Match report by Fred Deveson.

A chilly afternoon in the South West saw the hosts Torquay United pick up their first win in 2024, after a long-range cracker from Brett McGavin sealed Dover’s fate.

There was action before the game had kicked-off at Plainmoor, as sadly Bailey Akehurst picked up a nasty knee injury in the warm-up. The left-back was stretchered off to the applause of all fans. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Peter Ojemen; his first game this year.

After a thoughtful minute silence, the game kicked off and it was high intensity from the start. The Gulls were full of energy and had the crowd right behind them, but it was the visitors who had the edge. Two corners came in from Dover in quick succession, but nothing came from them. 

The Dover pressure continued, and Oyenuga was making good progress until a nasty challenge left him in a heap on the floor.The resulting free-kick came to nothing. 

Torquay had a chance to build their own pressure following this flurry from Dover. The hosts had a penalty shout waved away by the referee, much to the anger of the home faithful. 

Dover came forward again after this, and it was Wilkinson who created the chance with a fantastic flick to George Nikaj, who was in on goal, but a brilliant tackle by the Torquay defender stopped the Dover number 10 getting a shot on goal.

Da Silva for the hosts was beginning to make life hard for Ojemen on the right hand side, and it wasn’t long before Torquay had the ball in the Dover penalty area. Another penalty shout was dismissed by the referee, angering the Yellow Army even more. 

The pressure from the home side continued, however, and Jinadu was called into action when a spin and shot had to be saved down to his left. 

Not long later, there was a succession of corners by the hosts, who crowded the Dover goalkeeper in the hope of forcing a mistake. The Whites dealt with it well, however, and the half time whistle came shortly after.

Torquay started the second half with plenty of energy and intensity, but it was Dover who had the best chance early on. A great ball into the box was just missed by Naylor, who couldn’t quite his head on it, much to the relief of Torquay. 

Torquay then began their onslaught of chances. Some intricate passing in the Dover box lead to a good chance for the Torquay number three, who hit his effort straight at Jinadu.

The goal came soon after, however, and what a goal it was. McGavin picked the ball up just outside the area and he had the time and space to unleash a strike which buried itself in the left corner of Jinadu’s goal. The hosts took a deserved lead.

The Dover boss tried to change things up after the goal, with Oladipo coming off the bench. Roman Charles-Cook later switched to left back, with Allen and Sutherland coming on to try and attack the wings more. Peter Ojemen was brought off to allow these attacking changes.

In the final few minutes, Dover did not go out without a fight. Nikaj received the ball and worked his way towards the penalty area, winning a corner. Following the corner, Allen picked the ball up on the right and entered the box. The winger looked to be brought down, but the shout was waved away once again by the referee, much to the anger of the 13 travelling Dover fans.

Torquay then implemented their time wasting strategies keepingthe ball in the corner, and eventually holding out for their first win of 2024. 

It was another disappointing afternoon for Dover Athletic, who are winless so far this year. 

Torquay United: 1. Mark Halstead, 3. Dan Martin, 6. Ross Marshall, 8. Asa Hall (4. Tom Lapslie,  67′), 11. Brad Ash (10. Lewis Collins, 75′), 14. Brett McGavin, 17. Dillon De Silva, 18. Will Jenkins Davies, 21. Dean Moxey (c), 23. Ollie Tomlinson, 30. Ethon Archer.

SUBS NOT USED: 22. Rhys Lovett, 26. Archie Harris, 32. Osman Foyo.

DOVER ATHLETIC: 1. Daniel Jinadu, 3. Roman Charles-Cook, 4. Peter Ojemen (11. Ifeanyi Allen, 66′), 6. James Dunne (c) (9. Zidan Sutherland, 83′), 10. George Nikaj, 14. George Wilkinson, 15. Charlie Naylor, 16. Jacob Mensah, 20. Nick Dembele (7. Denstiny Oladipo,62′), 25. John Oyenuga, 26. Scott Holding.

SUBS NOT USED:  8. Freddie Oliver, 22. Luke Baptiste.

Attendance:  1,889 (13 away)

Match report by Fred Deveson. Photo by Debbie Gould

An icy afternoon in the South West saw the Whites take a point back home with them, as Taunton fail to win for a 6^thgame in a row.

The lineup was slightly different for the game in Somerset, with new goalkeeper Jinadu getting his first start for the club, and Zidan Sutherland dropping to the bench, with Iffy Allen replacing him on the left. 

The game started positively for Dover Athletic, with Wilkinson dancing in and around the Taunton penalty area with quick feet. Whilst it came to nothing, it was a promising start, with the Whites having lots of the ball. 

This was until Taunton did manage to get forward and with their first attempt on goal, they hit the bottom corner and went 1-0 up, until the linesman flagged for offside. However, after a conversation with the referee in the middle, the goal was given and Taunton had the lead on 4 minutes. 

This inevitably got the home crowd up, and they were in full voice for some time after the first goal, taking a particular dislike to Dover defender Scott Holding, after some scrapping in the box saw the Dover man holding his head on the floor. 

The Whites did not let this get to their head however, and continued to push for a goal which would see them back on level terms. Nick Dembele had a shot which was blocked and headed out for a corner, and then shortly after our number 20 had another shot saved which then came to George Wilkinson, who couldn’t convert, after some good work to win it back in the first place. 

Another chance came for Dover, this time for Nikaj, who stole it on the right but placed his effort into the stands behind the goal. Akehurst also picked the ball up in a good position and fired a ball across the box but no one was there to meet it for Dover, who were left frustrated.

Taunton Town regained some possession after this promising spell from Dover, and they worked the ball into the box, where they drew a penalty from new goalkeeper Jinadu, who brought down their attacker near the edge of the box. Ross Stearn stepped up, but was denied by the new number one, who got down well to his left.

Dover started the second half brightly. A ball across the box was saved by goalkeeper Slavercombe, who got down quickly to stop it reaching a Dover forward. Another chance followed, with Wilkinson putting his effort just wide of the post after a good lay off. The signs were positive.

Not long later, Dover won a free kick from a wide position and hopes were high of a good delivery from Akehurst. The left back then swung in an absolute peach of a ball, and it was Nikaj who got his head to it and nodded home for the Whites, much to the delight of the travelling fans. 1-1, game on. 

Slightly nervy times followed, as the hosts launched a long throw into the box which was missed by Jinadu. Taunton looked certain to score, but Mensah was there on the line to stop the hosts from going 2-1 up.

Our goalkeeper was called into action again soon after, making a fantastic save after Taunton were in on goal. He then got down to his left to stop the ball heading in the bottom corner after a corner from the hosts found a Taunton head. 

Substitutions were made by the Dover boss as he looked to swing the game back in Dover’s favour. New striker Destiny Oladipo replaced Nick Dembele and he started very brightly, winning long balls and getting out of tight spaces using his physical presence. 

Zidan Sutherland also replaced Iffy Allen on the left for the last 15 minutes, and worked hard but saw little of the ball on the left in the closing minutes. 

The game then petered out, with neither side wanting to full commit to winning the game, for fear of losing it, so a draw is how it ended, and Dover take a point back to the South East.

Match Report by Fred Deveson

An icy afternoon saw the hosts Dover Athletic fall short to the Cornwall outlet Truro, who made it 6 wins in 7 following this win.

There were a couple of changes to the starting lineup; Henry Young started the game in midfield and Roman Charles Cookearned a start at right wing back, with Oyenuga moving to centreback alongside Naylor and Holding. George Wilkinson dropped to the bench.

The weather might’ve been icy, but Dover made a fiery start to the game. Zidan Sutherland started the game on the right andhad a good opening few minutes. He ran at the Truro backline and caused all sorts of problems, one leading to an early corner which came to nothing. 

Dover kept good possession of the ball early on and made some good inrodes. George Nikaj’s tight control of the ball made life hard for the Truro players and was almost rewarded but for a good save by the visiting goalkeeper down to his right. The signs were positive.

Defensively Dover started solidly, with Scott Holding tidying up at the back and Oyenuga putting in a few good challenges. The away side had very little to go off in the opening exchanges and found it tough. 

The best chance of the game came in the first half for the Whites. Zidan Sutherland was put through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, but he put too much on it and lifted the ball over the keeper but also over the bar. 

That was not all, as Akehurst put in a lovely low cross which fizzed across the six-yard box, but nobody was there to meet it. 

The Cornish side came back towards the end of the first half, with a long-range effort hitting the side netting, much to the relief of Aziaya in the Dover goal. 

The second half began and the visitors were on top from the restart. Goalkeeper Aziaya was called into action early on, making a good stop down to his right, but the signs were there that Dover were vulnerable. 

The opening goal came a short while later and it was on the cards. A simple corner floated into the box caused confusion and the visitors got a head to it making it 0-1. There was a bit of controversy around the goal, with Aziaya claiming he had been fouled, but nevertheless the goal was given and Dover were behind.

The second goal followed not long later, and it was a poor goal to concede. A long ball found the Truro number 5 who ranunmarked from centre back all the way through Dover’s backline, and he found the back of the net with a cool finish into the bottom corner. 

The game looked to be sealed. Dover introduced Hatcher, Wilkinson and Allen shortly after going 2 down, but the energy wasn’t there from the team. The visitors were rock solid at the back and let minimal through.

There was a glimmer of hope for the hosts, who in the last 5 minutes had a golden chance to half the deficit. The ball deflected it’s way to Allen who was about 6 yards out, but could not convert due to some heroic goalkeeping. 

The game then petered out, with Truro taking all 3 points back to Cornwall, and making it 4 consecutive away wins at Dover’s expense. 

Taunton Town await Dover in the next fixture on the 13^thJanuary.

Dover Athletic: Aziaya, Oyenuga, Akehurst, Charles-Cook, Holding, Naylor, Dunne (Allen 75mins), Young (Wilkinson 68mins), Nikaj, Sutherland (Hatcher 68mins), Dembele. Subs not used: Oliver, Baptiste.

Truro City: Hamon, Melhado, Riley-Lowe, Adelsbury, Palmer, Harrison, Dean, Brett, Porter (Rooney 75mins), Neal (Sullivan 78mins), Harvey. Subs not used: Jones, Buse, Sanders.

Referee: Charles Martland.

Attendance: 598.

A goal at the death denies Dover a point.

Wet and windy conditions at Parkside provided a classic game of two halves with Dover dominating the first and Aveley making the better of the second.

There were late changes to the Dover line up as captain James Dunne pulled up in the warm up and was replaced by Henry Young, with Johnny Oyenuga taking the armband.

Dover created chances in the early stages with a flurry of corners, the first saw Bailey Akehurst’s inswinging corner hit the inside of the far post and one in which defender Jacob Mensah found himself with a ripped shirt inside the penalty area, no foul given.

The next corner was cleared but quickly came back with Zidan Sutherland knocking a through ball on to Nick Dembele who calmly slotted past the keeper and against his former club.

Moments later a great ball by George Nikaj finds Sutherland but his shot is well saved by Jonathan North for a corner.

It was a strong first half from Dover and we deserved the lead and probably should have scored more during our dominant spell. The players had worked hard and had won nearly every battle.

Two minutes into the second half Odelusi was caught in the box by George Nikaj following a corner and soon fired low past David Aziaya from the spot.

It was one way traffic for the rest of the second half as Dover struggled to get out of their own half and soaked up the Aveley onslaught, defending well at times.

The referee signalled for 5 additional minutes at the end of the 90 and after 7 minutes of play Iffy Allen gave a foul away on the right hand side of the pitch. Aveley got their rewards when Ogunrinde finished with a strong header.

A bitter pill to swallow for the Whites who lost a vital point right at the end. We welcome Truro City to Crabble in our next league fixture on Saturday 6 January.

Aveley: North, Ring, Vaz, Odelusi, Jones, Gibbs, Kyei (Ogurinde 86mins), Kelly, Hughes, Krasniqi, Pegrum (Hernandez 68mins). Subs not used: Cochrane, Eze, Brown.

Dover: Aziaya, Oyenuga, Akehurst, Mensah, Holding, Naylor, Young, Wilkinson (Charles-Cook 65mins), Nikaj, Sutherland (Allen 76mins), Dembele (Baptiste 82mins). Subs not used: Hatcher, Powell.

Referee: Adrian George.

Attendance: 568.

Match report by Fred Deveson.

The Christmas spirit was most definitely present at Crabble, as a large crowd watched Dover secure their first win at home in the league this season against a strong Aveley.

The away team started the game on top, having lots of the ball and pressing Dover hard early on in proceedings. The visitors were helped by their incredible away support, who were loud right from the start. They dominated possession, but the hosts were working equally as hard and kept the team from Lakeside at bay with relative ease.

George Nikaj started another game for Dover and made it clear to the crowd why he should be in the starting eleven. He was positive from the start, providing a great outlet for a counter-attack. He had all the flicks and tricks to beat his fullback on numerous occasions, creating chances for himself and teammates.

From minute one, the Dovorian defence was rock solid, and this came from the goalkeeper Aziaya. He was solid in the first half, making a couple of good saves and punching clear from a corner. This was all he really had to do due to the solid back five he had in front of him, who were giving Aveley no space to create anything.

This was until the visitors utilised a lofted ball into the box, which caused chaos amongst the home side’s defence. Aziaya came and failed to claim the ball, and this left Aveley with a seemingly open goal after the ball broke for them around the penalty spot. It would have been 0-1 had it not been for some goal line heroics.

The second half began much like the first, but this time the hosts were on top. Nikaj was involved once again, and he created an opening for himself with some more skills, but it came to nothing. Another chance came for Dover shortly after, which was saved by the Aveley goalkeeper, but there were plenty of signs that The Whites could take all three points.

However, it was the visitors that took the lead. A good sequence of passes opened up the Dover defence and a low cross was converted by Garrett Kelly. The visitors were in front and it was arguably against the run of play.

The hosts made a couple of key substitutions, and it did not take Dover long to reply. A free-kick was won on the left-hand side just outside the box, which George Wilkinson took. It was a low ball right across the face of goal, which was put away by Zidan Sutherland. 1-1, game on.

From then, there only looked to be one winner. The hosts piled on the pressure after the equaliser and Aveley began to look nervous at the back. Dover were putting together some good passes and creating good spaces. Their pressure paid off in the 80th minute, as the ball came to substitute Iffy Allen on the left. He worked himself time and space just outside the box on the left and he bent in a beautiful curling effort which floated past the visiting goalkeeper, who could only watch as the ball sank into the right corner of his goal.

This sent the home fans into delirium. All Dover had to do now was hold on to this crucial lead for another 15 minutes, and the points were theirs. Groans echoed around Crabble at the sight of 5 added minutes, and the players felt the nerves too. Aziayacame out to claim a corner but missed, leaving an open goal, but the away side didn’t convert.

Another corner came in, and the tall number 5 of Aveley headed the ball off the crossbar, and Dover cleared. The referee blew the full-time whistle and the whole ground could breathe once again. Dover had done it. They had beaten play-off chasing Aveley and secured 3 vital points at the bottom, making it 3 unbeaten now for The Whites as they chase survival.

Aveley are Dover’s hosts on Saturday, can they do the double?

Attendance: 726

Dover Athletic: AZIAYA, OYENUGA, AKEHURST, MENSAH, HOLDING, NAYLOR, DUNNE (C), WILKINSON, NIKAJ, SUTHERLAND, DEMBELE

SUBS – YOUNG, CHARLES-COOK, BAPTISTE, HATCHER, ALLEN

Aveley: NORTH, RING, VAZ, ODELUSI, JONES, GIBBS, KYEI, KELLY, HUGHES, KRASNIQI, PEGRUM

SUBS – OGUNRINDE, HERNANDEZ, DAVIS, EZE, BROWN