Weston take the points as Whites falter at home again. – By Fred Deveson
It was a bitterly cold afternoon in Dover as The Whites hosted Weston-Super-Mare in the National League South but the home side fell short, losing 0-1 to the Somerset based team.
The lineup saw George Wilkinson replaced by captain James Dunne, who looked to bring more experience in the middle of the park, while Sinn’Kaye Christie missed out at the back due to an injury picked up in the warm up. He was replaced by Charlie Naylor at the heart of the defence.
From minute one, it was clear that the visitors were intent on dominating possession and tiring out the home team, both physically and mentally. The away side combined some good passes together and looked to open up the back line of the hosts and were nearly successful on a couple of occasions early on in the first half if not for Naylor and Akehurst being solid at the back.
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Dover did threaten with balls over the top, however Weston coped with that threat well, neutralising the likes of Pearce and Allen. Dontai Stewart had a chance on the left-hand side which hit the advertising hoardings behind the goal and Luke Pearce had a hopeful penalty shout, but that was quickly waved away by the referee, and that was largely it for Dover’s attacking threat in the first half.
It was the away side that continued to pile on the pressure and a very well worked passing move ended with Dayle Grubb being left free inside the penalty area to finish past the on-loan Bournemouth goalkeeper, Billy Terrel, who could do nothing about it. The visitors went into the break a goal ahead and in full control.
The two sides came out for the second half and Dover made two changes to try and shift the momentum in the home side’s favour. Paris Lock was brought on for Iffy Allen, who picked up an injury late in the first half, and super-sub-Sutherland came on to try and make an impact in the second half from the left.
Both were very lively at the start of the second period, with Lock causing problems for the left back of the away side, and Zidan using his skills to cut inside. The latter did just that, but his shot was tame and easily gathered up by the goalkeeper.
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The pressure did continue for a little while at the start of the second half, with a corner coming in from the left finding its way to Bailey Akehurst outside the area, who hit a wonderful volley that was goal-bound, but his strike was blocked by the defender.
The pressure unsurprisingly riled up the home fans, who got right behind their team and they had hope for better things to come in the second half, despite the time-wasting tactics that the away side were deploying from early in the second half. The fans particularly enjoyed the visitors’ bench receiving a yellow card, and then later a red card, after they were incredibly animated at some of the referee’s decisions.
As the second half progressed, Weston-Super-Mare gained more control of the game after they weathered the early storm from Dover in the first half. They played some good intricate passes in around the Dover penalty area, and whilst they largely didn’t come to anything, it did allow them to keep hold of the ball, which was valuable to them as it did not allow Dover any chance on the ball to break and find the equaliser. The hosts were pinned back and could do nothing.
This was how the game ended, Dover had very little of the ball and, despite the threat of Sutherland and Lock on the counter, the away side kept The Whites at bay and saw the game out, taking all 3 points back to Somerset.
A crucial game awaits Dover next, as they head to bottom placed Havant and Waterlooville. Is this where Dover’s fortunes change?
Dover Athletic: Terrell, Oyenuga, Mensah, Naylor, Allen, Akehurst, Dunne, Young, Anifowose, Stewart, Pearce
Subs: Wilkinson, Zidan, Dembele, Lock, Charles-Cooke
Weston-Super-Mare: Lee, Morton, Reid, Bastin, Humphries, Fletcher, Wilmott, Cane, Pope, Grubb, Avery
Subs: Purnell, Dodd, Thomas, Manning, Jackson
Attendance: 532