Dover Athletic fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Chatham Town under the lights at Crabble, with Trevon Bryan’s first-half strike proving to be the difference.
The hosts started brightly, attacking towards the Town End in the first half. However, it was Chatham who created the first big chance of the match in the 8th minute, coming close to opening the scoring with a header from a corner. Dover responded with sustained pressure midway through the half, as a series of attacks saw George Nikaj fire just wide in the 24th minute, before captain Ruben Soares-Junior broke through on goal two minutes later, only to see his effort bobble inches past the post.
Against the run of play, Chatham took the lead in the 28th minute after a defensive mistake from Jacob Mensah. Attempting to play out from the back, Mensah lost possession under pressure, allowing Chatham to pounce. Trevon Bryan capitalised and fired past Jordan Gillmore to give the visitors the advantage.
Dover continued to push for an equaliser before the break, with Nikaj again going close in the 32nd minute and further opportunities falling their way in the closing stages of the half. However, the Whites went into the interval trailing 1-0, ruing their missed chances and errors at the back.
The second period started with an early substitution for Chatham as Kian Garlinge replaced Kareem Isiaka in the 51st minute. Dover came close to levelling in the 55th minute when Alfie Matthews’ deflected shot forced a smart save from the Chatham goalkeeper, who tipped it over the bar.
The match then became increasingly disjointed, with multiple stoppages and a flurry of substitutions disrupting Dover’s rhythm. Frustration among the home supporters grew as the referee’s decisions became a source of discontent, particularly as Chatham sought to slow the game down at every opportunity.
Dover did have a late opportunity to snatch a point in the 86th minute when the Chatham goalkeeper fumbled a cross, but Ryan Hanson’s strike was blocked by a defender before it could reach the net.
With nine minutes of added time, the home side threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. However, Chatham stood firm, using every opportunity to run down the clock.
A frustrating night for Dover, who dominated large spells of the match but were ultimately punished for their lack of cutting edge and a costly defensive lapse. The defeat extends their poor run of form, while Chatham’s resilience earned them a vital three points in this Kent derby.
Dover must now regroup ahead of their next fixture at Crabble on Saturday, when they host Dulwich Hamlet for their Community Day fixture.
Dover Athletic:
27 Jordan Gillmore, 2 Roman Charles-Cook, 3 Fuad Sesay, 26 Jacob Mensah, 5 Joe Tennent, 6 Luca Cocoracchio, 7 Luke Baptiste, 8 Alfie Matthews, 10 George Nikaj, 14 Ruben Soares-Junior, 29 Ryan Hanson SUBS: 28 Kweku-Conrad Lucan, 15 Tamas Amgbaduba, 16 Harrison Pont, 24 Francis Mampolo, 23 George Wilkinson
Chatham Town:
1 Henry Molyneux, 2 Harry Webster, 3 Kasim Aidoo, 6 Sid Nelson, 7 Kareem Isiaka, 8 Jack Evans, 9 Rowan Liburd, 11 Jamie Yila, 16 David Romer, 18 Lewis Chambers, 19 Trevon Bryan SUBS: 5 Aj Jambang, 12 Kian Garlinge, 15 Simon Cooper, 17 Josh Fill, 20 John Ufuah
Isthmian League – Premier Division
Attendance: 668
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Referee: Peter Conn