Archives: News

WHITES WIN KENT DERBY

CLINICAL finishing saw Dover climb two places into fourth in the National League after a 4-1 win against Maidstone United at a cold and wet Gallagher Stadium on New Year’s Day.

Moses Emmanuel’s double set Whites on their way and though Vas Karagiannis pulled one back for the hosts, Ross Lafayette and Ricky Miller ensured boss Chris Kinnear’s side came away with the three points.

Maidstone made the stronger start to the game, Alex Flisher pulled the ball back for Jamar Loza to slot home, but skipper Jamie Grimes blocked bravely with a last ditch tackle.

Yemi Odubade then stole a march on Aswad Thomas out wide and passed in field to Karagiannis, but goalkeeper Steve Arnold parried the fierce drive.

Stones had a glorious chance through Odubade as he only had Arnold to beat following neat interplay with Jack Paxman, but Dover’s stopper proved a formidable barrier for the former Eastleigh man.

Dover’s first chance saw Sam Magri race onto Miller’s pass and fire just wide of the far post.

Emmanuel broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion with his 10th league goal of the season in the 28th minute.

Maidstone keeper Lee Worgan brilliantly saved Emmanuel’s first effort from the edge of the area after a clever pass from Miller, but the rebound fell straight back for the forward to fire into the top corner.

Loza almost capitalized on Tyrone Sterling’s error, but his volley through a crowed box went straight at Arnold.

Emmanuel shot straight at Worgan when put through by Richard Orlu, but he did not have to wait long for his second as he smashed home Lafayette’s cross from an angle on 54 minutes to double Dover’s lead.

Maidstone searched for a way back into the game and Magri was well positioned to clear away Flisher’s drive.

The home side did pull a goal back on 58 minutes as Odubade’s low cross was slid home by Karagiannis.

Worgan kept Maidstone in the game, diving low to his right to deny Miller’s first time attempt after nice work from Emmanuel.

Arnold’s challenge on Odubade had Maidstone calling for a penalty, but referee Constantine Hatzidakis waved the claims away.

The resulting corner from Karagiannis was heading straight in, but Arnold was able to fist the ball to safety.

Lafayette’s deadly strike on 74 ended any hopes of a comeback as he collected a ball from Orlu and fired across Worgan to take his league goal tally into double figures for the campaign.

Worgan denied Sammy Moore his first of the season after saving his curling effort and Lafayette’s follow up shot was blocked.

Arnold’s fingertips denied Loza from close range and Tom Mills somehow missed the target after Dover’s goalie missed Flisher’s cross as Maidstone were unable to set up a grandstand finish.

Miller, who was feeling under the weather, sealed the win after he ran onto Lafayette’s through ball to slot home in injury time.

Earlier, Whites made one change from the reverse clash on Boxing Day, Moore came in for Ricky Modeste who dropped to the bench.

Maidstone: Worgan, Driver (Taylor 86mins), Mills, Coyle, Lokko, Rogers (Greenhalgh 81mins), Karagiannis, Paxman, Loza, Odubade (N’Guessan 76mins), Flisher. Subs not used: Evans, Acheampong.

Dover: Arnold, Magri, Thomas, Orlu, Grimes, Sterling, Moore, Parkinson (Stevenson 73mins), Miller (Kinnear 90mins), Lafayette, Emmanuel (Pinnock 85mins). Subs not used: Modeste, Stevenson, Marsh.

Attendance: 2,257 (208 Dover fans)

PREVIEW: MAIDSTONE UNITED V WHITES

DOVER will be aiming to get back to winning ways in the National League when we travel to Kent rivals Maidstone United on New Year’s Day.

Boss Chris Kinnear’s team have not won in the league since the 6-0 triumph at Sutton United on November 29.

That impressive performance was followed by a defeat at home against Dagenham and Redbridge and draws with Forest Green Rovers and today’s hosts at Crabble on Boxing Day.

That 1-1 draw with Stones kept Dover sixth, one point out of the play-off positions.

Ricky Miller’s first-half penalty put Whites ahead before Jamar Loza’s second-half equaliser for Stones.

Sunday’s re-match will be shown live on BT Sport at 6pm.

TICKET NEWS

It’s an all-ticket match and ticket sales are now CLOSED.

Please be aware that NO tickets will be available on the turnstiles on the night.

Gates open at 3.30pm and Dover fans should enter the ground at turnstile eight.

This entrance is off James Whatman Way, opposite Kent History & Library Centre.

 MAIDSTONE UNITED’S RECENT FORM

Prior to the 1-1 draw at Crabble, the Stones had lost their past two National League games, losing 2-1 at home against North Ferriby United and 2-0 at Bromley.

Maidstone had ended a four-game losing streak before the loss at Bromley by beating Eastleigh 2-1 at the Gallagher.

RECENT MEETINGS

Honours finished even after the draw on Boxing Day.

Dover last beat Maidstone United in a Kent Senior Cup match at Sittingbourne when Whites triumphed 6-3 in October 2011.

The previous league meetings between the sides was in the Isthmian Premier during the 2008-09 season.

Dover won both contests, 3-0 at Crabble, and 2-0 at Sittingbourne.

HITMEN

Whites’ top scorer in the National League this season is Ricky Miller with 25.

Miller’s strike partners Ross Lafayette and Moses Emmanuel both have nine each.

Bobby-Joe Taylor is Maidstone’s leading man with six league goals.

TEAM NEWS

Assistant boss Jake Leberl says there are no injury concerns.

However, midfielder Joe Healy is not available while Ira Jackson Jnr has joined Margate on a 28-day loan.

DOVER COLOURS

For Dover fans wanting to show their colours at the Gallagher Stadium by wearing the matching shirts as the players, captain Jamie Grimes and his team-mates will be wearing their blue shirts.

COVERAGE

The game starts at 6pm but if you are unable to make the trip to the Gallagher Stadium, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!

The Centre Spot will be also be screening the game live and will be open from 5pm.

SUNDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

Woking v Aldershot Town

Chester FC v Solihull Moors

Forest Green Rovers v Torquay United

Lincoln City v Guiseley AFC

Macclesfield Town v Tranmere Rovers

Southport v Wrexham

Sutton United v Bromley

York City v North Ferriby United

LOOKING AHEAD

The Supporters Club are running a coach to the National League game at Macclesfield Town on Tuesday, January 10 and details are:

Coach leaves Crabble at 12.45pm and the cost is as follows:

Adults Members £30, Adult Non Members £35 and accompanied child (under 16) £10.

Please call or text Andy on 0793 4300335 to book your seat.

CENTRE SPOT OPEN FOR MAIDSTONE GAME

The club are pleased to confirm that the Centre Spot bar will be OPEN this Sunday evening (January 1) for supporters to watch the live National League clash at Maidstone United.

The second clash of the festive period between the two Kent rivals following the 1-1 draw at Crabble on Boxing Day will be screened live on BT Sport.

So for those not able to make the trip to the Gallagher Stadium, come along and watch the derby action with fellow Dover fans!

Doors open at 5pm with kick-off at 6pm.

HONOURS EVEN IN KENT DERBY

DOVER missed climbing into the play-off places after being held to a 1-1 draw by Maidstone United in the Kent derby at Crabble on Boxing Day.

Ricky Miller had put Whites ahead from the penalty spot in the opening half with his 25th National League goal of the season before Jamar Liza equalised for Stones in the second half.

The point keeps Dover sixth, one point out of the play-offs and they would have been in them after three of the five clubs above boss Chris Kinnear’s side lost.

Dover started  brightly and  Aswad Thomas volleyed just over shortly after kick-off before Ross Lafayette saw a goal bound header deflected wide.

Steve Arnold’s first piece of action saw him deny Yemi Odubade before Whites took the lead in the 16th minute.

Miller went down after a challenge from Tom Mills and got up to send Maidstone keeper Lee Worgan the wrong way.

Moses Emmanuel curled an angled effort just wide before Maidstone replied with Kevin Lokko going close with a header and Arnold produced a stunning save to turn over Loza’s shot.

At the other end, Miller was denied by Jamie Coyle’s brave block following a one- two with Lafayette. He then skewed wide Thomas’ pass from inside the box.

Alex Flisher should have levelled matters just before the interval, but blasted Vas Karagiannis’ free kick well over the bar from close range.

Lokko was almost left red faced after his lapse in concentration let in Lafayette, but Worgan intercepted the ball ahead of the target man.

After the break, Arnold was the busier of the goalkeepers, saving from Karagiannis, Flisher and Loza.

Loza was not to be denied though, his stunning lob from out wide in the 60th minute flew over Arnold and into the goal off the post.

Miller almost won the game at with a deflected shot that spun just wide before  Lafayette’s free kick at the death flew just wide.

Earlier, Kinnear named the same starting side from the 1-1 draw at Forest Green Rovers.

The only changes came on the bench where Sammy Moore and Jim Stevenson replaced Mitch Walker and Joe Healy.

Moore had missed the past four games with a hamstring injury while Stevenson had been ill on the trip to The New Lawn.

Dover and Maidstone meet again at he Gallagher Stadium on New Year’s Day at 6pm.

Dover: Arnold, Magri, Thomas, Grimes, Orlu, Sterling, Modeste, Parkinson (Stevenson 75mins), Miller, Lafayette, Emmanuel (Moore 79mins). Subs not used: Pinnock, Kinnear, Marsh

Maidstone: Worgan, Driver, Mills, Coyle, Lokko, Rogers, Karagiannis (Taylor 81mins), Paxman, Loza, Odubade (N’Guessan 83mins), Flisher. Subs not used: Evans, Acheampong, Greenhalgh

Attendance: 2,369 (509 from Maidstone)

PREVIEW: WHITES V MAIDSTONE UNITED

PLENTY of friendships will be set aside come kick-off when Dover host Kent rivals Maidstone United in the National League at Crabble on Boxing Day.

Players and officials on both sides know each other well, but with three valuable points on offer on the day and another in the return fixture at The Gallagher on New Year’s Day, there will be no room for any sentiment.

Dover boss Chris Kinnear, who spent ‘four or five’ seasons as a player with Maidstone, insists his emotion will be no different to any other matchday – a massive desire to win, like he has for every game.

Kinnear said: “I have a lot of fond memories of my time there and it will be good to see a lot of the old faces from those days again.

“I got to know a lot of people well in that time and we are still friends, well, we won’t be for 90 minutes on Monday.

“I’m really looking forward to the game and it should be played in a cracking atmosphere.”

But it’s not only some of the Maidstone fans that Kinnear knows.

Stones manager Jay Saunders played under Kinnear and alongside now Dover assistant boss Jake Leberl at Margate.

Kinnear said: “Jay and I go back a long way, but he’s got a job to do with Maidstone and I’ve got a job to do too.

“There is no doubt he will want the three points just as much as me – that goes without saying.”

Tickets

Tickets are not available in advance. Pay at the turnstiles for both home and away supporters. The fixture is segregated.

MAIDSTONE UNITED’S RECENT FORM

The Stones have lost their past two National League games, losing 2-1 at home against North Ferriby United last Saturday and 2-0 at Bromley.

Half-time substitute Jack Paxman was on target for the hosts after North Ferriby led 2-0 at one stage.

Maidstone had ended a four-game losing streak before the loss at Bromley by beating Eastleigh 2-1 at the Gallagher.

Midfielder Dan Sweeney, who joined League Two Barnet this week , got the first goal before Bobby-Joe Taylor scored a penalty to secure three points.

RECENT MEETINGS

The last time Dover played Maidstone United they beat today’s visitors 6-3 in a Kent Senior Cup match at Sittingbourne in October 2011.

The last league meetings between the sides was in the Isthmian Premier during the 2008-09 season.

Dover won both contests, 3-0 at Crabble, and 2-0 at Sittingbourne.

HITMEN

Whites’ top scorer in the National League this season is Ricky Miller with 24.

Miller’s strike partners Ross Lafayette and Moses Emmanuel both have nine each.

Bobby-Joe Taylor is Maidstone’s leading man with six league goals.

TEAM NEWS

Assistant boss Jake Leberl said after training on Friday that Leyton Orient loanee Sammy Moore is back in contention after his hamstring injury.

The midfielder has missed the past four games.

COVERAGE

The game starts at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip up the hill to Crabble, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!

TODAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

Aldershot Town v Woking

North Ferriby United v York City

Barrow v Gateshead

Braintree Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Bromley v Sutton United

Guiseley AFC v Lincoln City

Solihull Moors v Chester FC

Torquay United v Forest Green Rovers

Tranmere Rovers v Macclesfield Town

Wrexham v Southport

LOOKING AHEAD

The Supporters Club are running a coach to the National League games at Maidstone United and Macclesfield Town and details are as follows:

MAIDSTONE UNITED (Sunday, January 1)

Coach leaves Crabble at 4.15pm and the cost is as follows:

Adults Members £10, Adult Non Members £15 and accompanied child (under 16) £5.

MACCLESFIELD TOWN (Tuesday, January 10)

Coach leaves Crabble at 12.45pm and the cost is as follows:
Adults Members £30, 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 on Monday.

PREVIEW: FOREST GREEN ROVERS V WHITES

DOVER head to Gloucestershire on Saturday aiming to get back to winning ways in the National League at promotion rivals Forest Green Rovers.

Whites slipped out of the play-off places after losing 2-1 at Crabble against Dagenham & Redbridge in their last league game.

That was followed by the FA Trophy exit at the hands of Dartford in Tuesday’s first round replay after the draw at Princes Park last Saturday.

Dover beat Forest Green 4-3 in the first meeting between the sides earlier this season after Ricky Miller scored at stunning hat-trick at Crabble in September.

But The New Lawn has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Whites of late – they are winless there on their previous four visits.

The hosts won two of those encounters while the others ended in draws, including the 1-1 in the play-off semi-finals last season.

Assistant boss Jake Leberl is under no illusions about how tough breaking the drought in Nailsworth is going to be.

He said: “There is no questioning their quality – it’s going to be an extremely difficult game, they always are there.

“Saying that, we know we can compete with them and our win against them earlier this season proves it. I thought we were also unlucky not to win there in the final game of last season.

“Yes, we’ve had a bad week, teams do, and we didn’t do ourselves justice during it, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.
“It’s no good wondering what have been – you’ve got to focus on the present and we are sixth in the National League and just a point out of the play-offs.

“We’ve got to go there, get at them and play as well as we know we can.”

FOREST GREEN’S RECENT FORM

Forest Green advanced to the second round of the FA Trophy after a 1-0 win in extra time at Truro City on Tuesday.

Darren Carter got the decisive goal in the 109th minute to secure the win.

City, who are 14th in National League South, had held Forest Green to a 1-1 draw at The New Lawn in the first game on Saturday to force a replay.

In their league campaign, Forest Green are currently third, three places and four points ahead of Whites.

They lost 3-1 at Wrexham in their last league game after being held to a 2-2 draw at home against Tranmere five days earlier.

RECENT MEETINGS

14/11/2015: Forest Green Rovers 3-1 Dover Athletic
30/04/2016: Dover Athletic 0-1 Forest Green Rovers
04/05/2016: Dover Athletic 0-1 Forest Green Rovers
07/05/2016: Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Dover Athletic
10/09/2016: Dover Athletic 4-3 Forest Green Rovers

HITMEN

Whites’ top scorer in the National League this season is Ricky Miller with 24.

Miller’s strike partner Ross Lafayette has nine goals while Moses Emmanuel’s has eight to his name.

Christian Doidge is Forest Green’s leading man with eight goals.

TEAM NEWS

Assistant boss Jake Leberl said on Friday that Leyton Orient loanee Sammy Moore has not yet recovered from his hamstring injury.

The midfielder has now missed the past three games.

Forest Green will be without the suspended Dale Bennett following his red card at Truro on Tuesday and the injured Sam Wedgbury.

New striker Shamir Mullings is in contention to make his debut after joining from Chelmsford City.

DOVER COLOURS

For Dover fans wanting to show their colours at The New Lawn by wearing the matching shirts as the players, captain Jamie Grimes and his team-mates will be wearing their blue shirts.

COVERAGE

The game starts at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip to Nailsworth, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!

SATURDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

Macclesfield Town vs Bromley (12.15pm)
Boreham Wood vs Barrow
ChesterFC vs Aldershot Town
Dagenham & Redbridge vs Solihull Moors
Gateshead vs Braintree Town
Lincoln City vs Tranmere Rovers
Maidstone United vs North Ferriby United
Southport vs Eastleigh
Sutton United vs Wrexham
Woking vs Guiseley AFC
York City vs Torquay United

LOOKING AHEAD

The Supporters Club are running a coach to the National League game at Maidstone United on New Year’s Day.

Coach leaves Crabble at 4.15pm and the cost is as follows:

Adults Members £10, Adult Non Members £15 and accompanied child (under 16) £5.

Please call or text Andy on 0793 4300335 to book your seat.