Dorchester 3 CHATHAM 1

DORCHESTER showed their battling qualities to come from behind to keep their 100 per cent home record intact at the Avenue Stadium last night.

They were anticipating a rugged contest from their Kent opponents and they definitely weren't disappointed on that score.

But what they hadn't expected was to find themselves playing catch-up after spending the first 20 minutes battering away at the visitor's defence.

Then Danny O'Hagan repeated the double he plundered in the Magpies 2-2 draw at Chatham in September and Andy Harris chipped in with a third to finally silence the Chats, who ought to re-name themselves the back-Chats after referee Desmond from Fairford handed them five yellow cards - four of them for dissent.

O'Hagan, a popular choice for the man-of-the-match award, was a constant threat to a Chatham defence. He failed to connect properly inside the first minute when Matt Groves lofty ball in from the right dropped to him six yards out and after Chatham's impressive teenage goalkeeper Kevin Fewtell had superbly pushed away Justin Keeler's spectacular volley and smothered another Keeler drive at his near post, O'Hagan missed again.

Jamie Brown clipped over a cross from the right and the big striker ducked to head the bouncing ball over the bar from right in front of goal. Chatham had hardly threatened at all when a quick ball out of defence in the 20th minute found Danny Jeffrey clear on the right flank.

With the Magpies looking for an offside flag he whipped in an early cross and Chatham top scorer Simon Austin beat a back-pedalling Mike White in the air to head past Mark Ormerod from close range.

The shock reverse galvanised the Magpies into action with Fewtell forced to save well from Keeler and Simon Radcliffe before Harris steamed through to meet Keeler's free-kick and crashed a header against the underside of the crossbar.

When a clearly shaken Matt Holmes departed clutching his side after a hefty challenge from Tommy Binks, Dorchester were beginning to suspect it was going to be one of those nights.

But their persistence paid dividends after 42 minutes. Binks fouled Keeler 30 yards out on the left flank and after referee Desmond had booked the Chatham man for protesting his innocence, Matt Lonnon's free-kick flashed into the far corner via O'Hagan's head.

The Magpies upped the tempo after the interval and O'Hagan should have added another when he crashed a powerful header centimetres wide after meeting a searching cross from Radcliffe six yards out.

He made no mistake after 52 minutes however. Ormerod dived to hold a free-kick from Craig Roser and immediately launched a huge kick downfield where O'Hagan outstripped a lumbering Chatham defence before smashing a low drive past Fewtell.

Then he almost got his hat-trick, seizing a poor clearance from Fewtell and thundering a shot just off target from 20 yards.

Fewtell spectacularly pushed over a stunning volley from Keeler before being left helpless after 72 minutes when the visitors' defence failed to clear a free-kick and Harris pounced on a loose header and smacked the ball home on the half volley with the outside of his left boot. As the Magpies went all out to boost their goal difference, Jamie Brown, Marcus Oldbury and O'Hagan were thwarted by great goalkeeping from the over-worked Fewtell.