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Torquay United 1-0 Dover Athletic

Match report by Fred Deveson.

A chilly afternoon in the South West saw the hosts Torquay United pick up their first win in 2024, after a long-range cracker from Brett McGavin sealed Dover’s fate.

There was action before the game had kicked-off at Plainmoor, as sadly Bailey Akehurst picked up a nasty knee injury in the warm-up. The left-back was stretchered off to the applause of all fans. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Peter Ojemen; his first game this year.

After a thoughtful minute silence, the game kicked off and it was high intensity from the start. The Gulls were full of energy and had the crowd right behind them, but it was the visitors who had the edge. Two corners came in from Dover in quick succession, but nothing came from them. 

The Dover pressure continued, and Oyenuga was making good progress until a nasty challenge left him in a heap on the floor.The resulting free-kick came to nothing. 

Torquay had a chance to build their own pressure following this flurry from Dover. The hosts had a penalty shout waved away by the referee, much to the anger of the home faithful. 

Dover came forward again after this, and it was Wilkinson who created the chance with a fantastic flick to George Nikaj, who was in on goal, but a brilliant tackle by the Torquay defender stopped the Dover number 10 getting a shot on goal.

Da Silva for the hosts was beginning to make life hard for Ojemen on the right hand side, and it wasn’t long before Torquay had the ball in the Dover penalty area. Another penalty shout was dismissed by the referee, angering the Yellow Army even more. 

The pressure from the home side continued, however, and Jinadu was called into action when a spin and shot had to be saved down to his left. 

Not long later, there was a succession of corners by the hosts, who crowded the Dover goalkeeper in the hope of forcing a mistake. The Whites dealt with it well, however, and the half time whistle came shortly after.

Torquay started the second half with plenty of energy and intensity, but it was Dover who had the best chance early on. A great ball into the box was just missed by Naylor, who couldn’t quite his head on it, much to the relief of Torquay. 

Torquay then began their onslaught of chances. Some intricate passing in the Dover box lead to a good chance for the Torquay number three, who hit his effort straight at Jinadu.

The goal came soon after, however, and what a goal it was. McGavin picked the ball up just outside the area and he had the time and space to unleash a strike which buried itself in the left corner of Jinadu’s goal. The hosts took a deserved lead.

The Dover boss tried to change things up after the goal, with Oladipo coming off the bench. Roman Charles-Cook later switched to left back, with Allen and Sutherland coming on to try and attack the wings more. Peter Ojemen was brought off to allow these attacking changes.

In the final few minutes, Dover did not go out without a fight. Nikaj received the ball and worked his way towards the penalty area, winning a corner. Following the corner, Allen picked the ball up on the right and entered the box. The winger looked to be brought down, but the shout was waved away once again by the referee, much to the anger of the 13 travelling Dover fans.

Torquay then implemented their time wasting strategies keepingthe ball in the corner, and eventually holding out for their first win of 2024. 

It was another disappointing afternoon for Dover Athletic, who are winless so far this year. 

Torquay United: 1. Mark Halstead, 3. Dan Martin, 6. Ross Marshall, 8. Asa Hall (4. Tom Lapslie,  67′), 11. Brad Ash (10. Lewis Collins, 75′), 14. Brett McGavin, 17. Dillon De Silva, 18. Will Jenkins Davies, 21. Dean Moxey (c), 23. Ollie Tomlinson, 30. Ethon Archer.

SUBS NOT USED: 22. Rhys Lovett, 26. Archie Harris, 32. Osman Foyo.

DOVER ATHLETIC: 1. Daniel Jinadu, 3. Roman Charles-Cook, 4. Peter Ojemen (11. Ifeanyi Allen, 66′), 6. James Dunne (c) (9. Zidan Sutherland, 83′), 10. George Nikaj, 14. George Wilkinson, 15. Charlie Naylor, 16. Jacob Mensah, 20. Nick Dembele (7. Denstiny Oladipo,62′), 25. John Oyenuga, 26. Scott Holding.

SUBS NOT USED:  8. Freddie Oliver, 22. Luke Baptiste.

Attendance:  1,889 (13 away)

200 Club: Sign Up Now!

With our Striker Lottery now closed it’s time to announce the new Dover Athletic 200 Club!

The 200 club provides additional fundraising for the club while affording members an opportunity to win £1000 every single month!

There are 12 monthly prizes of £1000. The draws take place at nominated events in the club calendar with results posted on the website, social media and circulated by email. Winners will have their prize paid directly to their bank account.

You can subscribe by standing order. Payment will be made monthly. Please complete the appropriate section below and return the form below to [email protected]

Download the form by clicking here and sign up now!

Thank you to those that have already signed up for the 200 Club, you do not need to reapply.

If you were part of the Striker Lottery please cancel your current standing orders and cash any remaining cheques.

Up Next – Torquay United vs Dover Athletic

Match Preview by Fred Deveson

It’s another long trip this weekend for the Whites as they face playoff chasing Torquay, who are looking to get back into the National League after their recent relegation.

Torquay and Dover have faced off plenty of times in the past, with the record swaying in Torquay’s favour. This weekend’s hosts have won 7 of the 13 meetings between the two sides, with Dover winning 4. Goalscoring is even between the two, with The Gulls outscoring Dover by a single goal. 

This weekend’s hosts have a particular liking for this fixture, being unbeaten in the last 5 games against The Whites, which is something Dover will want to correct on Saturday.

Despite the recent head-to-head record, Dover are coming off the back of a good performance in the South West, and will be looking to capitalise on the recent poor form of The Gulls, who have not had a victory since mid-December when they beat Hemel Hempstead 3-2. 

This weekend’s hosts have failed to win in their last two home games, losing to Truro and, most recently, losing to struggling Eastbourne. 

Torquay have also struggled with scoring goals lately. They have netted just twice in their last 4 games, with both goals coming in the 2-2 draw with Eastbourne. Dover will be looking to make the most of this and score a couple of their own this weekend against the struggling Gulls.

Dover’s recent record has not been something to shout about, but there have been some positive signs. New goalkeeper Jinadu impressed on his debut against Taunton since signing on loan from Maidenhead, and new striker Oladipo looks to be a good investment after his cameo last weekend had some positive signs. 

The Whites have not won since the boxing day victory against Aveley, but they have come close since. The narrow loss away to Aveley and the draw away to Taunton shows there are some positive signs in the weeks ahead, as performances have been good, it’s just the goals that are lacking as of late. Dover have scored twice in their last three, which is something they’ll be looking to put right this weekend.

Torquay and Dover have faced off plenty of times in the past, with the record swaying in Torquay’s favour. This weekend’s hosts have won 7 of the 13 meetings between the two sides, with Dover winning 4. Goalscoring is even between the two, with The Gulls outscoring Dover by a single goal. 

This weekend’s hosts have a particular liking for this fixture, being unbeaten in the last 5 games against The Whites, which is something Dover will want to correct on Saturday.

Torquay United vs Dover Athletic – Saturday 20 January 2024 3pm:

Tickets for this encounter are available to purchase online now HERE.

There are savings on tickets when booking in advance, Torquay also advise travelling supporters wishing to purchase online should ensure they choose the ‘Change to Away’ option when viewing the stadium seating plan, as this will then direct them to the away allocation.

Individual Match Ticket Prices 2023/24

StandAdult (advance)Adult (matchday)Concessions (advance)Concessions (matchday)Under-18 (advance)Under-18 (matchday)Under-7
Bristow’s Bench£20£22£18£20£11£13FREE with a paying adult
Family Stand£19£21£17£19£11£13FREE with a paying adult
Popside£18£20£16£18£11£13FREE with a paying adult

GAME OFF – Beckenham Town

GAME OFF | Tonight’s Kent Senior Cup match away to Beckenham Town FC has been postponed due to a frozen pitch at Eden Park Avenue.

We will inform supporters as soon as a new date has been arranged.

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.