Danny Hockton gives Dover the lead.
| Nationwide Conference Saturday 27 January 2001 Crabble Athletic Ground | ||
| Dover Athletic | 1 - 1 | Doncaster Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Hockton (20) | Att: 1604 | Turner (63) |
| Dover Team: Hyde, Munday (Brown 81), Norman, Pluck, Shearer, Beard, Chapman, Strouts (Carruthers 62), Vansittart, Hockton, Le Bihan |
| Substitutes Not Used: Leberl, Browne, Hudson |
| DAFC Website Man-Of-The-Match: Lee Shearer |
| Dover Players Booked: Chapman, Strouts, Vansittart, Munday |
| Dover Players Sent Off: None |
Dover Athletic's recent winning sequence at Crabble was halted by Doncaster Rovers as they came back from a goal down to earn a point in an even contest at the Athletic Ground.
Bill Williams' year-long injury problems have all but cleared with Lee McRobert, suffering from flu, the only absentee for this game. Jake Leberl and Tony Browne were available for the first time this year and both were on the bench along with two other recent casualties, Matt Carruthers and Steve Brown.
The Whites lined up in their now familiar 5-3-2 formation with Stuart Munday continuing at right wing-back whilst Browne and Carruthers are not yet fit enough to start. Colin Pluck continued to deputise for Munday in central defence.
The match was one of two contrasting halves. Dover were dominant in the first 45 minutes and were rarely troubled at the back but after the break the visitors were the more purposeful side and in the end a draw was probably a fair result.
 Stuart Munday continued his impressive season with another solid display. |
Dover started very brightly and passed the ball around confidently in the Doncaster half of the pitch. Danny Chapman wasted a good chance for Athletic early on when the keeper's weak clearance fell to him and his woeful shot trickled along the ground and only just had enough momentum to reach Richardson in the Donny goal. Chapman hasn't registered a shot on goal worthy of the description since joining from Welling three months ago.
Dover took a deserved lead after 20 minutes. Danny Chapman played a glorious long diagonal pass that found the overlapping Stuart Munday in acres of space. Munday took the ball forward towards the near post before rolling it back across the goal, and as Dover's forwards queued up to knock it into the net, it was Danny Hockton who converted the chance from two yards to record his seventh goal in eight games for the Whites.
Doncaster did have one very good chance to equalise in the first half but Paul Hyde palmed away a low bobbling shot and the Dover defence managed to scramble the ball away.
The second half was a different story as Rovers came at Dover looking for an equaliser. After a couple of half chances, Doncaster eventually breached the Athletic defence after 63 minutes when Watson cross was turned into the net by Michael Turner who did well to hold of both Shearer and Hyde.
There were chances for both sides to win in the final 20 minutes. Vansittart headed over for Dover and Carruthers, on as a substitute for Jimmy Strouts, threatened to open up the visitors on the counter attack but in the end a point was probably deserved by both teams.
Dover now have to wait until March before they have another Conference game at Crabble, when Telford are the visitors. Next week is FA Trophy Fourth Round day which means Dover have no fixture. The following week the Whites travel to Woking in the Conference before Margate visit Crabble in the Kent Senior Cup the following Tuesday. Dover also have games at Doncaster and Scarborough before the visit of Telford.
