Dover Athletic secured their place in the Emirates FA Cup First Round Proper for the first time since 2019 following a thrilling 3-2 victory over Dorking Wanderers at the Megger Community Stadium.

A brace from Decarrey Sheriff, alongside a superb opening goal from Jack Bates, proved enough for Jake Leberl’s side to progress past their National League South rivals in an entertaining Fourth Qualifying Round encounter.

With the two sides having drawn 1-1 in the league just a week earlier, another closely contested afternoon was expected at Crabble, and the 1,370 supporters in attendance were treated to five goals and plenty of drama.

Leberl made one alteration to the side that faced Dorking seven days earlier, with Jalen Jones coming into the starting eleven in place of Nazir Bakrin.

The contest began at a frantic pace, with Dorking’s Louie Annesley receiving a yellow card inside two minutes following a challenge on Luke Baptiste.

The visitors created the first clear opportunity when Josh Barrett found Dennon Lewis, but Mitch Walker was equal to the effort, denying the Dorking forward with his legs.

Dover made their first meaningful attack count in the 11th minute. Euan Williams regained possession and carried the ball forward before finding Jack Bates on the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder took advantage of the space afforded to him, producing an excellent curling effort beyond Glenn Morris to give the Whites an early advantage.

The lead lasted just four minutes. Barrett picked out former Dover man George Nikaj with a pass over the home defence, allowing the forward to round Walker before finding the net despite two Dover defenders retreating towards the goal line.

The Whites responded almost immediately and were back in front after 19 minutes. Dorking’s attempts to retain possession in their defensive third came undone under Dover’s pressure, with Baptiste brought down inside the area.

Sheriff assumed responsibility from twelve yards and confidently converted, sending Morris the wrong way to restore Dover’s advantage.

There was little opportunity for either side to settle as the visitors continued to threaten. Enyinnaya Ezenwanne entered the referee’s notebook following a challenge on Nikaj in the 22nd minute, before Leberl opted to replace the defender with Bakrin shortly after the half-hour mark.

Dorking had a golden opportunity to draw level before that substitution. Baptiste’s attempted clearance resulted in a foul on James McShane inside the penalty area, giving Barrett the chance to equalise from the spot. However, the Dorking midfielder failed to test Walker, sending his penalty well over the crossbar.

The visitors continued to search for a second goal, with Harry Beadle producing an important defensive intervention to prevent Alfie Rutherford from capitalising on another Barrett pass.

Dover maintained their slender advantage going into the interval, but wasted little time in extending it after the restart.

Just two minutes into the second half, Baptiste and Bates combined effectively down the left flank before Sheriff collected possession inside the penalty area. The forward directed a low effort beyond Morris to register his second goal of the afternoon and put the Whites 3-1 ahead.

Despite facing a two-goal deficit, Dorking continued to attack and gradually increased the pressure on the Dover defence.

Walker was called into action shortly after the hour mark, pushing away a powerful long-range attempt from Barrett. Jones then made a crucial block to prevent McShane from converting the rebound.

The visitors’ persistence was rewarded soon afterwards when Lewis found space around 20 yards from goal and fired an effort into the far corner to reduce the deficit to a single goal.

With the score at 3-2, the final stages became increasingly tense as Dorking committed players forward in pursuit of an equaliser.

However, their attacking approach also presented Dover with opportunities to put the contest beyond reach.

Sheriff came close to completing his hat-trick with nine minutes remaining. Morris was unable to hold Williams’ effort from distance, but the Dover striker could only direct the loose ball into the side netting.

Substitutes Sak Hassan and Corie Andrews then combined to create another excellent opportunity, with Hassan delivering a cross into the area for Andrews, whose close-range effort was denied by Morris.

At the other end, Walker produced another important save to keep out substitute Jack Wood as the match entered six minutes of stoppage time.

Barrett also sent an attempt wide as the visitors continued to push forward, but Dover’s defence stood firm throughout a nervy conclusion.

The final whistle sparked celebrations around Crabble as the Whites secured a memorable cup victory and a place in the First Round Proper for the first time in seven years.

Leberl’s side will now await Monday’s draw to discover their next opponents as their Emirates FA Cup journey continues.

Dover Athletic: Walker, Charles-Cook, Beadle, Jones, Ezenwanne (Bakrin 35′), Wilson-Braithwaite, Williams (Wilkinson 89′), Bates (Hassan 73′), Baptiste, Sheriff (Fish 90+2′), Soares-Junior (Andrews 64′).

Unused substitutes: Jallow, Sesay.

Dorking Wanderers: Morris, Camp (Francomb 52′), Philpot, Ilesanmi, Lewis, Nikaj (Wood 79′), Annesley (Rogalski 52′), Pinchard (Tauta-Caballero 86′), McShane (Vincent 86′), Rutherford, Barrett.

Unused substitutes: Sayers, McIntyre.

Referee: Ayrton Hursey
Attendance: 1,370