Dover Athletic secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Hendon at Silver Jubilee Park, bouncing back strongly after consecutive defeats. The visitors dominated proceedings from the outset, with Ruben Soares-Junior leading by example. The Dover captain opened the scoring in the 18th minute, rising highest to head home from a corner. Just over ten minutes later, Soares-Junior doubled the lead with a superb strike from the edge of the box, leaving the Hendon goalkeeper with no chance. Dover maintained control for the remainder of the first half, pushing for a third before the break.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Dover dictating play and creating chances. Their pressure paid off in the 65th minute when George Nikaj burst down the wing, beat his defender, and fired a low shot past the keeper at the near post to make it 3-0. Soares-Junior continued to press for a hat trick, while the rest of the Dover team displayed solid organisation to stifle any attempts by Hendon to gain a foothold in the game.

Hendon struggled to cope with Dover’s intensity, and frustrations boiled over with bookings for former Dover player Kurtis Cumberbatch and Lewis Smith. Despite a flurry of substitutions, the home side rarely threatened Jordan Gillmore in the Dover goal. The Whites, meanwhile, stayed disciplined and professional, comfortably seeing out the match to secure all three points.

This victory keeps Dover top of the league as they prepare to host Lewes next Saturday.

Isthmian League – Premier Division

Attendance: 324

Kick-off: 3pm

Referee: Jake Hillier

Venue: Silver Jubilee Park

Hendon:

1 Luke Campbell, 2 Lesley Duru, 3 Michael O’Donoghue, 4 Ronny Mfinda, 5 Ethan Light, 6 George Abbott, 7 Lewis Smith, 8 Kurtis Cumberbatch, 9 Luke Cook, 10 Niko Muir, 11 Aderi Dede SUBS: 12 Youel Emmanuel, 14 Ibrahim Meite, 15 Lonit Talla, 16 Stefan Ilic, 17 Dave Diedhiou

Dover Athletic:

27 Jordan Gillmore, 2 Roman Charles-Cook, 3 Fuad Sesay, 6 Luca Cocoracchio, 7 Luke Baptiste, 8 Alfie Matthews, 10 George Nikaj, 14 Ruben Soares-Junior, 24 Francis Mampolo, 25 Charlie Naylor, 26 Jacob Mensah SUBS: 4 Jeremiah Gyebi, 5 Joe Tennent, 9 Eniye Amgbaduba, 15 Tamas Amgbaduba, 23 George Wilkinson