Season: 2019-2020

Weymouth FC v Dover Athletic

Dover qualified for the FA Cup First Round Proper, but needed two late goals to put their name in Monday night’s draw.

Hosts Weymouth had gone ahead late on when Jake McCarthy found the bottom corner, but Whites hit back through Jai Reason’s fine finish and sealed the win when Anthony Jeffrey blasted in Will De Havilland’s knock-down after home stopper Calum Ward dropped the ball into the substitute’s path.

Earlier, Whites were almost behind when Josh McQuoid went for a spectacular lob and though visiting stopper Yusuf Mersin was beaten, the woodwork was not as the ball bounced off the crossbar with Abdulai Baggie skewing the rebound wide.

Calvin Brooks latched onto Bobby-Joe-Taylor’s weak clearance, but smashed wide of the mark.

Mersin then stood strong as the Turkish goalkeeper denied Ben Thomson at his near post.

Inih Effiong then blasted inches the wrong side of the bottom corner and following the restart, Nassim L’Ghoul stung the palms of Ward from distance.

The Frenchman then went even closer moments later after Effiong found him in the box, however skied his volley from five yards.

McCarthy went for glory with a 30-yard free-kick, however Mersin was equal to his effort.

Zubar and Passley both went close at either end with headers, however, it was the home side that went ahead with 12 minutes remaining.

McCarthy appeared to have been taken too wide, but cut back inside and drilled the ball into bottom corner.

However the lead did not last and Reason fired the visitors level from the edge of the area four minutes later.

And Whites won in with 60 seconds of normal time to spare when Jeffrey blasted his side into the First Round Proper.

Earlier boss Hessenthaler made six changes to the side that started the 4-0 defeat at Aldershot 11 days previous.  Mersin, De Havilland and Modeste came in with Rooney, Bedford and Mersin making their competitive debuts.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”356″ gal_title=”Weymouth v DAFC 19/10/19″]

v

Aldershot Town v Dover Athletic

Whites endured a miserable evening on Tuesday evening in Hampshire by conceding four goals without reply.

A goal apiece from Shamir Mullings and Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in the first half and further finishes from Jack Powell and Alefe Santos saw Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler suffer his heaviest league defeat since returning to the club last October.

A sign of things to come was evident early on when Mullings drove wide from the edge of the area, however Athletic had a bright spell of play and Michael Woods swiped over at the second attempt.

Inih Effiong then thought he had opened the scoring, however Jack Powell was well placed to clear the striker’s shot off the line.

But it was the hosts who struck first midway through the first half.  Mullings, in a foot-race with Scott Doe, barged the centre-half off the ball and lobbed over Dover keeper Lee Worgan.

The Shots then doubled their lead with a goal Worgan could do nothing about.

Berkeley-Agyepong collected Santos’ pass and curled an unstoppable 20-yard shot into the top corner.

Effiong tried to reduce the arrears, touching the ball over his marker and volleying into the mid-rift of home stopper Mitch Walker.

Town’s attacks continued and Ethan Chislett scuffed an effort wide from inside the penalty box.

Mullings let fly from 25-yards after the restart, a shot that was just a few inches over Worgan’s crossbar.

But the home side were three goals ahead when Jack Powell’s skidding free-kick deceived Worgan and flew into the net.

The home side were not finished either and extended their lead when Santos raced onto Lewis Kinsella’s through ball and slotted past Worgan.

Kurtis Cumberbatch curled over as Athletic went in search of a consolation.

Mohamed Bettamer nearly grabbed his first goal for the Shots, blasting Kinsella’s cross into the side-netting.

Substitute Nassim L’Ghoul then forced Walker into a smart save from 25-yards.

But the 67 travelling fans were left disappointed at the final whistle after seeing their side well beaten on the night.

Earlier, boss Hessenthaler made four changes to the side that started against Notts County on Saturday.  Simpson, Woods, Cumberbatch and Jeffrey came in for Ricky Modeste (International duty), Steven Rigg (Injured), Nassim L’Ghoul and Will De Havilland.

Whites next travel to Barrow on Saturday 12th October, kick off 3 pm

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

ALDERSHOT TOWN REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”354″ gal_title=”Aldershot Town v DAFC 08/10/19″]

v

Dover Athletic v Notts County

Kristian Dennis’ injury-time leveller denied Andy Hessenthaler’s men a first win in five matches at Crabble on Saturday.

The substitute headed in Mitch Rose’s ball into the area to cancel out Kevin Lokko’s earlier goal.

Rose had equalised from the penalty spot six minutes after Bobby-Joe Taylor had fired Dover ahead with a fine first-half free-kick.

The hosts created the game’s first chance when Jai Reason crossed from the left for Josh Passley, who beat visiting keeper Sam Slocombe to the ball, however headed against the top crossbar.

Enzio Boldewijn cut inside to set up Wes Thomas, but the striker blazed over when well-placed.

Steven Rigg, placing as a central striker, was inches away from connecting to Inih Effiong’s cross.

Scott Doe was ten on-hand to deny Samuel Osborne from getting his shot away, however the ball fell to the unmarked Kyle Wootton, only for the Scunthorpe loanee to blast straight at home stopper Lee Worgan.

At the other end Slocombe was powerless to stop Athletic was taking the lead.

After Nassim L’Ghoul was fouled 20-yards from goal, Taylor curled a sumptuous effort into the top corner, out of reach of the diving County keeper.

Taylor was then involved in Notts County’s equaliser six minutes later.

Dover’s wing-back fouled the onrushing Richard Brindley in the penalty area, leaving Rose to send Worgan the wrong way from 12-yards.

There was a dramatic finale to the half when Effiong latched onto Reason’s free-kick, but Dover’s top scorer was denied his eighth goal of the season by the sprawling Slocombe from point-blank range.

Worgan stopped the Magpies from going ahead within seconds of the restart.

Dover’s goalie was at full stretch to push away Osborne’s curler from just inside the box to keep the scores level.

But a goal was added to the tally in Athletic’s favour thanks to Lokko’s first goal of the season.

Whites’ captain finished off Reason’s pinpoint ball into the area, curling into the corner of the net from close range.

Notts thought they were level when Thomas smashed the ball towards goal from five yards out after Worgan had pushed away Wootton’s drive.

But County’s striker was left laying on the floor in disbelief as home stopper Worgan bravely blocked the shot with his face to stop the ball from going in.

Kurtis Cumberbatch headed fellow sub Ricky Modeste’s cross off target and Effiong lobbed over after being sent clear as Hessenthaler’s side tried to kill the game off.

However the visitors dominated the late staged of the match and that late pressure paid off for County as Dennis headed in Rose’s ball into the box.

Deep into added time Cumberbatch almost won the game when he received the ball and fired goalwards, but Slocombe was off his line in a flash to block the midfielder’s shot.

Earlier, boss Hessenthaler made four changes to the side that started against FC Halifax Town last weekend.  Passley, Munns, Lokko and L’Ghoul came in for Paul Rooney, Kurtis Cumberbatch, Ricky Modeste and Aaron Simpson.

Whites next travel to Aldershot Town on Tuesday 8th October, kick-off 7:45 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

NOTTS COUNTY REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”352″ gal_title=”DAFC v Notts County 05/10/19″]

v

Dover Athletic v FC Halifax Town

Cameron King’s incredible long-range lob saw Whites lose at home in front of the BT Sport cameras on Saturday.

The midfielder had already fired Town ahead in the first half, slipping the ball under Lee Worgan, before sending the ball over Dover’s goalkeeper against the run of play in injury time as the home team chased an equaliser.

The defeat sees Andy Hessenthaler’s lose ground on their promotion rivals, dropping down one place to sixth on the league ladder.

The Shaymen went ahead with their first attack.  Liam McAlinden’s cross-field pass found King, who twisted and turned Aaron Simpson, before firing a shot under Worgan and into the net.

McAlinden then sent a shot over for the away side and Ricky Modeste fired over for Athletic soon after.

Worgan had to scoop up Danny Williams’s effort at the second attempt and Dover somehow failed to equalise minutes later.

Inih Effiong thought he had slipped in the leveller after bustling his way onto Bobby-Joe Taylor’s ball over the top, only to see the ball slide past the wrong side of Town keeper Sam Johnson’s goal.

Jai Reason then sent a shot just over and following the restart, a low corner was driven into the advertising boards behind the goal by Taylor.

Reason smashed an effort from the edge of the area into the side netting and Will De Havilland headed Taylor’s set-piece onto the roof of the net as Athletic piled on the pressure.

Half-time substitute Nassim L’Ghoul caused chaos down the Halifax left and his pass into the area was sent onto the outside of the post by Steven Rigg.

De Havilland was next to try, sending his own flick-on flying past Johnson’s top right-hand corner.

Johnson was called into action to beat away Reason’s fierce free-kick, but Athletic were unable to find a breakthrough as King sealed the win moments before the final whistle.

Earlier, boss Andy Hessenthaler kept with the same side that started at Maidenhead on Tuesday night.  Antony Jeffrey, re-signed prior to kick-off, was named as a substitute.

Whites next host Notts County on Saturday 5th October, kick-off 3 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”350″ gal_title=”DAFC v FC Halifax Town 28/09/19″]

v