Match report by Fred Deveson

A wintery Crabble saw Dover and Bath share the points in a goalless affair which could have been won by either side had they been more clinical.

The starting lineup was somewhat different for the hosts, as new signings Holding and Aziaya made their first starts for the club as The Whites shifted to a back five. George Nikaj also earnt himself a start, whilst Iffy Allen and Dontai Stewart missed out.

The visitors started the game on top, having a good share of the ball and having a shot narrowly miss the target. The back 5 of Dover were solid, and they contained the away side well, limiting them to meaningless possession. Scott Holding, the man on loan from Watford, had a great start to the game. He was incredibly composed and made some good tackles to keep The Romans at bay. His distribution from the back also contributed to his good start, as he made some good accurate long balls. Oyenuga also impressed, winning his duels and fighting hard for his team.

There was a newfound energy about the team and this was evident throughout the match. Each player worked hard for each other and never gave up any fight. Their bravery and team spirit did not go unrewarded, as there were plenty of chances for the hosts to get their noses in front. Zidan Sutherland had a good chance in-on goal but his lob attempt was saved.

Another chance came from a corner shortly after, where Naylor crashed his header against the bar. While heading for goal, Naylor clashed heads with a Bath player and there was a stoppage in play so both could receive treatment. The Dover man returned to the pitch and impressively saw out the rest of the match.

Bath did fight back, however, and they almost opened the scoring mid-way through the first half, if not for Jacob Mensah clearing off the line, after the debutant goalkeeper Aziaya was beaten.

It wasn’t long before Dover were on the attack again though. Wilkinson worked a beautiful pass in behind The Romans’ defence and Zidan Sutherland netted a beautiful finish into the top right corner, only to see it ruled out for offside. Close. The promising signs were there.

There were other chances to counterattack during this spell. George Nikaj had a couple of chances to pick the right ball but on both occasions, he couldn’t quite get it to his man. Zidan had a similar opportunity, but the ball sent Nikaj too wide, and the attack fizzled out. The game was there for the taking, if Dover could be clinical enough to take one of these chances.

The away side weren’t without their opportunities too. A free-kick just outside the box whistled beyond the goal and Dover survived. Later on, they also had a chance around the edge of the box, which just went over the bar.

Luke Baptiste came on and replaced Nikaj on the wing and looked promising. He offered more pace and unpredictability in the wide areas and causes problems. The problems for the visitors continued as Dembele chased a long ball behind the defence and looked certain to get there. He was arguably pulleddown to the ground inside the area, but the hosts’ protests were waved away by the referee.

From then on, the game looked increasingly likely to end goalless, and that is exactly how it finished. Dover had chances to take all 3 points, but a clean sheet at home saw them take just one, in a game where a lot of positives can be taken for Mike Sandmann and Jake Leberl.

Weymouth are Dover’s hosts next time out in the National League South.

Dover Athletic: Aziaya, Oyenuga, Akehurst, Mensah, Holding, Naylor, Dunne, Wilkinson (Young 93mins), Nikaj (Baptiste 61mins), Sutherland, Dembele. Subs not used: Powell, Hatcher, Sesay.

Bath City: Buse, Raynes, Greenslade, Dyer, Parselle, Clark (Thorn 79mins), Hayfield, Cooke, Thomas (Smith 65mins), Wilson, Russe. Subs not used: Batten, Frear, Lines.

Referee: Ayrton Hussey.

Attendance: 506.