Defender George Essuman has rejoined Bostik Premier side Margate until the end of the season
The 21-year-old centre-half, who has made one substitute appearance for Chris Kinnear’s side in the National League this season, the 1-1 draw with Barrow at Crabble last August, has already spent a month with Gate.
Debutant Keanu Marsh-Brown talks to the camera following his brace in Whites’ win against Macclesfield on Saturday.
Jake Leberl has his say following White’s latest win.
Catch up on the best of the action from Saturday’s home win.
DOVER 2-0 MACCLESFIELD
(Marsh-Brown 2, 36)
A debut brace from Keanu Marsh-Brown saw Whites beat leaders Macclesfield at a snow swept Crabble on Saturday.
The winger, signed on loan from Forest Green, made the ideal start to his Dover career, placing the ball into the bottom corner from 25 yards with the game barely a minute old.
And Marsh-Brown slotted in nine minutes before half-time as Chris Kinnear’s side register a third consecutive National League victory.
However Athletic are also indebted to one of their defenders preserving the home team’s lead just minutes after the opening goal.
Defender Manny Parry bravely blocked Mitch Hancox’s volley from point-blank range to deny the midfielder a what seemed a certain goal.
Home stopper Mitch Walker was then relieved to see Keith Lowe curl the ball some distance over the bar after the centre back received the ball in space.
Scott Wilson seemed certain to add to his 13 league goals for the visitors this season after sprinting clear, but Connor Essam superbly denied Town’s top scorer with a last ditch tackle.
Elliott Durrell then tested Walker twice with efforts straight at the home keeper.
And Dover and Marsh-Brown duly punished their opponents on 36 minutes.
The Forest Green loanee sprinted onto Femi Ilesanmi’s lofted ball and left Shwan Jalal grasping at thin air after rounding the visiting stopper.
Left back Ilesanmi almost added a third just before the break, but smashed his effort just wide of the far post.
Walker was forced into more action soon after the break, diving down low to save Hancox’s low fizzing strike and clasping onto the ball at the second attempt.
Athletic’s goalie then breathed a huge sigh of relief after the away team missed a glorious opportunity to halve the deficit.
After evading Walker’s challenge, Wilson laid the ball for Danny Whitehead to fire home, but in trying to avoid the Dover defenders on the goalline, the midfielder blasted narrowly wide.
Marsh-Brown thought he had a debut hattrick after curling towards the top corner, but Jalal denied the attacker the matchball in stunning fashion, tipping the ball around the post.
The visiting keeper produced another impressive save from the resultant Mitch Pinnock corner, this time pushing away Parry’s bullet header.
Walker punched away Hancox’s long range shot and Keith Lowe could only find the side-netting form an angle.
And Parry ensured Whites kept a third consecutive clean sheet, clearing sub Tyrone Marsh’s effort of the line.
The victory sees Dover remain seventh in the National League standings, four points ahead of AFC Fylde in eighth.
Earlier, Chris Kinnear made one change to the side that started at Chester in their last game. Marsh-Brown replaced Ryan Bird, who started on the bench.
Dover: Walker, Parry, Essam, Lokko, Gallifuoco, Brundle (c), Bellamy, Ilesanmi, Marsh-Brown (Jeffrey 66), Azeez (Bird 87), Pinnock (Daniel 69).
Subs not used: Passley, Nortey.
Macclesfield: Jalal, Hodgkiss (Evans 82) (c), Pilkington, Lowe, Fitzpatrick, Durrell, Whitehead, Whitaker, Hancox (Burgess 82), Wilson (Marsh 69), Blissett.
Subs not used: Ramsbottom, Kennedy.
Attendance: 837
Referee: Sam Purkiss
Dover will be looking to continue their recent form when they host The Silkmen on Saturday.
Chris Kinnear’s men have registered back-to-back league wins against Leyton Orient and Chester to climb back into the play-offs.
But Athletic face arguably their sternest test at Crabble this weekend.
Current National League leaders Macclesfield travel down to Kent having won their last five National League matches.
And Whites’ fans will recognise a familiar face from the visiting squad.
Striker Tyrone Marsh featured 16 times for Whites over two seasons.
MACCLESFIELD’S RECENT FORM
10/03/18: MACCLESFIELD 3-1 BARROW
John Askey’s men came back from a goal down to record a fifth straight win.
Town fell behind early on when Luke James drilled home for the Bluebirds and the midfielder was denied a second by home stopper Shwan Jalal’s fingertips shortly afterwards.
Visiting keeper Steve Arnold also kept out efforts from Mitch Hancox and his own defender Oliver Cook.
But Arnold was powerless to stop Hancox’s spectacular 25-yard effort 10 minutes before the break.
After the restart, scorer Hancox was bundled over in the area, allowing Danny Whitaker the task of slotting home the resultant spot kick.
And the three points were sealed seven minutes later as Elliott Durrell converted Scott Wilson’s pass.
PREVIOUS MEETING
25/08/17: MACCLESFIELD 1-0 DOVER
Dover remain winless at The Moss Rose since their return to the National League as Chris Kinnear’s men lost 1-0 on a Friday night.
Tyrone Marsh headed in Elliott Durrell’s cross five minutes after half-time as Athletic suffered their first away defeat of the season.
The home side fashioned the first chance early on with Danny Whitaker firing straight at Mitch Walker from close range.
The action then moved to the other end of the pitch. Femi Ilesanmi’s free-kick deflected narrowly wide and Kane Richards’ then saw a shot blocked by the legs of home keeper Shawn Jalal following Nortei Nortey’s pass.
Ryan Bird’s flick-on found Josh Passley lurking at the back post, but the right-back was denied by Jalal’s stunning finger-tip save around the post.
Gime Toure spotted Ryan Lloyd’s clever run into the area, but the midfielder scooped the ball over the bar.
Marsh’s bullet header seemed to galvanise the Silkmen, with Scott Burgess curling just over from long range and away keeper Walker flinging himself across the goalmouth to prevent Durrell’s swirling free kick from going straight in.
Dover’s stopper then had to be alert to palm over Toure’s firm strike after he turned Manny Parry in the box.
Walker then produced a stunning save to turn sub Mitch Hancox’s twenty-yard effort past the post.
The visitor’s final chance came from Mitch Pinnock’s long throw in injury time, but the ball bounced agonisingly over Bird after Jalal’s unsuccessful attempt to claim the ball.
OTHER MEETINGS
25/04/17: Dover 2-2 Macclesfield
10/01/17: Macclesfield 2-1 Dover
12/04/16: Macclesfield 0-0 Dover
TICKET NEWS
Prices are as follows:
Adults – £17
Over 60 – £14
Under 18 – £8
Under 7 – Free (Accompanied by a paying adult)
COVERAGE
The game starts at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!
Coverage starts from 2pm.
SATURDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES
AFC FYLDE V HARTLEPOOL UNITED
BOREHAM WOOD V TRANMERE ROVERS
CHESTER V ALDERSHOT TOWN
EASTLEIGH V LEYTON ORIENT
GUISELEY V FC HALIFAX TOWN
MAIDENHEAD UNITED V BARROW
MAIDSTONE UNITED V SUTTON UNITED
SOLIHULL MOORS V TORQUAY UNITED
WOKING V WREXHAM
AWAY TRAVEL
There is a coach travelling to Barrow on Saturday 24th March and it is not too late to book your space on it.
It departs Crabble at 5am and the the prices are as follows:
Adult members £40, adult non-members £55 and accompanied child (Under 16) £20.
There is also a coach departing at 3:30pm for Eastleigh on Tuesday 27th March and the costs are:
Adult members £20, Adult Non-Members £35 and accompanied child (Under 16) £10.
Please call or text Andy on 0793 4300335 to book your seat, or see him in the Centre Spot after the game against Macclesfield.
Please note you are now required to pay for your seat in advance by cash or via bank transfer.
Winger Keanu Marsh-Brown has completed a loan move to Crabble from League Two Forest Green Rovers until the end of the season.
The 25-year-old, who will wear the No.29 shirt, has scored 23 goals in 103 appearances for FGR since arriving from Barnet in the summer of 2015.
One of those goals came against Dover in the second-leg of the National League semi-final at the New Lawn in May 2016.
This season, Marsh-Brown has made 19 appearances, scoring twice in the process.
He started his career in the youth set-up at Arsenal before moving to Fulham where he would go onto earn his chance as a professional.
When the Cottagers reached the 2010 Europa League final against Atletico Madrid, Marsh-Brown was a part of former England manager Roy Hodgson’s squad that earned victories over European giants Juventus and Shaktar Donetsk.
He was loaned out by Fulham to League One side MK Dons and then to Scottish Premier League side Dundee United, before leaving the London side for Oldham on a permanent deal in 2011.
The following year he joined Yeovil, before moving onto Barnet in March 2013. He scored 13 goals in 48 league appearances for the Bees.
Welcome to Dover Keanu!
Our postponed National League game away at Eastleigh has now been re-arranged to be played on Tuesday, March 27th at 7.45pm.
Goalscorer Kevin Lokko speaks to the camera following Dover’s 2-0 win on Tuesday night at Chester.
