*BS*The third month of the 2015/16 season was a very successful month for the Whites. A potentially tough run of fixtures included Wrexham, Macclesfield, two long away trips to Torquay and Gateshead, along with a 4th Qualifying Round FA Cup tie with Eastbourne and an away fixture at ex-League Two side, Tranmere Rovers. The Whites ended October having won 6 out of 7 of these fixtures, scoring 13 goals and moving up to third place in the League table, 2 points off the top spot.*BF*
*BS**IS*Gateshead 2-3 Dover Athletic*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
The Whites kicked off October with a rollercoaster ride away to Gateshead. Jack Parkinson came back into the side, following an injury to Liam Bellamy. Despite the team’s flight being delayed at both airports and the time to prepare and warm-up reduced, the Whites came flying out of the traps and were ahead early on, thanks to top scorer Stefan Payne curling a free-kick around the wall and into the top corner. This was Payne’s third goal in two games, having scored a brace against Woking in September’s final league fixture.
However, the hosts were themselves doing well in the table and with ten minutes of the first half left, Dover found themselves 2-1 down, following some lengthy periods of pressure from the Tynesiders.
It was time for the Whites to show why they have only been defeated twice so far this season, and Chris Kinnear’s half-time team talk needed to galvanise the Whites. Dover came out a seemingly different side; with midfielder Nicky Deverdics’ teasing cross eluding the entire Gateshead defence and Dover forwards. In the 62nd minute, Aswad Thomas took advantage of a loose ball in the box following a Deverdics free kick to prod home his first goal for the club.
While many sides might have settled for a 2-2 draw away to Gateshead, Kinnear’s men would go on to score another to complete the comeback. Unmarked in the penalty area, Parkinson rose to meet another Deverdics ball in to make the score 3-2. The travelling away fans were in jubilation when referee Simon Bennett sounded the full-time whistle, as this result meant Dover were now placed in 5th, following three straight league victories.
*BS**IS*Torquay United 2-3 Dover Athletic*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
Following the previous Saturday’s fantastic win on Tyneside, three days later The Boys in White were on the move again, this time visiting Torquay United. The rain had come down in Torquay for almost 24 consecutive hours before the match, setting up a fast-paced Tuesday night fixture. Dover went ahead following yet another Payne goal, after converting a brilliant cross from full-back Aswad Thomas. Despite a good performance from the Whites, the Gulls managed to peg Dover back, five minutes before the break.
The first big chance of the 2nd half fell to Torquay, with a goalmouth scramble being cleared to safety, following a brilliant fingertip save from Mitch Walker. However, Dover went ahead for the second time in the game, as Parkinson headed home his second goal in two matches from a corner kick.
It looked as if the match was destined to be a draw, as Torquay had capitalised on some late pressure to equalise, much to the joy of the home supporters. Following three of the four allotted additional minutes, Dover had one last chance to grab a winner when the ball was collected by Stefan Payne on the right side of the Torquay box. Payne made a driving run to the edge of the area and fired home an almost unstoppable shot, which the Torquay goalkeeper was unable to palm away, to send Dover fans into delirium. There was hardly enough time left to kick off before the final whistle, and the win for Dover moved the Whites up a place into 4th. The Whites have climbed 10 places, following four consecutive victories, reaching their highest position in the football pyramid for 15 years.
*IS*DAFC News*IF*: Dover’s fullback Sam Magri played international football for Malta on Friday 9th October 2015. Magri completed the full 90 minutes in his debut for Malta’s Under 21 side, playing against a Belgium side in a UEFA U-21 Championship qualifier.
*BS**IS*Dover Athletic 2-1 Wrexham*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
Dover Athletic recorded their fifth win in five games with a 2-1 victory over Welsh side Wrexham. This was the Whites’ first home game at Crabble following two long away trips and Miller almost opened the scoring, forcing Belford to be on his guard to keep the skilled striker out. On the 20 minute mark, Jack Parkinson rose highest from a corner to header the ball towards goal, however the effort smashed against the Wrexham cross bar. Parkinson was involved near the goal mouth, but down the other end of the pitch, successfully clearing a Wrexham shot off the goal line.
The Whites took a deserved lead in the 31st minute through talisman Ricky Miller, who got the last touch off of a Nicky Deverdics free kick, to hit home for his fifth goal in this season’s campaign.
However, the sides were to go into the half time break level, following an unfortunate trip by Whites’ captain Grimes on Wrexham’s Jennings, who stepped up to slot the ball into the left hand corner of the goal.
Dover came close to re-taking the lead, with both Payne and Miller seeing promising chances go amiss before the break. Chris Kinnear’s men came out of the tunnel in rampant mood, with Aswad Thomas testing the Wrexham ‘keeper at the near post, following a header. Six minutes into the second half, the Whites found themselves back in front, following intense pressure put on the Wrexham defence. Richard Orlu laid in a perfect cross ball for winger Ajala to steer his shot into the top corner.
Minutes later, Dover goalkeeper Walker made a fantastic save to keep the Whites ahead; somehow keeping Quigley’s shot out. A hallmark of Chris Kinnear sides is the ability of the defence to hold firm under pressure and this was proved to be the case, as the game ended 2-1 to Dover. The team remain unbeaten at home in the League this season and move up to 3rd position, 5 points off leaders Forest Green Rovers.
*IS*DAFC News*IF*: Dover Athletic are drawn away to Eastbourne Borough FC for the 2nd year in a row for the 4th Qualifying Round for the 2015/16 Emirates FA Cup.
*BS**IS*Braintree Town 1-0 Dover Athletic*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
Dover remain third in the Vanarama National League, despite succumbing to their first loss in seven games, ending their five game winning streak.
A rare defensive error on the stroke of half time saw the hosts take the lead, after Parkinson crashed a header onto the Braintree cross bar and the Whites had a seemingly strong penalty shout waved away. It was a frustrating night for the league’s in-form side, and the match ended 1-0 to Braintree after Dover failed to score for the first time in six matches.
*BS**IS*Dover Athletic 2-1 Macclesfield Town*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
The Whites bounced back to winning ways, following a hard-fought victory over another ex-Football League side, Macclesfield Town. The away side came into the game at Crabble unbeaten in five, which included four wins.
The opening minutes were action packed, seeing two goals in the space of two minutes, shared equally between the sides. Macclesfield took the lead in the 4th minute, following Macclesfield’s Whitehead tapping home a rebound from short distance. The away side’s celebrations were short lived, as club top-scorer Stefan Payne slotted his shot through the legs of the opposition goalkeeper, following a pin point pass from Ricky Miller. Dover were on the up and forced the Macclesfield goalkeeper into a string of good saves, courtesy of Thomas and Payne.
A quick counter-attack in the second half almost unlocked the Dover defence for the second time in the match, but Mitch Walker was there to make yet another stunning save to keep the Whites in the game. It would take a Deverdics penalty in the 56th minute to break the deadlock, following a fantastic turn of pace from Ricky Miller, who was subsequently fouled in the penalty area.
Mitch Walker was again at the Whites’ rescue as he performed three heroic saves to keep the Silkmen at bay. The Whites held on and remained in third place ahead of the FA Cup weekend, now only two points off top spot, following a Forest Green Rovers loss to Tranmere Rovers.
*BS**IS*Eastbourne Borough 1-2 Dover Athletic*IF**BF* – Emirates FA Cup
It was a return to FA Cup action for the Whites, following last season’s cup run to the Third Round Proper, which saw the Whites test themselves against Premier League opposition in the form of Crystal Palace. It was a repeat fixture of last year’s Fourth Qualifying Round fixture, with an away trip to Eastbourne Borough FC. The Whites had run away 5-0 winners over Eastbourne in pre-season but this affair was to be entirely different, with both sides wanting to bag the £12,500 prize money and a chance to be in the draw for the First Round Proper.
It was the perfect start for Dover, taking a third minute lead through Stefan Payne. Parkinson deflected a cross from the right hand side, forcing the Eastbourne goalkeeper into a save. Payne intelligently followed up the rebound with a smart back heel into the net. The Whites played well in the first half, keeping Eastbourne at bay despite attacking intent from the home side. The Whites went into half time with a deserved lead.
The second half showed a resilient home side and they were rewarded a goal in the 77th minute, following a dangerous attack. There was nothing Mitch Walker could do to keep out the curling shot, which looked to have taken a deflection off a Dover player, not that the Eastbourne substitute McCallum would have minded.
It looked like things would end up all square, similar to last season’s encounter, however Sean Raggett clearly had other intentions. Raggett met an in-swinging corner to cruelly deny Eastbourne a replay at Crabble. The Whites players and fans alike were in jubilation, having secured Dover’s passage into the First Round for three consecutive seasons, something Whites fans had not seen before in the Club’s history.
*IS*DAFC News*IF*: Following the Whites’ victory over Eastbourne Borough in this year’s Emirates FA Cup, Dover were drawn against Evo-Stik Northern Premier side Stourbridge in the First Round Proper. The home fixture is due to be played on Saturday 7th November (Kick-off 15:00 pm).
*BS**IS*Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Dover Athletic*IF**BF* – Vanarama National League
Dover Athletic went into the game at Prenton Park full of confidence, looking to secure third place with a win over Tranmere. A large following of DAFC fans came to see their cub compete against a team that before this season had been a professional League club for 94 years. The large 16,500 seater stadium didn’t play on the minds of the Dover players, who looked more than comfortable in their surroundings for the entire match.
Dover were the team who threatened first; Stefan Payne hitting his effort wide of the goal, following a pass from Ricky Miller in the eighth minute of the game. The pair have been linking up well in recent weeks and a Payne’s pass to Miller saw Dover have a strong penalty shout turned down, the latter having seemingly being hauled down by a Tranmere defender.
Mitch Walker’s goal was only really threatened once in the first half, however Sean Raggett saw that the Tranmere effort was cleared off the line and into safety.
Dover’s hard work and determination paid off close to the half-time break, when Ricky Miller picked the ball up from the right hand side of the penalty box and fired a curling effort into the top corner of the goal to send the management, players and fans alike into jubilation.
A Tranmere side boasting Premier League and Football League experienced players came out in the second half looking to silence the away fans, who had not stopped singing all game. The home side did come close a few times, however the score line remained at 1-0. Dover had plenty of chances themselves to seal the three points. Ricky Miller was through on goal, only to be hauled down by Tranmere’s McNulty, resulting in a yellow card for the defender. Tranmere’s best effort in the second half was a shot fired just out of reach of diving Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker, but the ball cannoned off the post and out of play. Ricky Modeste and Ricky Miller looked to take advantage of a goalkeeping error and the Tranmere goalkeeper Turner was lucky not to be tackled eight yards from his goal line.
Then some very neat interplay between Deverdics, Ajala and Parkinson on the edge of the Tranmere area saw the Whites almost score a second, but a good save from Turner denied Deverdics.
The final whistle sounded to the delight of the team and fans, having secured a deserved and historic win. The month of October was possibly one of the best months for the Club in recent years, in terms of results and teams played. Having tallied 15 points from a possible 18 and setting up a 1st Round FA Cup fixture versus Stourbridge FC with a win over Eastbourne Borough FC, the Whites go into November full of confidence and excitement of what can be achieved.
*BS**IS*November 2015 Fixtures*IF**BF*:
Stourbridge FC (H) – FA Cup 1st Round Proper- Saturday 7th November 2015 (15:00 pm Kick-off)
Eastleigh FC (H) – Tuesday 10th November 2015 (19:45 pm Kick-off)
Forest Green Rovers (A) – Saturday 14th November 2015 (15:00 pm Kick-off)
Barrow AFC (H) – Saturday 21st November 2015 (15:00 pm Kick-off)
Chester FC (A) – Tuesday 24th November 2015 (19:45 pm Kick-off)
FC Halifax Town (A) – Saturday 28th November 2015 (15:00 pm Kick-off)