Dover Athletic 0–2 Maidstone United

Maidstone United: Own Goal (12'), J. Tanga (96')

Maidstone United strengthened their play-off push with a composed 0-2 win over Dover Athletic in a fiercely contested Kent derby.

George Elokobi kept faith with the same starting XI that beat AFC Totton, and his side delivered another disciplined performance to make it back-to-back victories.

The game started at a high tempo, with Dover going close early on. Inside nine minutes, Ruben Soares-Junior met a corner and rattled the crossbar, before George Nikaj also struck the woodwork shortly after, highlighting the early threat from the hosts.

But Maidstone weathered that pressure and struck first on 12 minutes. Riley Court drove to the by-line and cut the ball back for Christie Pattisson, whose effort took a heavy deflection and looped past Mitch Walker for an own goal.

After a lively opening, the match settled, though Maidstone continued to look the more controlled side. Just before half-time, Court nearly doubled the lead, only to be denied by an excellent save from Walker.

The Dover goalkeeper kept his side in the contest throughout the second half, producing a series of strong stops. He denied John Gilbert from close range and reacted quickly again to keep out Jamie Yila on the rebound, while also dealing with further efforts from Court and late substitute Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong.

Despite those saves, Maidstone always looked capable of finding another goal and they did so deep into stoppage time. Gilbert threaded a pass through to Jephte Tanga, who showed composure to finish confidently and seal the win with the final kick of the game.

It was an accomplished display from Maidstone United, who balanced resilience with attacking intent, overcoming early scares to take full control and secure another crucial three points in their bid for a play-off place.