League: Pre-Season Friendly
Pre-Season Friendly
3 v 0 
1 v 1 
2 v 1 Folkestone Invicta v Dover Athletic
Dover’s fourth pre-season game ended in stalemate at the BuildKent Stadium on Saturday,
Manager Andy Hessenthaler continued to make changes to his starting line-up as he continues to give everyone minutes before the start of the National League season.
Hessenthaler’s side went close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute after Jack Munns rattled the bar with a free-kick.
The hosts replied with Kieron McCann’s header going wide.
Josh Passley was in the right place at the right time to clear Scott Heard’s shot off the line before Paul Rooney headed just over from a corner.
Dover made three changes at half-time with Steven Rigg and two trialists replacing Bilel Hinchiri, Akheem Rose and Louis Collins.
Rigg tried his luck from distance land his effort went just over the bar.
The striker went close once again with just over 15 minutes to go, seeing his effort from substitute Marshall Wratten’s cross go over the bar.
0 v 0 Herne Bay FC v Dover Athletic
Dover suffered a first defeat in pre-season at the Isthmian League side on Tuesday.
Manager Andy Hessenthaler made a number of changes as he continued to give players the minutes they need before the season starts. Akheem Rose was one of the players to start after signing for the club on Monday.
Herne Bay started strongest and took the lead early on when a free kick from Tom Carlton found the head of Bola who nodded home.
Despite going behind, Dover looked to respond and almost did from a whipped free kick which was headed wide.
However, Dover did equalise shortly after when a corner found its way through to TJ Bramble who was able to slot the ball home, scoring his first goal for the club.
The Bay would retake the lead on the stroke of half time through Zak Ansah who was able to curl his shot into the bottom corner.
Despite Dover trying to get back into the game, a brilliant strike with 20 minutes to go sealed the victory for Herne Bay through Mo Kamara who picked the ball up from outside the box and fired it past substitute goalkeeper Josh Bexon.
Whites continued to try and get back into the game late on and almost did when a trialist was denied from point blank range by the Herne Bay goalkeeper.
3 v 1 Margate v Dover Athletic
Andy Hessenthaler’s squad continued their pre-season campaign with a second successive win after coming from behind to win at Margate.
The manager made a number of changes from Whites’ win at Hythe Town on Tuesday night, with Josh Passley, Will De Havilland, Joe Bedford, Steven Rigg and Jack Munns all coming in.
New signings, goalkeeper Josh Bexon, TJ Bramble and Sam Wood also started.
Both teams kept the ball well early on, with the first chance of the game not coming until the 15th minute through Margate’s Jack Richards, who curled the ball just over the bar from about 20 yards out.
Home goalkeeper Bailey Vose came to the rescue to keep the score goalless after Munns’ brilliant strike from outside the box was palmed away for a corner.
From the resulting corner, Dover took the lead when the ball eventually found its way through to Rigg who hammered the ball into the top of the net.
Margate leveled immediately through Conor Evans, who took his chance well, curling home from 20 yards out.
The home side almost went ahead through Lewis Carey shortly after their equaliser, but his shot was well saved by Bexon.
Dover made a number of changes at half-time, one saw Yusuf Mersin replacing Paxon and the big stopper was in the action immediately, clawing away a deflected free kick which looked destined to be a goal.
With 15 minutes to go, Margate took the lead through a brilliant strike from John Ufuah, who picked up the ball and curled it over Mersin.
Ufuah almost got his second shortly after, finding space and smashing the ball against the bar.
A trialist got Dover back on level terms with five minutes to go after the ball got slipped through to him and he was able to slot home from inside the box.
A couple of minutes later, the same trialist doubled his tally to put Dover ahead for the second time in the game after the Margate goalkeeper smashed the ball against the head of the defender, with the ball ricocheting to the trialist who was able to walk it into the empty net.
2 v 3 Hythe Town v Dover Athletic
One goal was enough for Whites as they started pre-season with a win at Hythe Town.
Manager Andy Hessenthaler used this game to find out more about trialists, with nine starting the game and more coming on in the second half.
Dover had most of the early attacks and could’ve been 1-0 up inside the first 10 minutes after good link up play between two trialists allowed one of them to get around the keeper.
However, he ran out of room in the box and although he was able to get the ball into the danger area, it was easily cleared away by the Hythe defence.
Whites were almost made to pay for a defensive calamity shortly after when a defensive trialist only found the Hythe attacker with a misplaced pass before captain Yusuf Mersin made the save.
Dover took the lead on the half hour mark through one of the trialists after he ran through on goal and kept his composure to slot home.
Dover went in search of a second and had a chance five minutes later after Mersin’s long ball found the furthest forward trialist, but he was taken down as he ran through on goal with the resulting free-kick going well over the bar.
Hythe almost levelled before half time but Mersin did well to stay alert as a corner was headed straight at him.
The second half started slowly, with the first clear cut chance not coming until close to the hour mark as Hythe almost levelled once again.
After some smart play between the Hythe forward put his effort into the side netting.
Dover had a shot well saved by the Hythe goalkeeper, before new Dover signing Louis Collins turned well and shot just over the bar.
Another new arrival, TJ Bramble came on for his debut late in the game, playing a right-back.
0 v 1 
Dover Athletic v Millwall XI
Whites ended pre-season in style by coming back from two goals down to beat Millwall at Crabble on Monday night.
Finishes from Tom Bradshaw and Dady Bovarsson had the Chamionship side in control, but a well taken goal before the break from Nassim L’Ghoul halved the deficit.
Will De Havilland levelled in the second half with substitute Inih Effiong scoring twice, including one from the penalty spot, to take his pre-season tally to six goals.
The win also see Andy Hessenthaler’s men go nine friendly matches unbeaten.
The visitors had the lead when Bradshaw fired into the roof of the net early on following a corner and that lead was doubled nine minutes before half-time.
After the away side hit the post, Bodvarsson was on hand to tuck in the rebound, but Dover responded minutes later with a well taken finish from L’Ghoul.
The Frenchman fired home from the edge of the area after beating two defenders and it was’t long before the scores were level.
Away stopper Ryan Sandford parried shots from Effiong and Steven Rigg, But he was powerless to stop De Havilland from tapping in at the back post.
Sandford then saved well from Effiong, but Dover’s striker was not to be denied after Ricky Modeste was felled in the area, smashing the spot-kick past Millwall’s goalie.
Effiong was not finished there and completed his brace by slotting in Aaron Simpson’s pass.
The forward nearly completed his hat-trick, but was well denied by Sandford late on.
Whites’ start their National League campaign with a trip to Chesterfield on Saturday 3rd August, kick off 3 pm.
Dover: Worgan, Simpson, Wratten, Doe (Lokko 46), De Havilland, Gobern (Hinchiri 46), Bedford, Reason (Effiong 46), L’Ghoul, Modeste (Passley 78), Pavey (Rigg 46)
DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION
MATCH GALLERY
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4 v 2 