Weston-super-Mare 2-3 Dover Athletic

A stunning 90th-minute strike from debutant Corie Andrews secured a dramatic 3-2 victory for Dover Athletic at Weston-super-Mare.

The new signing, introduced from the bench midway through the second half, marked his first appearance for the Whites in spectacular fashion, finding the top corner from 25 yards to settle an end-to-end contest in Somerset.

Jake Leberl made changes to the side which faced Tonbridge Angels in midweek, with Harry Beadle returning to the starting XI and Rolando Onu partnering Decarrey Sheriff in attack. Andrews, whose arrival at Crabble had been confirmed ahead of the game, was named among the substitutes.

Dover made a bright start and had to deal with an early warning when a long Harris free-kick threatened to release Coulson, only for Beadle to recover and clear the danger. The Whites responded by winning the game’s first corner after three minutes and almost made it count moments later when Nazir Bakrin rose highest, his header narrowly failing to find the target.

Onu was next to threaten after eight minutes as Dover continued to find joy with balls in behind the Weston defence. The forward raced onto one such pass and drove towards goal before seeing his effort from around 18 yards kept out by a strong hand from Harris.

The hosts then enjoyed their first sustained spell of pressure, forcing Mitch Walker into action, although Dover continued to pose a threat on the counter. Another well-weighted pass over the top gave Sheriff something to chase in the 11th minute, but Harris reacted quickly to race from his goal and gather before the striker could reach it.

An injury to a Weston player brought a temporary halt to proceedings midway through the half and allowed both sides to take on water and receive instructions from the dugouts. Once play resumed, Dover were quickly back on the front foot and a succession of corners around the 27-minute mark placed the home defence under increasing pressure, with Jack Bates providing a series of dangerous deliveries.

That pressure eventually told two minutes later. Sheriff burst into the penalty area and was brought down by Harris, leaving the referee with little hesitation in pointing to the spot. Sheriff took responsibility himself and calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give Dover a deserved 31st-minute lead.

The advantage lasted only five minutes. Weston worked the ball to the byline before a pull-back found Louis Britton around 12 yards from goal, and the striker produced an excellent first-time finish beyond Walker to bring the hosts level.

Weston grew into the contest after their equaliser and began to apply more pressure before the interval. Louie Derrick dragged an effort from distance while Britton looked to create another opening inside the Dover area, but a heavy touch allowed Walker to collect.

The hosts then came close to completing the turnaround during first-half stoppage time after breaking rapidly from a Dover set-piece. Sercombe won possession near the corner and Weston poured forward with numbers, Hulbert eventually releasing Dawes down the left. His clipped delivery reached Derrick at the back post, but the midfielder sliced his volley wide.

The sides therefore went into the interval level at 1-1, Sheriff having put Dover ahead from the penalty spot before Britton’s quick response.

Leberl made a change at the break, with Euan Williams replacing Beadle, and Weston were first to threaten after the restart as Walker produced a good save to tip a looping header over his crossbar.

Dover responded with a slick move of their own three minutes later. Onu flicked a header into the path of Sheriff, who had found space behind the home defence, but his first-time volley from inside the box carried over Harris’ goal.

Weston took the lead in the 55th minute. Martin’s quickly taken throw released Jagger Cane into the penalty area and his pull-back found Britton, who created the space for himself around 12 yards out before firing emphatically into the roof of Walker’s net for his second of the afternoon.

Rather than allowing the hosts to take control, Dover responded strongly. Bates sent another dangerous delivery across the Weston penalty area which narrowly evaded both Bakrin and Jalen Jones, before a sustained spell of pressure saw the Whites win several corners in quick succession.

The visitors continued to dominate in the air and came agonisingly close to an equaliser after 63 minutes when another corner dropped into a crowded penalty area. The loose ball fell towards Baptiste, but he was unable to force it home through the bodies in front of goal.

Dover then handed Andrews his debut in the 64th minute, the new arrival replacing Onu, before a brief stoppage followed after a coming together involving Oyenuga. The Whites continued to push Weston back and Andrews soon gave an early indication of his threat, turning smartly before getting a shot away in the 73rd minute which bobbled narrowly beyond the far post.

Oyenuga was replaced by Fuad Sesay moments later as Leberl looked for a route back into the game, and that equaliser arrived in remarkable circumstances in the 76th minute.

Harris came out of his area to clear but lost his footing and could only send the ball towards Williams, who was positioned around 35 yards from goal. The Dover midfielder controlled before sending an audacious effort towards the unguarded net. Harris desperately attempted to recover his ground, but the ball seemed to hang in the air before eventually dropping beyond him and into the goal to make it 2-2.

Weston responded by putting Dover under pressure as they looked to restore their advantage, but it was the Whites who began to look the more likely side to find a winner as the game entered its closing stages.

Baptiste made way for Mo Jallow after 85 minutes before Sheriff went desperately close to his second of the afternoon. The striker was slipped in behind the Weston back line and showed his pace to outstrip the recovering defenders, but his low effort across Harris rolled narrowly wide of the far post.

Sheriff’s afternoon ended shortly afterwards as Kola Salami was introduced with two minutes of normal time remaining, but Dover were not finished.

With the clock reaching 90 minutes, Andrews collected possession in space outside the Weston penalty area. The debutant set himself before unleashing an outstanding strike from around 25 yards which flew beyond Harris and into the top corner, sparking wild celebrations among the Dover players and travelling support.

It was a spectacular way for Andrews to announce himself in a Dover shirt and, despite three additional minutes being indicated, the Whites held firm to complete a memorable comeback and claim all three points.

Dover had led through Sheriff’s first-half penalty before Britton struck twice either side of the interval to turn the match in Weston’s favour. Williams’ long-range equaliser brought the Whites level before Andrews produced the decisive moment at the death to seal a 3-2 victory.

The Whites now return to Crabble next Saturday when Braintree Town are the visitors.

Teams

Weston-super-Mare: Harris, Avery (c), Coulson, Britton, Hulbert, Dawes, Pope, Derrick, Martin, Long, Sercombe.
Subs: Glover (GK), Smith, Wood, Jagger Cane, Ash, Robesten, Thompson.

Dover Athletic: Walker, Charles-Cook, Jones, Beadle, Bakrin, Oyenuga, Wilson-Braithwaite, Baptiste, Bates, Sheriff, Onu.
Subs: Wilkinson, Williams, Jallow, Andrews, Salami, Sesay, Bartlett.

Goals: Sheriff 31′ (pen), Williams 76′, Andrews 90′.