Season: 2016-2017
Dover Athletic v Welling United
ROSS Lafayette and Aswad Thomas scored the goals as Dover beat Welling United 2-0 to win the Kent Reliance Senior Cup final at Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium on Monday.
It was the first time Dover have won the cup since 1991 and they did it without conceding a goal along the way.
To complete a memorable day for Dover captain Loui Fazakerley, who was playing against his former club, he was named Man-of-the-Match.
Dover started brightly against the National League South side and Moses Emmanuel, one of the three changes boss Chris Kinnear made to his starting side following Saturday’s win at Barrow AFC, was soon in action.
He had the first effort of the day with his shot easily gathered by goalkeeper Chris Lewington before Mitch Pinnock’s 25-yarder flew just over the Welling bar.
Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker was called into action not long after, diving low to his left to turn Ali Fuseni’s shot away for a corner.
Back at the other end, Thomas saw his header from Sam Magri’s cross easily caught by Lewington.
Walker then saved from his Wings namesake Darren and Tom Richards before Sam Hatton’s drive whistled inches wide of the Dover goal.
Lewington needed to be alert after Emmanuel charged down Danny Waldron’s clearance and the keeper won the foot race with the Dover frontman to the loose ball.
Welling had the first chance of the second half with Alex Cathline turning well in Dover’s box before seeing his shot saved at close range by Walker moments after the restart.
The deadlock was broken in the 54th minute and it stunning style by Lafayette.
His curling 25-yarder gave Lewington no chance as it flew into the top corner of the goal in front of the Dover fans.
Welling saw efforts from Hatton and Ricky Hayles fly well wide before Walker safely caught former Dover striker Harry Crawford’s shot.
Walker saved from Walker again before substitute Peter Skapetis’ overhead kick went close just after the Australian striker came on for his Dover debut.
Magri saw his header from Joe Healy’s corner saved by Lewington as Whites pressed for a second.
Thomas delivered it with three minutes to go when he headed home Healy’s cross.
Earlier, Kinnear had to make three enforced changes.
Jamie Grimes and Ricky Miller missed out through injury while Connor Essam’s loan deal from Eastleigh had ended.
They were replaced by Fazakerley, Pinnock and Emmanuel.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
WELLING UNITED REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”198″ gal_title=”DAFC v Welling United 01/05/17″]
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”197″ gal_title=”Kent Senior Cup Victory”]
2 v 0 
Barrow v Dover Athletic FC
RICKY Miller scored a match-winning hat-trick as Dover’s hopes of reaching the National League playoffs ended at Barrow AFC on Saturday.
Miller showed why he was named the league’s Player-of-the-Year after taking his tally to 40 goals as Whites finished sixth, three points behind fifth-placed Aldershot Town.
The striker’s treble included a stoppage-time winner as boss Chris Kinnear’s side came from behind to finish the season with three points at Holker Street.
Jordan Williams put the Bluebirds ahead in the 20th minute before Miller levelled two minutes later with a sublime finish.
That’s the way it stayed until two minutes after half-time when Miller fired home from the penalty spot.
A Moussa Diarra header pulled the hosts level before Miller won it two minutes into time added on.
After a scrappy start to the game, Kinnear’s side found themselves behind after a lightning Barrow counter attack.
Joe Healy’s corner was cleared and reached Williams on the half-way line.
He raced towards Mitch Walker’s goal, beat Sam Magri’s last-ditch tackle before firing past the Dover keeper.
Miller ensured the reply was swift and stunning.
He controlled James Hurst’s pass before unleashing an unstoppable half-volley past goalkeeper Jon Flatt from outside the box.
The finish was so good that the Barrow fans applauded it.
No sooner had Dover scored, they should have been behind again when Williams fluffed his lines from inside the six-yard box and Walker saved his scuffed shot.
Dover then had a double let off in the space of a matter of seconds.
Richie Bennett’s 20-yard shot rattled the bar before Williams’ headed rebound struck the bar and bounced behind.
That man Miller then forced Flatt into acrobatically tipping over his shot before the keeper bravely caught Aswad Thomas’ looping header while under pressure from Ross Lafayette.
Dover were the first team out for the second half – and the first to score.
Miller’s probing run into the Barrow box was ended after he was sent tumbling by captain Danny Livesey.
The hit-man got up to take the penalty and fired well beyond the reach of Flatt much to the joy of the travelling 38 Dover fans just to the right of the goal.
The home fans thought Bennett had equalised not long after his bullet header from Williams’ cross appeared to have nestled in the back of Walker’s net – it hadn’t.
It had whistled inches wide and ended up behind the goal, though it appeared to be in it.
But there was no illusion two minutes later when Diarra headed Shaun Beeley’s cross home from close range, giving Walker no chance.
Flatt almost gifted Dover the lead after he fumbled Hurst’s curling effort into the post and away for a corner.
But there was to be no denying Miller or Dover.
Miller pounced on Livesey’s weak attempted back header to his keeper and kept to his composure to beat Flatt and complete his fifth league hat-trick of a prolific season.
Earlier, Kinnear had to make one enforced change to his starting side following Tuesday’s draw with Bondz N’Gala replacing injured Tyrone Sterling.
Ricky Modeste was also unavailable through injury.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”196″ gal_title=”Barrow v DAFC 29/04/17″]
2 v 3 
Dover Athletic FC v Macclesfield Town
DOVER’S hopes of reaching the National League playoffs are all but over after Tuesday’s draw against Macclesfield Town at Crabble.
Boss Chris Kinnear’s side came from behind twice to salvage a point thanks to goals from Ricky Miller and Ross Lafayette.
That point sees Dover remain sixth on the table, three points behind fifth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Saturday’s final fixtures.
Whites make the long trip to Barrow AFC while the Shots host third-bottom Braintree Town.
Dover started the game brightly with Miller, crowned the National League Player of the Year earlier in the day, seeing his fifth-minute effort beat goalkeeper Scott Flinders before going just wide.
Flinders was in action again minutes later, diving low to keep out Connor Essam’s header from Joe Healy’s free-kick.
Dover continued to press and midfielder James Hurst fired wide from distance.
It was Macclesfield who threatened next with James Thorne’s shot fizzing just wide of Mitch Walker’s goal.
Miller responded for Dover, curling a shot from the edge of the box inches over before the striker had a claim for handball waved away.
The visitors tried their luck from range next, with Rhys Browne’s effort going just over.
That man Miller saw another shot whistle wide before Macclesfield stunned the home faithful with Ollie Norburn’s goal in the 32nd minute.
The midfielder got on the end of Andy Hall’s cross to give Walker no chance and stun the home faithful.
Dover replied with Essam heading wide before the equaliser arrived courtesy of Miller’s penalty five minutes before half-time.
Healy’s flick was handled by Danny Whittaker and Miller sent Flinders the wrong way to register his 37th goal of the campaign.
Miller was again at the centre of the attention early in the second half.
He saw his powerfully struck 25-yard free-kick gathered at the second attempt by Flinders.
His next effort was not so impressive after he deflected Aswad Thomas’ goal-bound header up and over from close range in the 67th minute.
That miss proved to be costly with the visitors regaining the lead just three minutes later through Anthony Dudley.
He found himself free on goal and his effort went through Walker’s legs
Essam missed a glorious chance to put Whites back on level terms soon after but the big defender headed Sam Magri’s pin-point free-kick over.
Lafayette handed Dover a lifeline with three minutes to go, after the frontman fired home substitute Moses Emmanuel’s pass.
Flinders then dived bravely at the feet of Lafayette before Emmanuel headed over following Essam’s header across goal.
Healy glanced a header just wide before Macclesfield hit the post through Dudley.
Earlier, Kinnear had to make one enforced change to his starting side following Saturday’s loss with Thomas replacing injured Ricky Modeste.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”195″ gal_title=”DAFC v Macclesfield Town 25/04/17″]
2 v 2 
Dover Athletic v Torquay United
FORMER Forest Green Rovers striker Brett Williams came back to haunt Dover at Crabble on Saturday.
Williams, who scored a goal in both of Rovers’ wins at the venue last season, scored a goal in each half as Torquay moved out of the relegation zone and take Dover’s hopes of making the playoffs out of their hands.
The Devon side led 2-0 before substitute Aswad Thomas reduced the deficit just a couple of minutes after coming on.
But it wasn’t enough to prevent boss Chris Kinnear’s side from losing to the Gulls, who only had two efforts on goal, for the second time this season and by identical results.
The loss keeps Dover sixth on the National League table, four points behind fifth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Macclesfield Town at Crabble.
Whites also have a game in hand on the Hampshire side.
Dover started brightly and dominated possession for long stages, but could not make the pressure pay.
Recalled striker Ross Lafayette had the first shot of the game in the third minute with goalkeeper Brendan Moore comfortably saving the effort.
Moore then saved twice in quick succession from Ricky Miller as Whites looked for an early goal.
Ricky Modeste was next to try his luck, forcing Moore to turn away his shot at his near post after the winger had turned Lathaniel Rowe-Turner inside the box.
Torquay’s first clear-cut chance fell to Williams, but his toe-poke threatened the corner flag rather than Mitch Walker’s goal.
Dover responded with Miller turning and shooting just wide following Lafayette’s headed flick-on.
Midfielder James Hurst, playing against one of his former clubs, was next to test Moore with a 25-yarder.
Hurst’s pin-point ball over the top ended with Miller firing high and wide before the striker saw another effort end up safe in the hands of Moore.
It was all one-way traffic at that stage, but Williams was about to change that two minutes from half-time.
The Gulls leading marksman powerfully headed home AFC Bournemouth loanee Jordan Lee’s cross to give his side the lead with their first effort on target to stun the home fans.
Dover needed to react but nothing happened until the 61st minute when Miller fired wide from distance.
Five minutes later, Williams struck again when raced on to Luke Young’s pass to fire past Walker and take his tally to 11 for the season.
Dover were down but not out.
Thomas gave Dover a lifeline after his looping header beat Moore and seconds later, Moore saved from another substitute, Moses Emmanuel, as Dover searched for an equaliser.
Dover had another scare when Young’s free-kick whistled past Walker’s goal as the visitors threatened again.
It was end-to-end now and Moore dropped Sam Magri’s cross before Connor Essam put the rebound over.
Lafayette cleared Gian-Carlo Gallifuoco’s header off the line before Miller scooped over Moore’s bar from close range as Torquay held on to keep their hopes of staying in the league alive.
Earlier, Kinnear made one change to his starting side following the defeat at Aldershot Town with Lafayette replacing Thomas.
Jim Stevenson, recalled from his loan spell at Southport earlier in the week, was named among the substitutes.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”194″ gal_title=”DAFC v Torquay United 22/04/17″]
1 v 2 
Aldershot Town v Dover Athletic FC
A LATE Aldershot penalty dented Dover’s playoff aspirations at the EBB Stadium on Monday.
Matt McClure’s 73rd-minute spot kick saw the Shots replace Whites in fifth spot, but boss Chris Kinnear’s men are only one place and one point behind their promotion rivals and with a game in hand.
The visitors made a lively start and Ricky Miller beat the offside trap following a ball over the top, but the lack of a lineman’s flag seemed to catch the striker off guard, allowing the home defence to track back and block his effort.
Ricky Modeste then took aim from the edge of the box, but his arrowed effort flew just wide of goalkeeper Jake Cole’s left-hand post.
The home side fashioned their first chance when Scott Rendell escaped down the right, but his pass was unable to find a team-mate.
Aldershot began to dominate possession, but Dover’s stubborn rearguard restricted them to long-range strikes, with Cheye Alexander, Nick Arnold and Bernard Menshah all blazing over Mitch Walker’s goal.
But Dover’s stopper was forced into action midway through the first half, palming behind Rendell’s audacious effort from the byline.
Then it was the turn of visitors to register their first effort on target. Joe Healy’s set-piece was met by the head of Connor Essam, however, Will Evans was on the line to clear the danger.
Evans, Shamir Fenelon and Callum Reynolds were all thwarted by Walker after the break as Aldershot peppered the Dover goal with shots on target.
The keeper could only watch though as Nick Arnold’s cross struck the post’
Second half substitute Idris Kanu was booked for simulation minutes later following Essam’s attempt to challenge the youngster in the area.
But the burly centre back’s relief was short-lived as referee Neil Hair pointed to the spot after he fouled Jake Gallagher with a mistimed tackle in the area following a clever pass from Fenelon.
Sub McClure smashed the resulting spot-kick down the middle and out of reach of a diving Walker.
Essam almost made amends at the other end but headed sub Mitch Pinnock’s free-kick straight at Cole.
Walker was then almost left red-faced at the other end after he failed to hold onto Anthony Straker’s fierce strike but was able to grab the ball at the second attempt before it crossed the line.
Former West Ham youngster Kanu received his marching orders late on for a rash tackle on Chris Kinnear Jr and Athletic almost made the extra man advantage count.
With time running out, Aswad Thomas bravely headed a corner wide and Ross Lafayette nodded Walker’s long kick straight at the keeper.
Amazingly there was still one more chance for Whites to snatch a point at the death.
Miller created space for himself in the box, but his effort was blocked. The rebound fell to Kinnear Jr with the goal at his mercy, but the midfielder scuffed the ball wide.
Earlier, boss Kinnear made one change to the team that beat Southport 3-0 on Good Friday, Thomas replacing Moses Emmanuel, who dropped to the bench.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
ALDERSHOT TOWN REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”193″ gal_title=”Aldershot v DAFC 17/04/17″]
1 v 0 
Dover Athletic FC v Southport
WINGER Ricky Modeste scored a double as Dover moved up a place to fifth in the National League after beating Southport at Crabble.
Ricky Miller scored the other goal as boss Chris Kinnear’s side condemned their opponents to being relegated with their fifth win in six games.
Man-of-the-match Modeste, who got the goal in the 1-0 at Southport in September, opened the scoring in the first half.
Whites wrapped up the win with two goals in a minute in the second half when Miller took his league tally to 36 after a mistake from Southport goalkeeper Chris Cheetham before Modeste added a third with a sublime lob.
The three points sees Whites two points ahead of sixth-placed Aldershot Town ahead of Monday’s clash in Hampshire.
Whites also have a game in hand on the Shots.
Connor Essam had the first chance of the game in the eighth minute when his header from a James Hurst free-kick was cleared off the line by Robbie Cundy.
Essam reacted first to the rebound but the big defender blasted his effort well over.
It was to be another 18 minutes before Whites threatened again with Modeste seeing his effort slice just wide.
But Modeste was celebrating two minutes later after he beat Cheetham at the second attempt.
Cheetham saved Modeste’s first effort before the winger kept his composure to roll the ball under him.
Southport went close to equalising just after the half-hour mark when Andrai Jones headed Rory McKeown’s cross just wide of Mitch Walker’s goal.
Dover responded with Miller dispossessing the towering Cundy before seeing his curling effort beat Cheetham and the far post.
Southport threatened again just before half-time with McKeown’s effort just off target.
Miller had the first attempt of the second half for Dover with Cheetham pushing his fierce drive away for a corner.
Joe Healy took the corner, the ball fell to Hurst, but the midfielder fired well over.
Dover doubled their advantage in the 70th minute courtesy of a Cheetham mistake.
He appeared to have Miller’s tame shot well covered but somehow allowed it to trickle through his legs to gift the striker another goal in his prolific campaign.
Cheetham was beaten again less than a minute later when Modeste raced on to Healy’s pass before chipping over the advancing goalkeeper.
Richard Brodie headed wide for Southport before Dover substitute Chris Kinnear jnr saw his audacious attempt from just inside the visitors half finish well off target.
Earlier, Kinnear made one change to his starting side following the win against Braintree a week earlier, with James Hurst replacing Chris Kinnear jnr in midfield.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”192″ gal_title=”DAFC v Southport 14/04/17″]
3 v 0 
Braintree Town v Dover Athletic FC
RICKY Miller scored a late winner as Dover came from behind to keep their playoff aspirations intact after beating Braintree Town at IronmongeryDirect Stadium on Saturday.
The massive three points leaves boss Chris Kinnear’s side sixth, level on points with fifth-placed Aldershot Town, but importantly with a game in hand on the Hampshire side.
But relegation- haunted Braintree made Whites work hard for the victory.
The hosts, who finished the game with 10-men after former Dover defender Craig Braham-Barrett was shown a straight red in the second half, led through Michael Cheek’s first-half header.
Eastleigh loanee Connor Essam equalised in the 64th minute before Miller, the National League’s leading marksman, sent the travelling fans wild with his 35th league goal of the season in the 89th minute.
The win and the goals were Dover’s first at the venue after Kinnear’s side had suffered losses in both previous National League games there.
Dover started the game brightly and Joe Healy had a shot turned over by goalkeeper Sam Beasant after only two minutes.
But it was Braintree who took the lead with their first attempt on goal six minutes later.
Cheek, Braintree’s top-scorer, rose to head Sean Clohessy’s cross powerfully past Mitch Walker.
Walker then spread himself to save from Sam Corne in a one-on-one as Braintree threatened again.
Dover thought they had equalised after Ricky Modeste pounced on a poor back pass and Miller finished from close range.
But the celebrations were short-lived with the goal ruled out for offside.
Miller’s run and cross was turned just wide by Modeste before Braintree responded with Braham-Barrett seeing his cross hit the outside of the post.
Cheek had a header easily gathered by Walker before Moses Emmanuel’s curling effort sailed harmlessly over Beasant’s bar.
Dover had the final chance of the opening half, with an unmarked Jamie Grimes heading Healy’s corner into the side netting in stoppage time.
The first opportunity of the second half went to Braintree with Cheek’s effort fizzing across the face of Walker’s goal.
Walker was under threat again moments later, turning away Corne’s low drive before Essam cleared a Corne header off the line.
After his heroics at one end, Essam was about to star at the other – by scoring the equaliser.
The big defender headed Healy’s pin-point free-kick beyond Beasant to put his side back in the game.
Braintree were then reduced to 10-men after Braham-Barrett was given a straight red for a cynical tackle on Modeste.
Substitute Reece Hall-Johnson fired over before a last-gasp Richard Orlu tackle deflected another effort from Hall-Johnson behind.
Dover went in search of a winner – Miller, who scored four in the 6-1 win against Braintree at Crabble in December, delivered.
He got on the end of Ross Lafayette’s cushioned header and fired past Beasant.
Earlier, Kinnear made one enforced change to his starting side following the win against Gateshead a week earlier, with Chris Kinnear jnr replacing the injured Loui Fazakerley.
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”191″ gal_title=”Braintree Town v DAFC 08/04/17″]
1 v 2