Dover Athletic cruised into the next round of the Isuzu FA Trophy with a comfortable 3-0 win over Cheshunt at the Megger Community Stadium in front of 436 spectators.
The first half was a relatively quiet affair, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock. Dover started brightly, with early chances in the opening minutes putting Cheshunt under pressure. The Whites came close on several occasions, with Baptiste and Matthews leading the charge, but the Cheshunt defence held firm, and the sides went into the break at 0-0.
Dover picked up the pace in the second half, and it wasn’t long before the breakthrough came. In the 55th minute, a cross from Sesay, flicked on by Wilkinson caused confusion in the Cheshunt defence, and Remi Sutton inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to give Dover the lead.
Just nine minutes later, Ruben Soares-Junior doubled the advantage with a long-range strike that Cheshunt goalkeeper Edwards fumbled over the line. The hosts were in full control, and they made it 3-0 in the 70th minute when Luke Baptiste finished off a well-placed cross from Soares-Junior at the back post.
Cheshunt’s misery was compounded when Raul Da Silva was shown a straight red card in the 72nd minute, leaving the visitors with ten men for the remainder of the game.
Dover saw out the final stages comfortably, maintaining a clean sheet and securing their place in the next round of the competition.
Next up for Dover is a return to league action on Tuesday night, where they face Bognor Regis Town.
Dover Athletic 3 – Cheshunt 0
Remi Sutton (55′ og)
Ruben SOARES-JUNIOR (64′)
Luke BAPTISTE (69′)
Isuzu FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Megger Community Stadium
Attendance: 436
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, 22 Kieran MONLOUIS, 15 Tamas AMGBADUBA, 24 Francis MAMPOLO
Cheshunt: 1 Preston Edwards, 2 Lordon Akolbire, 3 Remi Sutton, 4 Nathaniel Orafu, 5 Darion Furlong, 12 Raul Da Silva, 7 Taylor Miles, 8 Jack Thomas (C), 9 Tommy Wood, 11 Sam Granville, 15 Vas Vasiliou SUBS: 6 Fionn Murphy, 10 Khris Oti, 14 Hassan Nailbent, 16 MJ Muyembe, 18 Jeremy Bisau