Defender Tyrone Sterling spoke to BBC Radio Kent’s Matt Gerrard after the 1-1 draw at Worthing in our National League South opener on Saturday.
Category: Academy News
VIDEO: MANAGER REACTION
Andy Hessenthaler spoke to BBC Radio Kent’s Matt Gerrard after the 1-1 draw at Worthing in our National League South opener on Saturday.
Jake Robinson gave the hosts a fifth-minute lead before captain Lee Martin equalised eight minutes before half-time.
Ollie Pearce fired wide from the penalty spot for Worthing four minutes into the second half and it needed an excellent save from Harrison Male to deny Tyrone Sterling from scoring a late winner for Dover two minutes from time.
MATCH PREVIEW: WORTHING VS DOVER ATHLETIC
Dover begins life in the National League South with a trip to fellow league newcomers Worthing on Saturday afternoon (3pm).
Our hosts won promotion last season as Champions of the Isthmian Premier Division, finishing 10 points ahead of their nearest challengers, Bishop Stortford.
Andy Hessenthaler won’t be in the dugout for Whites as the manager will be serving the first of his two-game ban following his red card against Weymouth in the final game of last season.
He will be replaced by Academy manager Mike Sandmann (pictured), who has been at training with the team this week.
A LOOK AT OUR OPPONENTS
Worthing has been busy over the summer, bringing in eight players.
The most notable signings are Adam El Abd and Jake Robinson from Whitehawk and Dartford, respectively. Both players were regulars at Brighton & Hove Albion for a number of years, with El Abd hitting 300 games during his 11-year spell at the club.
Dan Bowry has also joined the club from King’s Lynn Town. He brings a lot of National League experience having played 20 times for The Linnets last season.
Also joining the club includes the likes of Kane Willis and Callum Kealy from Dorking Wanderers, Charlie Towning from Eastbourne Borough, Lewis White from Carshalton Athletic, and Nodirbek Bobomurodov from Hungerford Town.
DOVER TEAM NEWS
Goalkeeper Stuart Nelson and defender Will Moses will miss the game through injury while midfielder George Wilkinson is suspended following his red card against Weymouth in the final game of last season.
Millwall loanee Ryan Sandford will replace Nelson in the starting line-up.
DOVER COLOURS
For fans heading to the game wanting to wear the same shirts as the players, we will be wearing our new home kit.
COVERAGE
The game kicks off at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip, BBC Radio Kent will be providing commentary HERE
Please note that there will be no coverage of the game on Twitter @DAFCLiveText
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are available to buy in advance HERE
SATURDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH FIXTURES
Bath City vs Dartford
Chelmsford City vs St Albans City
Cheshunt vs Hampton & Richmond Borough
Dulwich Hamlet vs Braintree Town
Ebbsfleet United vs Chippenham Town
Havant & Waterlooville vs Farnborough
Hungerford Town vs Concord Rangers
Oxford City vs Eastbourne Borough
Taunton Town vs Welling United
Weymouth vs Tonbridge Angels
ALEX GETS THE GREEN-LIGHT
Dover Athletic is delighted to announce that Academy graduate Alex Green has put pen-to-paper on his first professional contract with the club.
The 19-year-old defender made his National League debut as a second-half substitute against Boreham Wood at Crabble last August before a foot injury ruled him out for the season.
Green, the former Academy captain, proved his fitness during pre-season and has now earned his opportunity.
He joins fellow Academy graduates Will Moses, Noah Carney, Harrison Byford, George Nikaj, Luke Baptiste, and George Wilkinson in Andy Hessenthaler’s squad
Congratulations Alex and all the very best for the season.
If you would like to sponsor Alex’s home or away playing shirts for the 2022/23 season then please email enquiries@doverathletic.com for details.
MATCH PREVIEW: DEAL TOWN VS DOVER
Andy Hessenthaler’s squad is on the road for the first time in their pre-season campaign when they make the short trip to the Charles Ground to play hosts Deal Town at 7.45pm on Tuesday.
Whites started the season with a 2-0 win against Gillingham at Crabble on Saturday thanks to goals from debutant Jordan Higgs and Arjanit Krasniqi.
The Hoops have played three games in their pre-season schedule, losing against visiting Charlton Athletic (2-6), before back-to-back wins against a young Gills XI (3-0) and away at Lydd Town (4-3) last Saturday
Admission Details
Adults – £5
Concessions – £3
Under 18s – Free
Gates, as well as the bar, will be open from 6.30pm.
Last Meeting
20th July 2021 – Deal Town 0 – 3 Dover Athletic
Whites’ Upcoming Pre-Season Fixtures
- 12th July: Deal Town vs Dover Athletic
- 16th July: Margate vs Dover Athletic
- 20th July: Dover Athletic vs Brighton & Hove Albion
- 23rd July: Larkfield & New Hythe FC vs Dover Athletic
- 27th July: Ramsgate vs Dover Athletic
- 30th July: Folkestone Invicta vs Dover Athletic
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
We play host to League 2 opposition this Saturday when manager Andy Hessenthaler’s new-look squad starts its pre-season campaign against Gillingham at Crabble.
The game will give fans their first opportunity to see summer signings Jordan Higgs, Alfie Paxman, Luke Wanadio, Reece Grant, Alfie Pavey, Stuart Nelson, Tyrone Sterling, Arjanit Krasniqi, Mitch Brundle, and Lee Martin, in action.
The squad started pre-season training last week.
Gills, managed by Hessenthaler’s good friend Neil Harris, have played two games already.
They won 2-0 at Folkestone Invicta last Saturday before a very young Gills side lost 3-0 at Deal Town on Tuesday night.
The game kicks off at 1pm and admission is as follows:
Adults: £10
Concessions: £5
Under 11s: Free with a paying adult
Season ticket holders: Free
CARNEY EARNS CONTRACT
Dover Athletic is delighted to announce that Academy striker Noah Carney has signed his first professional contract with the club.
The 18-year-old England Schoolboys International made nine National League appearances for manager Andy Hessenthaler’s side last season.
He also scored 15 goals in 10 games for Mike Sandmann’s Academy team.
Carney joins fellow Academy players Harrison Byford, George Nikaj, Luke Baptiste, and George Wilkinson in the senior squad.
Congratulations Noah and all the very best for the upcoming season.
If you would like to sponsor Noah’s home or away playing shirts for the 2022/23 season then please email enquiries@doverathletic.com for details.
ACADEMY DUO SIGN
Dover Athletic are delighted to announce that Academy teenagers George Nikaj and Harrison Byford have signed their first professional contracts with the club.
Right-back Byford, 18, made his debut after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 National League defeat at FC Halifax Town on March 12.
He went on to make a further five appearances.
Forward Nikaj, 19, made his senior debut as a second-half substitute in the 1-1 National League draw with Kings Lynn Town at Crabble on April 2.
He scored his first goal for the club in the 4-1 defeat against Woking at Crabble and made six appearances all up.
Byford and Nikaj join fellow Academy players Noah Carney, Luke Baptiste, and George Wilkinson in the senior squad.
Congratulations Harrison and George!!
MATCH REPORT: DOVER 1-2 WEYMOUTH
By Alex Hoad
The National League chapter of Dover Athletic history came to a close – for at least one year, anyway – with a cruel defeat to Weymouth on the season’s final day.
Despite a barnstorming second-half performance which saw them hit the woodwork on four occasions, Whites were stung by a controversial late winner as the Terras snatched the points with a 2-1 win at Crabble which saw boss Andy Hessenthaler and midfielder George Wilkinson each shown the red card.
Keeper Alexis Andre saved a stoppage-time penalty from Tom Blair – awarded by referee Tom Bishop despite furious appeals for offside – only for Blair to turn in the rebound to break Dover hearts in the 95th minute.
The lively Brandon Goodship had already struck the inside of the Dover post when he stepped-up to fire the visitors ahead from the penalty spot inside 10 minutes after Danny Collinge was adjudged to have fouled Portsmouth loanee Haji Mnoga as he tried to clear the ball.
It was the 100th goal Dover have conceded in the National League this season.
Henry Woods flashed a low cross-shot across the face of goal before Andy Hessenthaler was shown a red card by the referee after his protests about a free-kick awarded against Michael Gyasi for an apparent shirt-pull on half-way on 16 minutes.
Woods saw an effort deflected into the arms of debutant Terras keeper Tommy Scott but despite some encouraging approach play from Gyasi and Arjanit Krasniqi there were no further attempts on goal before the break.
All that changed after the interval as Dover produced what was perhaps their best half of any match in any competition this season.
They flew out of the blocks like a changed side and Krasniqi saw a shot blocked almost immediately by Matt Buse while long-throws from Collinge and a succession of in-swinging corners from George Wilkinson and Krasniqi caused havoc in the Weymouth goalmouth.
Gyasi fizzed the ball across the six-yard box while Collinge saw a 20-yard strike destined for the top corner deflected just past the upright on 53 minutes.
The increasingly influential Gyasi and Luke Baptiste each saw an effort blocked and Collinge fired over from range before Andre Jr was called into rare action at the other end to stop a shot from Goodship just before the hour.
Scott tipped a swerving Krasniqi shot onto the crossbar with Baptiste unable to scramble in the looping rebound while the incessant pressure continued and Scott almost spooned Woods’ shot over his own shoulder and into the net, with Gyasi penalised for his attempts to force the ball over the line.
With 20 minutes remaining Gyasi picked the ball up on the left and drove inside before curling a powerful shot which thudded the base of the far post. He came even closer to a deserved goal four minutes later when sub Jack Nelson (pictured) latched onto a Woods through-ball and played a superb cross across goal where Gyasi recovered and curled a higher shot against the same post from an angle.
The bombardment eventually paid off 15 minutes from time when Jake Goodman flicked on another Collinge long throw and Nelson was lurking at the back post to head home his first Dover goal to spark great scenes in the River End.
Whites could smell blood in the water and Gyasi saw another attempt blocked by Buse and later fired in a low cross which Scott did well to hold at his near post, while with five minutes remaining the imperious Collinge rose highest to meet a Wilkinson corner only to see his header hit the crossbar.
Wilkinson went into the book after appearing to poke the ball away to thwart a Weymouth counter-attack with three minutes of normal time remaining and he was refused treatment and ordered onto his feet by referee Mr Bishop after going down with apparent cramp in the box in the dying seconds.
It was Wilkinson who conceded the crucial penalty deep into the four added minutes, adjudged to have hauled down Blair, despite frenzied appeals from his teammates for an offside in the build-up.
Andre Jr flung himself to his right to deny sub Blair, only for the big forward to tuck home the loose ball to seal Weymouth’s first win in 15 matches, and first on their travels since October, and deny Dover the point they deserved as a bare minimum.
After the final whistle the players and fans joined together in a period of mutual appreciation as the curtain came down on this challenging campaign which nobody associated with the club will ever forget.
Dover: Andre Jr, Moses, Goodman, Ransom, Woods, Collinge, Byford (Nelson 64’), Wilkinson, Baptiste (Nikaj 86’), Krasniqi, Gyasi. Subs not used: Bexon, Wratten, Agbebi.
Scott, Greenwood, McBurnie, Goodship (Bearwish 83’), Mnoga, Robinson, Mampala (Blair 82’), Murray, Buse, Harfield, Carlyle. Subs not used: Mussa, Ash, Bruton.
MATCH PREVIEW: DOVER VS WEYMOUTH
Whites face fellow relegated side Weymouth in our final National League game of the season at Crabble today.
The Terras, who will finish the season one place above Andy Hessenthaler’s side, arrive in Kent on the back of a 2-1 defeat against visiting Barnet last Saturday.
LAST TIME WE MET
The last time the two sides met ended in a 1-1 draw in front of the BT Sport cameras at The Bob Lucas Stadium last September.
Koby Arthur’s stunning long-range effort gave Andy Hessenthaler’s side the lead in the 23rd minute.
The Terras equalised thee minutes before half-time when Josh McQuoid slid the ball past goalkeeper Adam Parkes.
Match Stats
Weymouth: Fitzsimons, Cordner, Goodship, Robinson, McQuoid (Bearwish 77′), Mussa, Ash, Brooks (Morgan 90′), Murray, Harfield, Olomowewe
Subs not used: Thomson, Neild, Bruton
Dover: Parkes, Bramble, Williamson, Gregory (Da Costa 86′), Twumasi, Cosgrave (Miller 77′), Ransom, Woods, Tiensia, Arthur (Wood 81′), Collinge
Subs not used: Bexon, Goodman
Attendance: 1,028
LEADING SCORER
Captain Josh McQuoid is leading the way with seven goals in the National League this season while Bradley Ash and Brandon Goodship are both three behind him.
McQuoid will miss the game due to a shoulder injury.
NATIONAL LEAGUE FORM GUIDE
07/05 Weymouth 1-2 Barnet
02/05 Southend United 1-1 Weymouth
26/04 Weymouth 2-4 Solihull Moors
TEAM NEWS
Defender Myles Judd will miss the game due to the knee injury he sustained in the 2-2 draw at Bromley last Saturday.
Young forward George Nikaj has recovered from illness and is back in the matchday squad as is Marshall Wratten who missed the trip to Bromley due to a family bereavement.
Otherwise it is the same squad that made the trip to Hayes Lane last Saturday.
COVERAGE
The game kicks off at 3pm but if you are unable to make it, BBC Radio Kent will be providing commentary HERE
We will also have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for this game can be purchased at the turnstile only.
Prices are as follows:
Adults – £18
Over 60 – £15
Under 18 – £9
Under 11s free with paying adult
P&O Ferries employees who were recently made redundant, together with their partners and children, can get in for FREE.
All the details can be found HERE
PROGRAMME
You can download your digital matchday magazine for the game HERE
LAP OF APPRECIATION
SUNDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES
Aldershot Town v Wealdstone
Altrincham v Yeovil Town
Barnet v Bromley
Boreham Wood v Solihull Moors
Chesterfield v Woking
Dagenham & Redbridge v Wrexham
Eastleigh v Grimsby Town
Maidenhead United v Notts County
Southend United v Torquay United
Stockport County v FC Halifax Town