Dover Athletic continued their winning form with a comprehensive 4-2 win over Hendon at the Megger Community Stadium, with Luke Baptiste’s brace and a commanding team performance ensuring all three points in front of 720 supporters.

The game sparked into life almost immediately. Just three minutes in, a mix-up in Hendon’s defence handed Dover the opener. Under pressure from George Nikaj, goalkeeper Matteo Salamon mishandled a loose back header and took the ball over the line in his grasp. Despite Hendon’s protests for a foul, referee Edward Smith awarded the goal—an own goal credited to Salamon.

Dover maintained their momentum, with Ruben Soares-Junior nearly adding a second in the 10th minute with a clever chipped attempt. It was no surprise when the Whites doubled their advantage in the 15th minute. Alfie Matthews delivered a pinpoint free-kick from a dangerous area, and Luke Baptiste rose highest to power home a header, making it 2-0.

While Hendon began to see more of the ball as the half wore on, Dover’s counterattacks continued to pose a threat. Hendon’s best first-half chance fell to Tope Fadahunsi on the half-hour mark, but he failed to capitalise on a cross from Stefan Ilic.

The visitors found a lifeline two minutes before the break. A corner from the right found Kofi Anokye-Boadi at the back post, who nodded past Jordan Gillmore to make it 2-1 and give Hendon hope heading into the interval.

Any doubts about Dover’s grip on the game were dispelled early in the second half. Baptiste struck again in the 50th minute, this time finishing off a slick passing move with Matthews once again the provider. The through ball was perfectly timed, and Baptiste calmly slotted into the bottom corner for 3-1.

Seven minutes later, it was 4-1. Baptiste turned provider as he broke through the Hendon back line and squared unselfishly for Ryan Hanson to tap in from close range. Hanson slid in to connect with the cross, giving Dover a deserved cushion.

The hour mark saw a flurry of substitutions from both sides. Dover freshened up their side with Mampolo, Lucan, and both Amgbadubas entering the fray, while Hendon responded with changes of their own.

Despite Dover’s control, Hendon showed some fight late on. Gillmore had to be alert in the 64th minute to deny Rohdell Gordon with a smart save, and the rebound was thankfully cleared.

Drama unfolded in the 77th minute when Salamon, Hendon’s goalkeeper, was forced off injured after earlier treatment. With no backup keeper named, outfield player Nikolai donned the gloves for the remainder of the match. Despite the emergency, Nikolai made a sensational double save in added time to deny Dover a fifth goal.

Hendon did pull one back in the 88th minute as Fadahunsi bundled home a scrappy effort from a corner, but it was nothing more than a consolation as Dover saw out the remaining minutes with composure.

Attention turns to a big Kent Derby on Good Friday against top of the table Dartford.

Isthmian League – Premier Division
Attendance: 720
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Edward Smith
Venue: Megger Community Stadium

Dover Athletic:

27 Jordan Gillmore, 2 Roman Charles-Cook, 3 Fuad Sesay, 26 Jacob Mensah, 5 Joe Tennent, 6 Luca Cocoracchio, 7 Luke Baptiste, 8 Alfie Matthews, 10 George Nikaj, 14 Ruben Soares-Junior, 29 Ryan Hanson SUBS: 28 Kweku-Conrad Lucan, 15 Tamas Amgbaduba, 9 Eniye Amgbaduba, 24 Francis Mampolo, 4 Jeremiah Gyebi

Hendon:

1 Matteo Salamon, 2 Isaac Currie, 3 Stefan Ilic, 14 Nathan Opoku, 5 Alkeo Bani, 6 J’Ardell Stirling, 7 Rohdell Gordon, 8 Lonit Talla, 9 Tope Fadahunsi, 10 Niko Muir, 11 Kofi Anokye-Boadi SUBS: 15 Nikolai Krokhin, 4 Keagan Cole, 12 Joseph Halsey, 16 Leo Sery, 17 Kombe Kawimbe

It’s 20 years today since former Whites player Paul Sykes tragically passed away whilst playing for Folkestone Invicta, at the age of just 28.

Paul, who also played for Margate, Gillingham and Dartford during his career, collapsed after half an hour during Folkestone’s Kent Senior Cup semi-final against Margate on the 12th April 2004.

Paul’s family have organised a Memorial Fundraiser for the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity this weekend with signed Dover Athletic, Folkestone Invicta and Margate shirts available for auction.

On the anniversary of his passing, Dover Manager Jake Leberl has said:

I have such fond memories of Paul. We were the same year group growing up in the area, I shared many a football pitch with him on the local circuit. Paul was an infectious lad with a wonderful smile and wicked sense of humour and was such a talented footballer and sportsman. I can’t believe it’s 20 years, I remember the evening so well. I was playing for Dagenham at the time and I came off the pitch at Exeter to hear the devastating news of his passing along with my own Grandad on the same sad evening. I still think of him regularly to this day. Everyone here at Dover Athletic wish love and support to his nearest and dearest at this time. Gone but never forgotten.

Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Paul, who will always be fondly remembered not just at Dover Athletic but throughout Kent football.

More information on the CRY shirt auction: https://www.facebook.com/events/531972502858546/?active_tab=discussion

Dover Athletic welcome Hendon to The Megger Community Stadium.

Dover Athletic

On Saturday, Dover Athletic staged a spirited comeback to defeat Cheshunt 2–1 at the Megger Community Stadium. After conceding early to ex-player Charlie Naylor, Dover responded with intensity. A series of yellow cards highlighted a heated first half, and goalkeeper Jordan Gillmore saved a Cheshunt penalty. Just before the break, Luke Baptiste equalised following a goalkeeper error. Dover dominated the second half, and in the 78th minute, George Nikaj headed home a brilliant Ruben Soares-Junior cross. Despite late injuries and pressure, Dover held firm to secure all three points.

In our previous encounter with Hendon, Dover Athletic earned a dominant 3-0 win over Hendon at Silver Jubilee Park, rebounding after back-to-back defeats. Captain Ruben Soares-Junior scored twice in the first half—first with a header from a corner, then with a strike from the edge of the box. Dover controlled the match, adding a third in the 65th minute through George Nikaj. Soares-Junior pushed for a hat trick, while Dover’s defence stifled Hendon’s attack.

Hendon

In their last outing, Hendon ended a 21-match, four-month winless run with a 2-1 victory over Chichester City. Kofi Anokye-Boadi opened the scoring with a superb curling strike past former Oldham keeper Magnus Norman. Despite missed chances and a Joe Clarke equaliser just before halftime, Hendon pressed on. Chichester hit the post, but Tope Fadahunsi capitalised on a defensive error to net the winner—his third goal in four games. Matteo Salamon made a crucial save late on as Hendon held firm against a series of long throws to secure a well-earned win and cut the gap to five points.

Hendon sits in 19th place in the Isthmian Premier League with 35 points from 38 matches. Their record includes 8 wins, 11 draws, and 19 losses. At home, they have performed relatively well with 8 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses from 19 matches. However, their away form has been a major issue, with no wins, 9 draws, and 10 defeats on the road. Hendon has scored 50 goals and conceded 66, giving them a goal difference of -16.

Last 6

08/03 – Hastings United (A) – Lost 0-2
11/03 – Chatham Town (A) – Lost 1-2 (Alan Turvey Trophy SF)
15/03 – Billericay Town (H) – Lost 1-4
22/03 – Horsham (A) – Lost 0-1
29/03 – Canvey Island (A) – Drew 1-1
05/04 – Chichester City (H) – Won 2-1

The Venue

We look forward to welcoming Hendon to the Megger Community Stadium. More information on getting to the ground can be found here: https://doverathletic.com/visit-crabble/

Megger Community Stadium. Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, Dover, Kent, CT17 0JB.

Admission  

Adults: £15
Concessions: £14
U18: £9
U11: FREE with a paying adult

We now only accept card on the gate and operate a cashless ground.

George Nikaj and Luke Baptiste join Justin Allen for a catch up. We discuss the back-to-back wins over Dulwich and Cray Wanderers, breaking goalscoring droughts, the upcoming games, Nikaj’s tattoo plans and who would be left behind on a night out

Dover Athletic came from behind to secure a crucial 2-1 victory over Cray Wanderers, ending the hosts’ 14-game unbeaten home streak and strengthening their push for the playoffs. Goals from George Nikaj and captain Ruben Soares-Junior cancelled out Joshua Williams’ opener in a hard-fought contest at Flamingo Park.

Dover started brightly, showing attacking intent in the early exchanges. In the 5th minute, they looked the more dangerous side, though Cray were first to test the goalkeeper when Jordan Gillmore had to push away a long-range strike two minutes later.

The Whites had their first big chance in the 12th minute when Luke Baptiste went down in the box under a challenge, but penalty appeals were waved away. Shortly after, Alfie Matthews forced Cray’s Shaun Rowley into a fingertip save with a well-hit free kick from the left side of the area.

Despite Dover’s early momentum, Cray struck first in the 23rd minute. Joshua Williams picked up the ball on the left, cut inside, and curled a fine effort past Gillmore to put the hosts 1-0 up.

Cray threatened again in the 32nd and 33rd minutes, first with a lobbed effort that nearly beat Gillmore, and then with a well-worked short corner routine that ended in a volley over the bar.

Dover slowly regained control and had another penalty shout in the 35th minute when Jacob Mensah appeared to be held in the box, but the referee remained unmoved. A series of chances followed, with Ruben Soares-Junior flicking a ball to the back post for Ryan Hanson, who headed over, before Baptiste came close after a clever free-kick move in the 42nd minute.

The equaliser finally came on the stroke of halftime. A ball forward found George Nikaj in on goal, and the prolific forward made no mistake, slotting home his 20th goal of the season to level the match at 1-1 heading into the break.

Dover began the second half positively but struggled to carve out clear-cut opportunities. The first booking of the game arrived in the 58th minute when Ryan Hanson was cautioned. Cray responded with a speculative long-range effort in the 62nd minute that drifted wide.

The decisive moment arrived in the 66th minute. A looping ball into the box from Roman Charles-Cook was flicked on, and captain Ruben Soares-Junior reacted quickest to finish from five yards out, giving Dover a 2-1 lead.

Tempers flared shortly after as Cray’s Tom Bonner was booked in the 69th minute. Dover were then forced into a stoppage as Soares-Junior required treatment for an injury, though he was able to continue.

Dover looked to kill off the game and nearly did so in the 74th minute when Soares-Junior found himself through on goal but fired wide. A series of substitutions followed as Dover sought to shore up their lead, with Francis Mampolo and George Wilkinson introduced for fresh legs.

Cray pressed for an equaliser late on, but Dover’s defence, marshaled by Mensah and Tennent, held firm. Eight minutes of added time tested the visitors’ resolve, yet they remained composed to see out a significant victory.

Isthmian League – Premier Division

Attendance: 808

Venue: Flamingo Park

Kick-off: 3pm

Cray Wanderers:

1. Shaun Rowley, 2. Ike Orji, 3. Darion Dowrich, 4. Remi Sutton, 5. Quade Taylor, 6. Tom Bonner (C), 7. Lateef Adaja, 8. Frankie Raymond, 9. Soul Kader, 10. Joshua Williams, 11. Nyren Clunis SUBS: 12. Thomas Borders, 14. Ezechukwu Ebuzoeme II, 16. Victor Damyanov, 19. Freddie Warwick, 20. Kavalli Heywood

Dover Athletic:

27. Jordan Gillmore, 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 (C), 26. Jacob Mensah, 29. Ryan Hanson SUBS: 9. Eniye Amgbaduba, 15. Tamas Amgbaduba, 23. George Wilkinson, 24. Francis Mampolo, 28. Kweku-Conrad Lucan