Four goals in 11 first-half minutes earned Dover a comfortable Vanarama National League victory over Torquay at Crabble.

Ricky Modeste, Nicky Deverdics' penalty, Ricky Miller and Stefan Payne put the skids under the Devon side as the Whites regained fourth spot in the table, ahead of Braintree on goal difference.

Chris Kinnear Jnr added the fifth five minutes from time, his first of the season.

Unbeaten in eight matches, and out of the bottom four for the first time for six months, before their trip to Kent, the Devon side saw their 387-minute run since conceding a goal shattered.

The visitors lost defender Durrell Berry inside the opening 15 minutes following a challenge by Payne, but contributed greatly to their own downfall after Modeste broke the deadlock with the 34th-minute opener.

Miller left visiting defender Angus McDonald on the turf, before seeing his shot deflected onto the bar by Nathan Smith, only for Modeste to react quickest and tuck the loose ball home inside the near post.

Dover made it 2-0 five minutes later, Sam Magri was brought down in the box and Nicky Deverdics sent keeper Brendan Moore the wrong way from the spot, the ball kissing a post before going in.

Aman Verma was the guilty man that time, and he was in trouble again within two minutes.

A poor back-pass was a gift for Miller who took one touch before shooting home inside the post for No.3.

Dover added the fourth in the last seconds of the half, with six minutes added on after Berry's injury.

More shoddy defending by Courtney Richards, failed to clear Modeste's low cross, and Payne stuck it away in clinical fashion for his fifth in four games, and his 22nd of the season.

Payne went close to a second after the interval, before being withdrawn, denied by a fine save from Torquay keeper Brendan Moore.

Deverdics and Sean Raggett also went close before Kinnear completed Dover's nap hand five minutes from time with a rasping finish from the edge of the area.

Dover: Walker, Magri, Orlu (Essam 76mins), Parkinson, Raggett, Braham-Barrett, Deverdics, Kinnear, Modeste, Miller (Crawford 61mins), Payne (Murphy 55mins)

Torquay: Moore, Berry (Allen 14mins), MacDonald, Rees, Butler, Smith (Gerring 46mins), Verma, Richards, Ajala, Harrad, Blissett (Young 63mins)

Subs not used: Fisher, Wright

Attendance: 1,367