Macclesfield Town 2.

3. 90'+1'

   Substitution

   Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Ejiro Okosieme replaces Rhys Browne.

4. 87'

   Goal!

   Goal! Dover Athletic 2, Macclesfield Town 2. Ross Lafayette (Dover Athletic).

5. 84'

   Substitution

   Substitution, Dover Athletic. Moses Emmanuel replaces Aswad Thomas.

6. 83'

   Substitution

   Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Luke Summerfield replaces Danny Whitaker.

7. 81'

   Substitution

   Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Chris Holroyd replaces James Thorne.

8. 73'

   Goal!

   Goal! Dover Athletic 1, Macclesfield Town 2. Anthony Dudley (Macclesfield Town).

9. 62'

   Booking

   Rhys Browne (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.

10. 58'

    Substitution

    Substitution, Dover Athletic. Loui Fazackerley replaces Tyrone Sterling.

11. 55'

    Substitution

    Substitution, Dover Athletic. Mitchell Pinnock replaces James Hurst.

12. Second Half

    Second Half begins Dover Athletic 1, Macclesfield Town 1.

13. 45'

    Half Time

    First Half ends, Dover Athletic 1, Macclesfield Town 1.

14. 40'

    Goal!

    Goal! Dover Athletic 1, Macclesfield Town 1. Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic) converts the penalty with a.

15. 34'

    Booking

    John McCombe (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.

16. 32'

    Goal!

    Goal! Dover Athletic 0, Macclesfield Town 1. Ollie Norburn (Macclesfield Town).

17. Kick Off

    First Half begins.

18. Posted at 19:27 25 Apr 201719:27 25 Apr 2017

    Post update

    Lineups are announced and players are warming up.