Dover Athletic’s Kent Senior Cup journey came to an agonizing end as they fell to Welling United on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

The game began at a high tempo, with Dover immediately threatening through Kweku Lucan in the 4th minute, only for the Welling goalkeeper to rush off his line and clear the danger. The early stages were evenly contested, with neither side managing to take control.

Dover created the first real chance of the game in the 29th minute when Matthews fired a powerful shot from range, forcing the Welling keeper to parry the ball wide. Just four minutes later, the Whites got their reward.

A moment of persistence from Eniye Amgbaduba broke the deadlock. The forward pressed aggressively as the Welling goalkeeper attempted to deal with a pass back, and his clearance ricocheted off Amgbaduba and rolled into the net, giving Dover a 1-0 lead.

Dover grew in confidence after the opener, and Mampolo came close in the 36th minute, firing just over from the edge of the box. The visitors saw out the remainder of the half comfortably, heading into the break deservedly ahead.

Welling responded with a half-time substitution and started the second period with intensity, forcing Dover onto the back foot. The home side carved out a couple of half-chances early on, but the Dover defense remained resolute, blocking multiple attempts.

Dover had a golden opportunity on the counter in the 57th minute, but the Welling keeper produced a crucial save. The visitors thought they had doubled their lead moments later when the ball found the back of the net following a corner, but the referee disallowed it for a foul on the goalkeeper.

As Welling pushed for an equaliser, Dover continued to defend well while looking dangerous on the break. A well-worked delivery into the box in the 71st minute almost led to a second goal, but no one could apply the finishing touch.

Goalkeeper Claudio Boakye-Sarfo was called into action in the 75th minute, making a fantastic save to tip a Welling header over the bar. Dover made a series of late substitutions to shore up their defense as Welling continued to push forward in the closing stages.

Despite Dover’s defensive resilience, Welling found their breakthrough deep into stoppage time after the referee had indicated seven minutes to be added on. With ten minutes of added time played, the hosts finally breached the Dover backline after a wide free kick to level the game at 1-1, sending the tie to penalties.

The shootout began with both sides missing their first spot-kicks. Boakye-Sarfo managed to get a hand to a couple of Welling’s penalties, but Dover’s Jacob Mensah missed a crucial attempt rattling the bar, allowing the hosts to clinch a 5-4 victory in the shootout.

A frustrating end for Dover, who were moments away from progressing to a deserved final but ultimately fell to a late equaliser and the lottery of penalties. They will now shift focus back to league action, as they prepare to host Chatham Town on Saturday.

Welling United: Lovett, Statham, Quick, Burchell, Di Trolio, H Walker, Cornish (Ballard-McBride 72), Kelly (Kennedy 46), Kamara (Redfearn 53), Z Walker (Grant 63), Taylor-Crossdale.

Subs (not used): Poole.

Booked: Ballard-McBride  90+8 (foul)

Goal: Di Trolio 90+11

Dover Athletic: Boakye-Sarfo, T Amgbaduba, Charles-Cook, Mensah, Gyebi, Matthews, Lucan (McCarthy 90+10), Wilkinson, E Amgbaduba (Soares-Junior70), Mampolo (Onu 90+7), Fiddes (Tennent 89).

Subs (not used): Gillmore.

Booked: Gyebi 64 (foul on H Walker), Wilkinson 82 (foul), Matthews 90 (foul), Boakye-Sarfo 90+3 (time wasting)

Goal: T Amgbaduba 34

Referee: Michael Butcher

Att: 298