Season: 2016-2017

Ira Jackson Jnr

Forest Green Rovers v Dover Athletic

WHITES DENIED ROVERS DOUBLE

Forest Green strike late to share points.

KIEFFER Moore’s injury-time strike denied Whites from securing a deserved double over their promotion rivals.

Moses Emmanuel had headed Dover in front midway through the second half at the New Lawn.

The match kicked off forty minutes late due to a power cut in the area.

Dover restricted their hosts until the half-hour mark, debutant Shamir Mullings’ header on target was deflected over by Aswad Thomas.

Ricky Miller, scorer of a hat trick in the 4-3 win against Rovers at Crabble in September, struck from a similar distance to his then winner, forcing Sam Russell into a spectacular save.

Moore almost put the hosts in the driving seat before half time, Steve Arnold diving bravely at the feet of the target man after he was released by Liam Noble.

Whites almost scored from the restart, Miller finding Emmanuel and his flicked effort spun just past the post.

Both teams created chances, Mullings fired straight at Arnold from close range, while Lafayette failed to beat Russell when well placed.

Dover broke the deadline after Ricky Modeste’s pinpoint cross found the head of Emmanuel, who in spite of Russell’s best efforts, found the top corner with his ninth goal of the season.

Forest Green went to close to levelling almost immediately as Moore fired just wide from an angle.

The home side piled on the pressure and with time running out Arnold blocked Pinnock’s free header and Richard Orlu sensationally cleared Moore’s clever lob off the line.

Moore finally took his chance at the death, bundling home after Shamir Mullings had headed Liam Noble’s corner back across the goalmouth.

Earlier, Dover made one enforced change from their midweek FA Trophy loss to Dartford. Modeste came in for a sick Jim Stevenson, while Sammy Moore’s hamstring injury kept him sidelined for a third consecutive game.

Forest Green made five changes from their extra time win over Truro on Tuesday. Darren Carter, Charlie Cooper, Marcus Kelly, Mullings and Moore came in for Dale Bennett, Fabien Robert, Dan Wishart, Christian Doidge and Keanu Marsh-Brown.

The draw sees Dover remain in sixth, one point behind fifth-placed Barrow. Whites play host to Kent neighbours Maidstone on Boxing day.

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”174″ gal_title=”Forest Green Rovers v DAFC 17/12/2016″]

1 v 1

Dover Athletic FC v Dartford FC

DARTS DEFEAT DOVER

Whites beaten by Kent rivals in FA Trophy replay

DARTFORD earned a second-round clash with fellow National League side Chelmsford City after winning the replay against Whites on Tuesday.

Dover made the perfect start as Jim Stevenson crashed in an opener, but a scrappy leveller from Ronnie Vint and a stunning winner from Luke Wanadio turned the game around for Darts.

Boss Chris Kinnear kept faith with the same eleven that started the match at Princes Park on Saturday, a game which ended 1-1.

That meant Tyrone Sterling faced his former side, while Tom Wynter and Duane Ofori-Acheampong returned to Crabble for the first time since leaving.

Dartford were forced into making two changes from Saturday’s line-up with Tom Gardiner and Andy Pugh both injured. Ryan Hayes and Lee Noble replaced the duo.

Dover made a bright start with Moses Emmanuel skipping past two defenders and crossing for the well placed Jamie Grimes, but Dover’s captain planted his header over.

On 10 minutes, Stevenson picked the ball up in midfield and with no options ahead, went for glory from 25 yards.

Darts keeper Deren Ibrahim opted to parry the shot but was left red-faced as the ball bounced off the turf and into his goal.

His blushes were short-lived as Dartford equalised four minutes later.

Vint, who scored the equaliser on Saturday, volleyed through a crowded box after Dover keeper Steve Arnold was unable to deal with Hayes’ corner properly.

Wanadio, a summer trialist at Crabble, then tried his luck from the edge of the area, but Arnold was able to turn his stinging effort wide.

Dover responded with Emmanuel’s long-range curling effort spectacularly tipped onto the bar by Ibrahim.

Wanadio continued to impress, crossing for Acheampong to head over.

But he took his chance just before half time after Arnold punched a corner straight to the winger and he returned the ball with interest to give Dartford the lead.

Ricky Miller raced onto Ross Lafayette’s flick after the break but was unable to beat Ibrahim, whilst the Gibraltar stopper was quick off his line to block Emmanuel’s drive.

Noble should have killed the game off, but he blasted over after good work from Acheampong.

The defeat means Whites have lost in the Trophy to lower league opposition three years running.

They now turn their attention to Saturday’s league match at Forest Green Rovers, who they beat in a 4-3 thriller back in September.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”173″ gal_title=”DAFC v Dartford 13/12/2016″]

1 v 2

Dartford v Dover Athletic FC

DOVER and Dartford will meet again on Tuesday night following a 1-1 draw in the FA Trophy first round at Princes Park on Saturday afternoon.

Ronnie Vint’s second-half goal cancelled out Ricky Miller’s earlier finish to set up the midweek replay at Crabble.

The hosts were nearly ahead within minutes of the restart when Duane Ofori Acheampong almost found Andy Pugh in space, while at the other end Miller tested home keeper Deren Ibrahim on the volley.

Whites continued to press for an opener and Moses Emmanuel blazed over Aswad Thomas’ pinpoint cross.

Jack Parkinson headed straight at Ibrahim and Thomas tried himself soon after, slashing well wide from 25-yards.

Steve Arnold grabbed hold of Alex Brown’s long ranger and it was the away side who were ahead on 38 minutes.

Having denied dangerman Miller earlier, Gibraltar international Ibrahim was powerless to stop the hotshot striker bagging his 27th goal of the season from six yards.

Thomas flashed a header wide and following the restart Danny Harris sent a fierce 20-yard strike just off target.

That was a mere warning as the Darts levelled on just before the hour mark.

Arnold could only claw away a headed corner as far as Vint, who fired into the net within a crowded penalty area.

The away side were grateful to leave their Kent rivals with a draw after substitute Lee Noble curled inches past Arnold’s far post.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”172″ gal_title=”Dartford v DAFC 10/12/2016″]

1 v 1

Dover Athletic FC v Dagenham and Redbridge

DAGGERS TO THE HEART

Dagenham end Dover’s impressive league run

DOVER’S struggles against Dagenham & Redbridge continued at Crabble on Saturday.

Whites slumped to their eighth defeat in 12 games against the Daggers as the Essex side ended Dover’s four-game National League winning streak.

First-half goals from on-loan Brighton winger Jordan Maguire-Drew and veteran Paul Benson laid the foundations for the win, their third consecutive on the road.

Ricky Miller had a penalty saved before finally reducing the deficit with eight minutes to play, but it was too little, too late to salvage anything from the game.

The defeat means Whites have still only beaten the Daggers once, the 3-1 triumph at Crabble on New Year’s Day in 2001.

The visitors opened the scoring through Maguire-Drew – and the TV replay won’t make for happy viewing for Dover goalkeeper Steve Arnold.

Arnold appeared set to gather Maguire-Drew’s 30-yard free-kick before slipping and could only look up in horror as the ball sailed over him into the back of his net.

But Arnold, who was later named Man-of-the-Match, soon redeemed himself.

He produced a stunning save to somehow keep out Chris Assombalonga’s close-range effort from Maguire-Drew’s cross.

Arnold was at it again just before half-time, saving well from Corey Whitley after he was found by the impressive Maguire-Drew.

But Arnold could not prevent Daggers extending their lead from the resulting corner – taken by that man Maguire-Drew.

His cross was headed home by 37-year-old Benson, his first goal for Daggers since 2010.

Dover’s hat-trick hero from Tuesday’s win at Sutton United, Moses Emmanuel, gave the home fans hope, firing wide twice before the break.

Arnold was the first of the keepers called into action in the second half, saving well from Benson and Maguire-Drew.

Miller’s hustle and bustle threw Dover a lifeline from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after the striker was brought down by Luke Guttridge.

Miller took the kick himself, only to see it saved by Elliot Justham.

Justham kept out the initial shot before Miller, reacting first, put the rebound wide.

The Dagenham keeper denied Miller again, saving a shot from league’s top-scorer with ease.

Arnold kept his side in with a chance of getting something out of the game after saving from Benson after the striker had pounced on captain Jamie Grimes’ back pass.

And that saved proved vital after Miller gave Dover hope with his 22nd goal of the National League campaign.

Grimes headed substitute Mitch Pinnock’s long throw into the danger zone and Miller volleyed home.

There was to be no more joy for Whites as Dagenham completed the double over boss Chris Kinnear’s side following the 2-0 win at Victoria Road in September.

Dover dropped a place to sixth as a result, but are just a point out of the playoffs.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION