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Up Next – Beckenham Town

Match preview by Fred Deveson

It’s another away trip for Dover Athletic up next, as they travel to South London to face Beckenham in the Kent Senior Cup.

Beckenham, perhaps more known for the cricket in the area, is a small area just next to Bromley and their ground can impressively hold 4000 people, but has only 120 seats available to fans, making it one of the smallest stadiums Dover will visit this season.

Beckenham sit towards the bottom of the Isthmian South EastLeague, which means that Dover, on paper, are the favouritesheading into this cup tie. 

There was an upset in the semi-finals of the cup last year, with Welling losing out to Chatham and making it a Chatham vs Margate final, with the latter winning on penalties. This game is not one to be taken for granted, as even in the semis, upsets can and do happen.

Dover have not had an away win since their win against Slough in the second game of the season, however the performance against Taunton should be enough to inject belief into the players, which should help get the Whites over the line.

Dover have won the Kent Senior Cup once, in 2017, defeating Welling United in the final 2-0. This fairly recent victory could be enough to motivate the Whites to a win which could send them on a similar run.

This could also be the perfect chance, potentially, for other players to get some good minutes and impress the manager. The likes of Sutherland will look to be back to his scoring best, and Henry Young may be looking for a good performance to regain his place in the team ahead of the long trip to Torquay United later in the week.

Kent Senior Cup – Beckenham Town vs Dover Athletic Tuesday 16 January 2024 19:45pm

Adults £10,

Concessions £5 (12-18 / 60+)

U12s FREE

Cash only venue

Taunton Town 1-1 Dover Athletic

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 6thgame 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.

Holding on for more

Watford Academy defender Scott Holding has today extended his loan at Dover Athletic until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old – who signed for the Hornets’ Under-21s in May 2022 has been a positive influence on our defence since his arrival and was our player of the month in December.

Having been on Manchester United’s books in his youth, Holding continued his development in Stockport County’s academy and made his first-team debut for the Hatters in January 2022.

He has previously experienced loan spells with Northern Premier League Premier Division outfits Ashton United and Stalybridge Celtic.

Glad to have you on board, Scott!

Player Updates

The club can today update on the latest player ins and outs.

Firstly, both defender Fuad Sessay and midfielder Johl Powell have left the club through mutual consent. We’d like to thank them both for their contributions this season and wish them well for the future.

David Aziaya has returned to his parent club Bromley following the end of his loan spell. We are thankful for David’s efforts in goal for the last month and wish him all the very best. 

Luke Pearce has also returned to his parent club following the end of his loan. 

We’d like to welcome new keeper Daniel Jinadu on an initial two month loan from Maidenhead. 

The young keeper has featured at youth level for both Chelsea and West Ham before moving to Barnsley where he would spend two seasons in Yorkshire. Jinadu would then play for both Margate and Dartford before moving to Maidenhead. 

Up Next – Taunton Town

Match Preview by Fred Deveson.

The Whites are on the road to Taunton Town this weekend, as Dover continue on their own road to survival. 

Dover may be fancying their chances this weekend as despite their recent loss at home to Truro, Taunton’s recent record has been noticeably poor. The hosts for this weekend have gained just one point in their last 5.

Taunton have lost their last 3 and have only netted on one occasion in those games, with their only goal coming away at Yeovil. 

Their last home win came against Farnborough in early December, where they dispatched the visitors 4-0. This win is their only success in the league since they beat Eastbourne at the end of September last year. 

Dover will be encouraged by this poor record, as performances have improved on the whole for the Whites, and there could be no better time to play the Somerset outfit. 

Dover have lost their last 2 games, scoring just once, but they have not been short of chances to win games and they will be hoping that their frontline can be potent against Taunton this weekend. 

The Whites’ away record has been poor of late, losing 4 of the last 5 away from home. A positive is that they have scored in their last 3 away games, which is something they’d love to take with them on Saturday. 

Dover and Taunton have only faced each other 3 times in the past, but the Whites are unbeaten in those 3 games, winning 2 and drawing the other earlier this season at Crabble. 

There are some positive signs this weekend ahead of the trip to Somerset, so the players should be encouraged by recent records and possibly pick up 3 points in the race to stay in the National League South. 

Taunton Town vs Dover Athletic – Saturday 13 January 2024

Adults (ages 18 to 67 incl.): £14

Concessions (State Pensioners & Students with ID): £11

Youth (13-18 years): £5

Junior (6-12 years): £2

Children aged under 6 are free with a paying adult

Tickets can be pre purchased here: https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Fixtures?fanStoreType=Fixtures&clubId=184

Dover Athletic 0-2 Truro City

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 13thJanuary.

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.

Freddie Oliver Returns

Whites sign Oliver from Ramsgate. 

The club are pleased to welcome back young midfielder Freddie Oliver.

A graduate of the Dover Athletic Academy, Freddie Oliver was brought into the first team squad in 2022/23.

Oliver made his debut in the 1-0 win away against Taunton Town in the February of 2023. Oliver was then named in the Kent Sport Online Team of the Week following his robust performance.

Freddie has spent the start of this season at Ramsgate, with a short loan at Lordswood FC.

Academy Boss and First Team Coach Mike Sandmann said:

We are pleased to welcome back Freddie to Dover Athletic who graduated through our Academy. 

Freddie is a player who I know extremely well and myself and Jake are looking forward to working with him again. I know supporters will be pleased to welcome him back to the Club. 

Mike Sandmann

Freddie himself has said:

Buzzing to be back playing at Dover again and looking forward to the rest of the season. COYW!

Freddie Oliver

Freddie will wear the number 8 shirt. 

Up Next – Truro City

Match Preview by Fred Deveson.


It’s a new year for Dover Athletic, and there’s a chance to make it a perfect start, with the Whites hosting mid-table Truro for their first game of 2024. 

Dover have had an incredibly positive last few games, having been unbeaten in 3 prior to the trip to Aveley, where The Whites narrowly lost to a cruel last-minute winner. Dover had just got their first home win of the season a few days before against the same opponents.

Dover can be positive heading into this weekend’s game against Truro; they are unbeaten at home since the 25th November and, having won their last home game on Boxing Day, hopes are high for Saturday. 

Dover Athletic are currently 12 points off safety, but it isn’ttotally bleak for them, as if they continue the form they’re in, they have a real shot at doing the seemingly impossible and staying in the National League South. 

Zidan Sutherland has been in good form of late, picking up an assist in the defeat at Aveley and scoring the equalising goal in the win at home on Boxing Day. Iffy Allen has also been impactful from the bench, scoring the winner against Aveley and being a difference maker at key times for Dover. 

Truro are in excellent form coming into the weekend, having won 5 of the last 6 games, including most recently, an away win at promotion chasing Torquay United. They have won their last 3 games away from home and are climbing up the table fast. 

This weekend’s visitors have also kept a clean sheet in their last two, winning both by a single goal. It will be a tough backline to break down for Dover this weekend, but with the form of the hosts’ front players being good, there is a good chance that their defence can be breached. 

It’s been over ten years since the two sides faced off, but Dover had the upper hand in the last three meetings, winning 3-2 in 2013 and 3-0 and 3-1 in 2012. The Whites will be hoping for more of the same this weekend.

The stats show that we’re in for a great game this weekend against visitors Truro, and Dover will be looking to return to winning ways once again at Crabble.

Going into this game, First Team Coach Mike Sandmann has said:

We have shown in recent weeks we can compete against some good teams in this league and this afternoon will be no different.

The atmosphere after the home match against Aveley is what we want to strive for week in week out at home and it’s our job to give everything we have to earn that support from you.

Mike Sandmann

Dover Athletic vs Truro City – Saturday 6 January 2024

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

STRIKER – DID YOU HIT THE NET?

Latest Striker Results for Wednesday 27th December.

For the final time, congratulations to all the winners. We advise current members paying by standing order to cancel payment though their bank.

More information about our new 200 Club draw will be available soon.

Contact [email protected] to register your interest and good luck

Truro City – VIP Style

Fancy watching the Whites take on Truro City in style? Of course you do.

The boys will be looking to put on a show and where else would you rather watch it than here with us.

Watch the game from the best seats in the house and let our match day hospitality provide the ultimate way to spend your time with us.

The package includes:

  • Butler hosted lounge with large TVs and a projector showing the game
  • A three-course meal served at your table
  • Reserved undercover premium padded seating
  • Complimentary tea, coffee & mineral water, plus a dedicated paid bar before and after the match
  • Complimentary match day team sheet

The very special experience costs £28 per person and is available for individual and group bookings, or as a gift voucher.

Please note that this price does NOT include entry for non-season ticket holders who do attend, and they will still need to pay at the turnstile on the day.

On the menu for the game will be :

  • Potato & Leek Soup with a bread roll
  • Chicken Breast in a white wine, cream & garlic sauce served with Baby potatoes, carrots & peas
  • Salted Caramel blondie cheesecake to finish

Arrival at the ground should be at 1pm and food will be served at 1.30pm.

There are only 64 spaces available, so all tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

The dress code is smart casual.

To buy your VIP ticket please email [email protected] or call the office on 01304 822373