Staines ended their season with a battling draw in front of 1,147 people at The Crabble.

The game had lost some of its earlier appeal with their elimination from the play-off race five days earlier.

Dover were guaranteed a play-off spot, but were pushing for a win to try to overtake second-placed Chelmsford.

Steve Cordery was able to recall Darty Brown, and added Michael Kamara, James King, and Marc Charles-Smith to his starting XI, replacing Dean Thomas, the injured Chaaban and Mambo, and the suspended Scarlett.

Sterling was moved into the centre of defence, beside Kamara who deputised at left-back, as Ifura was unavailable through study commitments. King thus started only two Conference games, playing 90 minutes at the grounds of the eventual champions and runners-up, in front of an average crowd of over 1,300.

Dover included former Swan Joe Tabiri, and named only four subs. The afternoon was hot and sunny, and Staines attacked the River end in the first half, on a decent surface.

Referee Ian Crouch yellow carded Brown in only the third minute for dissent, and in fact ended the half by booking team-mate Marquis for the same offence in stoppage time.

There was early danger for the visitors from a Dover corner, before play switched the other way, John Marquis charging down a clearance from keeper Flitney only to see the ball bounce just wide.

The teams continued to trade chances – a Leroy Griffiths free kick just shaving the head of the menacing Marquis, then Moore firing high and wide of Wells’ goal.

Then, great work on the by-line by Charles-Smith, ended with his 21st-minute cross just eluding Marquis’ dart into the box.

Flitney did well to gather a Newton header from another Griffiths cross, and on the half hour Hill flashed a header across the face of Wells’ goal.

Neither side could establish any real dominance, and despite the excellent encouragement from both sets of fans, the game seemed to slow down as the interval approached.

There was still time for skipper Gorden to go close with a rare header from another Griffiths deadball, and for Marquis and Griffiths to combine for Charles-Smith to go close with a header, but the closest either side came to scoring was at the other end in the 42nd minute.

A debatable Dover free kick was taken by Nicky Sullivan to Sammy Moore, who crashed a volley against the underside of the bar, and it bounced down onto the line before being cleared.

Athletic pressed hard and Moore forced a decent save from Wells at the start of a second half in which both sides lost players to early injuries – Newton (knee) and Wallis limping off.

A shot by Birchall bobbled across the face of Staines’ goal, and there was a nasty looking challenge by Leberl on Marquis, which went without a booking as Mr Crouch then had to sort out a face-off between Brown and Rogers.

As Dover returned to the attack, Birchall picked out Southall, whose great ball across the box somehow eluded the arriving white shirts, and faded just past the post.

At the other end, Leberl conceded possession to Marquis, who advanced and forced a good save from Flitney, who also recovered to beat away Charles-Smith’s follow-up.

Griffiths had another drive saved near the post, before a big cheer went up among the home fans as news filtered through that Chelmsford had turned a 2-1 interval lead into a 4-2 deficit.

Schulz headed just wide following a long Walder free-kick, and Marquis did the same at the other end from a super Griffiths cross. Each side made a talismanic sub in the final minutes – player-manager Andy Hessenthaler coming on for the home side, and last year’s Play-off hero Scott Taylor for Swans.

And Taylor almost completed another season with a goal, when Charles-Smith intercepted a Cloke clearance and picked out Taylor, who curled his shot round the keeper but saw it come back to him off the foot of the post, before firing over from the rebound.

Even deeper into stoppage time, Staines lost the ball to Welford, whose cross was powerfully headed over by Southall, who would later get the NLP’s man-of-the-match nomination; the equivalent from home sponsors RK Graphics going to ‘keeper Flitney. Dover’s point was enough to give them in 2nd, and a play-off with Staines’ neighbours Woking.

Staines: Wells, Jackson, Sterling, Gordon ©, Kamara, King, Newton (Thomas 50), D Brown, Charles-Smith, Marquis (Taylor 88), Griffiths; unused Chaaban, Risbridger, Phillips (g).

Dover: Flitney, Walder, Hill, Cloke, Schulz, Tabiri, Southall ©, Wallis (Welford 58), Birchall (Hessenthaler 87), Moore (Leberl 47), Rogers; unused Whitehouse.

Ref: Ian J Crouch (St Paul’s Cray); ARs Ronald C Albert (Catford), Anthony J Rawlings (Orpington); Att 1,147.