Match Report by Fred Deveson

It was a hot day in Essex yesterday as Dover earned themselves a good point against Billericay, drawing 1-1 against the unbeaten side.

The game started with the Whites arguably on the back foot. The wide players for the hosts were incredibly effective and were getting on the ball a lot, and creating plenty. Roman Charles Cook and Fuad Sesay were incredibly busy. 

Mitch Walker was called into action early in the first half and he made an excellent save after the hosts tried a cutback into the penalty area. The Dover number 1 kept the score goalless a couple of times in that first half before the Whites came into their own. 

Dover’s wide men got involved themselves as the game began to sway in the away side’s favour after the Whites rode the early Billericay storm. Nikaj got himself in a good position near the by-line and set up Baptiste, who’s effort was saved well by the goalkeeper. 

Sesay began to get a bit of joy down the left hand side for Dover, with a couple of good balls in being headed out, or headed over. There were some very promising signs creeping into the game for Dover. 

As the half came to a close, Dover had a couple of very good chances. Baptiste got himself into a great position, laying it off for a teammate, but he couldn’t convert from close range. Then, a minute later, Lindell Stewart gets in behind, comes in on his right and fires the shot over the bar. 

The second half began with not as much action compared to the first. Alfie Matthews was substituted on for Dover Athletic in the 56th minute, making his first Whites appearance. 

The half, as it wore on, was quite even. Both sides had a couple of chances to put themselves in the lead, but both teams were lacking a finish to their good play. That was until the 70th minute, when a lovely ball from Wilkinson found Baptiste at the by-line, who cut it back for Nikaj to tap in to an empty net for 0-1. 

However, straight after this opening goal, the hosts began to really step it up and they were putting immense pressure on the Dover defence. This pressure was eventually rewarded as a ball across the box wasn’t dealt with by the away side, and the shot from the wide man found the back of the net for 1-1.

Both sides had their chances late on to find a winner, with Matthews firing a shot goalwards that was blocked by the Billericay defender, otherwise it was heading into the bottom corner. The referee then blew for full time not long after, confirming Dover’s hard earned point away from home. 

Isthmian League – Premier Division
Attendance: 691
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: New Lodge

Billericay Town 1 Ashley Nzala (77′)

Dover Athletic 1 George NIKAJ  (72′)

Billericay: 1 Sam Donkin, 2 Montel McKenzie, 3 Jay Porter, 4 Matt Johnson, 7 Ibrahim Jalloh, 8 Ansu Janneh, 10 Frankie Merrifield, 11 De-Carrey Sheriff, 12 Tommy Davis, 18 Ashley Nzala, 21 Jack Paxman. SUBS: 6 Tom Bender, 9 Moses Emmanuel, 15 Richard Asamoah, 16 Harrison Day, 22 Ben Steward

Dover Athletic: 1 Mitch WALKER, 2 Roman CHARLES-COOK, 3 Fuad SESAY, 5 Joe TENNENT, 6 Luca COCORACCHIO, 7 Luke BAPTISTE, 10 George NIKAJ, 11 Lindell STEWART, 14 Ruben SOARES-JUNIOR, 16 Harrison PONT, 23 George WILKINSON. SUBS: 4 Jeremiah GYEBI, 8 Alfie MATTHEWS, 9 Eniye AMGBADUBA, 15 Tamas AMGBADUBA, 20 Jaiden DRAKES-THOMAS