A brave career-best 146 by Neil Dexter against his former club could not prevent Kent from forcing Middlesex to follow on at Uxbridge and move closer to the victory which would virtually confirm their promotion back into Division One of the LV County Championship.

By the close of day three, Dexter was batting at the crease again as Middlesex, dismissed for 356 in reply to Kent's massive 652 for seven declared, struggled to 89 for three.

Dexter, on 39 not out at stumps as he and Dawid Malan fashioned at least some sort of recovery from the depths of 33 for three, was earlier last out after leading the Middlesex first-innings resistance.

On 27 at the start of the day, when Middlesex resumed on 109 for four, Dexter soon lost John Simpson, who pulled straight to long-leg, but he was then joined in a sixth-wicket stand of 119 in 27 overs by Gareth Berg.

It was not until 20 minutes after lunch, which Middlesex took at 240 for five, that Kent made the vital breakthrough. Berg attempted to sweep Rob Ferley, the left-arm spinner, and as the bowler was appealing for lbw the ball spun back on to his leg stump and disturbed the bails.

Berg had made 67, with 10 fours, and had reached his half-century from just 51 balls as both he and Dexter took the attack back to Kent. But, after Shaun Udal had steered to backward point in the second over of the second new ball, only Tim Murtagh stayed for long as Dexter fought on.

The pitch, though taking some turn and seeing the occasional ball keep low, was essentially still the same sluggish surface on which Kent had built their huge score. Dexter flourished, as Darren Stevens and Justin Kemp had done on the first two days, by playing each ball on its merit and punishing the bad ball clinically.

His 146 included two sixes and 14 fours, with both sixes driven over long-on against James Tredwell and the second taking Middlesex to a fourth batting bonus point. He was finally dismissed when he lifted a drive to short extra cover, after facing 270 balls in just under five hours.

But it was not long before Dexter was called upon again, after Azhar Mahmood trapped Adam London lbw for nought with the fourth ball of Middlesex's second innings and Simon Cook produced an excellent spell of 9-1-28-2.

Cook, exploiting some variable bounce with his accurate fast-medium, hit the off stumps of both Nick Compton and Dan Housego with perfectly-pitched leg-cutters. Kent smelt blood, but Dexter and Malan dug in stubbornly to add an unbroken 56 by the close.

Kent will expect to wrap up their eighth Championship victory of the season on the final day and stretch their lead at the top of the second division, but Dexter's heroics have at least lifted Middlesex morale as they seek to avoid picking up the Championship wooden spoon for what would be the first time in their history.