Dover Athletic showed resilience and determination as they snatched a last-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 against Carshalton Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Despite going behind early in the second half, Luke Baptiste’s 92nd-minute overhead kick ensured the visitors left South London with a hard-earned point.
Dover started the match energetically, forcing the Robins to deal with a couple of early crosses into their box. However, an early break in play at the 5-minute mark occurred when Alfie Matthews went down and required treatment. This momentarily slowed the pace of the game, allowing Carshalton to gradually settle in.
The first significant chance came in the 13th minute for Dover when George Nikaj’s free header from a Sesay cross at the back post sailed just over the bar. It was a golden opportunity that hinted at Dover’s attacking threat, but they couldn’t convert.
Carshalton, however, had their chances too, with Walker in the Dover goal standing firm to deny multiple attempts. One notable save came in the 24th minute as Vose struck through a crowd of players, but Walker reacted well to gather the shot.
Just before the break, Matthews had Dover’s best opportunity, curling a well-struck free-kick toward the top corner, only for Carshalton’s Mackenzie Foley to produce a brilliant diving save to keep the scores level at halftime.
After a quiet first half, Carshalton came out stronger in the second, and in the 54th minute, they broke the deadlock. Tommy Bradford controlled a cross from Read inside the box and fired a half-volley off the crossbar and in, putting Dover under pressure.
Dover responded well, pushing forward in search of an equaliser. A looping header from Eniye Amgbaduba in the 68th minute reminded the hosts that the visitors were still dangerous. Moments later, a sharp shot from Charles-Cook on the edge of the box was superbly saved again by Foley, denying Dover the equaliser.
It looked as though Carshalton would hold on for all three points until the dying moments of stoppage time. Dover’s persistence paid off as a long throw-in caused chaos in the box, allowing Luke Baptiste to execute a spectacular overhead kick to level the match at 1-1, breaking Carshalton hearts in the 92nd minute.
The result keeps Dover in second place, with Wingate & Finchley up next.
Carshalton Athletic 1
Tommy Bradford (54′)
Dover Athletic 1
Luke Baptiste (90+2′)
Isthmian League – Premier Division
Attendance: 496
Kick-off: 3pm Referee: Kyfer Mayhew
Venue: War Memorial Sports Ground
Carshalton Athletic: 1 Mackenzie Foley, 15 Luke Read, 4 Oliver Hamstead, 6 Oluwafikayo Atewologun, 18 Abdul Sankoh, 8 Dominic Vose, 20 Fabio Camacho-Saraiva, 10 Tommy Bradford (C), 19 Thomas Stagg, 7 Sharon Ifeanyi, 12 Darnell Goather-Braithwaite SUBS: 16 Steve Gody, 14 Thomas Jackson, 11 Mason Saunders Henry, 17 Solomon Baugh, 2 Charlie Kennett
Dover Athletic: 1 Mitch WALKER (C), 2 Roman CHARLES-COOK, 3 Fuad SESAY, 5 Joe TENNENT, 6 Luca COCORACCHIO, 7 Luke BAPTISTE, 8 Alfie MATTHEWS, 10 George NIKAJ, 14 Ruben SOARES-JUNIOR, 16 Harrison PONT, 23 George WILKINSON SUBS: 4 Jeremiah GYEBI, 9 Eniye AMGBADUBA, 11 Lindell STEWART, 15 Tamas AMGBADUBA, 19 Jayden SILCOTT-BROWN