Dover Athletic 1 Newport IOW 0
Ryman League Division One
Saturday 1^st October 2005

Whites maintained their 100% record with a comfortable victory against their visitors from the Isle of Wight. Debutant Carl Rook got the winner from the penalty spot, but the margin of victory should have been greater against a side who had limited attacking threat.

With the injury to Tommy Tyne last week, Rook was given a starting berth up-front only days after joining the club, with Clive Walker reverting to 4-4-2 instead of 3-5-2. This meant that Dean Readings dropped to the bench, with Hamshare and Rogers given the opportunity to play down the right and left flanks respectively.

Rook almost got on the end of a Spiller free kick as early as the first minute, as the Whites immediately took the game to Newport. Braithwaite then crossed for Rook to get a header on target, before Tony Browne forced a wonderful save out of keeper Joe McCormack with a drive from 20-yards.

The chances continued to come, and Rook came within inches of breaking the deadlock when he swivelled to head a Tony Browne cross goalwards, but it sailed just wide.

The Newport goal was leading a charmed life, and Hamshare almost touched home at the back post, and Spiller headed just over, before a rare scare down the other end. The ball was crossed from the right and Newport's Olamide Dedegbe should have poked the ball home from close range, but failed to connect.

Whites ought to have gone into the interval in the lead, as Braithwaite crossed following a superb backpass by Rook, but Wilkins slotted a superb chance wide. Then with the halftime whistle imminent, Wilkins' header was headed off of the line by Simon Pilcher - Whites just could not get the ball in the net.

Although Fraser Quirke shot wide for Newport at the start of the second period, the second half took the same pattern as the first with Whites creating a number of chances. Wilkins forced a good save out of the keeper with a header, Humphrey headed a corner just over, and Rook shot over from 25-yards, all in the first three minutes of the half.

A rare breakaway saw Ritchie Way's volley sail just wide, but most of the game was still taking place in the visitors half. Hamshare headed a chance just wide, before a Braithwaite free kick caused a melee in the area with 70 minutes on the clock.

Rook and Cloke both saw shots cleared off the line, but Humphrey's effort was blocked by the hand of James Dunk, and the referee pointed to the spot. With usual penalty taker Craig Cloke taking a knock in the drama that would subsequently cause him to go off, Rook stepped up to slot the ball home in front of the River End.

Readings replaced Cloke soon afterwards, and Whites continued to threaten when Hamshare turned Spiller's miss-hit effort goalwards, but Newport made two changes to try to salvage the game. David Greening did manage a shot on target for the visitors, but it was Rook that came closest to adding to the tally with a turn and shot that went just wide of the angle.

It should be noted that referee Andrew Legg had a superb game, and on his final whistle there was relief for Whites fans. The side performed really well here, nobody had a bad game, and they should have finished off their opponents earlier. And hopefully once Carl Rook gets his match fitness back he can be the man to finish those chances off.

Dover Athletic: Paul Hyde 7, Tony Browne 8, Daniel Braithwaite 8, Danny Chapman 8, Craig Cloke 8 (Dean Readings, 75mins), Nick Humphrey 8, Shane Hamshare 7 (Walid Matata, 84mins), Lee Spiller (C) 8, Craig Wilkins 8, Carl Rook 8, James Rogers 7.

Subs (Not Used): Dale Skelton, Sam Vallance, Darren Smith.

Newport IOW: Joe McCormack, Russell Hardwell (Gavin Keogh, 86mins), Ritchie Way (Nathan Bett, 86mins), James Dunk, Paul Jones, Johnny Holmes, Stephen Leigh, Leigh Cole (C), Olamide Dedegbe (David Greening, 68mins), Fraser Quirke, Simon Pilcher.

Subs (Not Used): Oliver Fleming, Michael McEnery.

Sent Off: James Dunk (70mins)

Referee: Andrew Legg

Assistants: Simon Finnigan and Jonathan Gooding