Dover Athletic staged a dramatic comeback in their opening FA Cup match against Sittingbourne at Woodstock Park, battling the windy conditions to secure a 2-2 draw with two goals deep into stoppage time.

Manager Jake Leberl kept faith in his largely unchanged starting eleven, with Eniye Amgbaduba replacing Lindell Stewart in the only change from the previous lineup. The FA Cup rules allowed for a larger bench, bringing new goalkeeper Claudio Boakye-Sarfo into the squad for the first time, while Henry Young made a welcome return from injury.

The match kicked off to a scrappy start, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm in the opening 10 minutes. Dover’s early defensive frailties were exposed when Sittingbourne’s Henry Sinai capitalised on some poor defending to open the scoring in the 13th minute. The hosts continued to dominate the first half, doubling their lead in the 25th minute through Ryan Kingsford.

The second half saw Dover attempting to regroup, but they continued to struggle against Sittingbourne’s organised defense. Baptiste had a chance to reduce the deficit, managing to control a high ball and get a shot away, but it did little to trouble the Sittingbourne keeper. With Dover losing the midfield battle, manager Jake made a tactical change, bringing on Alfie Matthews for George Wilkinson in an attempt to inject some energy into the side.

Shortly after, the game was paused due to disturbances in the crowd, but once play resumed, Jake made further substitutions to bolster both defense and attack, introducing Tamas Amgbaduba to the back line and Lindell Stewart upfront. These changes began to alter the dynamic of the game, and Dover started to create more opportunities.

As the clock ticked down, George Nikaj became a constant thorn in Sittingbourne’s side, but his efforts were cut short by a heavy tackle that forced him off the field, replaced by Silcott-Brown. Despite the setbacks, Dover’s persistence paid off in the dying moments of stoppage time.

Goalkeeper Mitch Walker launched a hopeful free kick from his own half deep into the Sittingbourne box. The wind played its part as the ball evaded everyone, bounced over the keeper Harley Earle, and miraculously found its way into the net, bringing the score to 2-1.

With renewed vigor, Dover pressed for an equaliser and was awarded a free kick on the edge of the box moments later. Alfie Matthews delivered a dangerous shot at goal. The ball appeared to cross the line, but the referee initially dismissed the goal. However, after consulting with his linesman, the goal was awarded, completing Dover’s dramatic comeback to level the match at 2-2.

The final whistle blew shortly after, ending a game that saw Dover claw back from the brink of defeat. The team will now prepare to face Sittingbourne again on Tuesday night at the Megger Community Stadium, looking to advance to the next round.

Sittingbourne – 2

Henry Sinai (13′)
Ryan Kingsford (25′)

Dover Athletic – 2

Mitch WALKER (90+3′)
Alfie MATTHEWS (90+5′)

Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round
Attendance: 523
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Mr Dempster
Venue: The Staxson Stadium

Sittingbourne: 1 Harley Earle, 2 Donvieve Jones, 3 Henry Lukombo, 4 Ayman El-Mogharbel, 5 Liam Smith, 6 Chris Arthur, 17 Henry Sinai, 8 Richie Hammill, 9 Mitchell May, 10 Codey Cosgrave, 11 Troy Howard SUBS: 12 Charma Torsiello, 14 Jay Beckford, 15 Ryan Kingsford, 16 Bagasan Graham, 18 Alex Georgiou, 19 Joe Boachie, 20 Godfrey Poku

Dover Athletic 1 Mitch WALKER (C), 2 Roman CHARLES-COOK, 3 Fuad SESAY, 4 Jeremiah GYEBI, 5 Joe TENNENT, 6 Luca COCORACCHIO, 7 Luke BAPTISTE, 9 Eniye AMGBADUBA, 10 George NIKAJ, 14 Ruben SOARES-JUNIOR, 23 George WILKINSON, SUBS: 8 Alfie MATTHEWS, 11 Lindell STEWART, 13 Claudio Boakye-Sarfo, 15 Tamas AMGBADUBA, 18 Henry YOUNG, 19 Jayden SILCOTT-BROWN