Matt Carruthers and Steve Brown in action at Northwich
| Nationwide Football Conference - Saturday 18th September 1999 - Drill Field | ||
| Northwich Victoria | 1 - 1 | Dover Athletic |
|---|---|---|
| Owen (5) | Att: 1049 | Vansittart (2) |
| Dover Team: Hyde, Browne (Godden 90), Virgo, Munday, Shearer, Leberl, Dunne, Le Bihan, Vansittart (Carruthers 10, Hynes 85), Brown, Wormull |
| Substitutes Not Used: Mitten |
| Booked: None |
| Sent Off: None |
| DAFC Website Man-Of-The-Match: Stuart Munday |
Following two very disappointing performances, away to Altrincham and at home to Doncaster, Dover earned an excellent point away to a Northwich side who had been in good form.
Dover started in the best possible way. Steve Brown found Joff Vansittart in space, Lance Key raced off his line and Vansittart chipped the ball towards the open goal. The ball bounced into the net and Athletic were ahead. But for the third time in four matches, Dover conceded within a few minutes of opening the scoring. Three minutes after Vansittart's strike, Mark Devlin shot across the face of goal, the ball deflected off Jake Leberl and Val Owen was left with a simple finish to equalise.
Steve Brown's partnership with Joff Vansittart looked promising but we didn't get to see much of it as Vansittart was stretchered off with a broken nose after colliding with Mark Birch.
The match settled into a pattern of Vics attacking and Dover defending soundly and playing on the break.
Steve Brown should have scored midway through the first half. Tony Browne found him in the area but the ball died at his feet as he tried to side-foot past key. For Northwich, Owen was denied bravely by Paul Hyde and Robinson missed the target from 10 yards.
After the break, Neil Ellis' long cross found Peel unmarked at the back post, but his header, back across the goal, went well wide. Stuart Terry had a chance for Northwich that was dealt with comfortably by Hyde, and Leberl had an effort at the other end that Key saved without too much trouble.Towards the end of the game gaps started to appear in both defences and a late winner looked likely. Both sides had three decent chances to grab all three points. Wes Simpson was wide with a diving header for Northwich, Darren Vicaray was squeezed out by Joe Dunne and Ellis' cross was tipped over by Hyde. For the Whites, Carruthers overran the ball, Browne had a shot that hit Birch and Leberl headed over.