Season: 2019-2020

Peterborough United v Dover Athletic

Whites exited the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday, but Andy Hessenthaler’s men put up a brave fight against their League One opponents.

Ivan Toney spectacularly fired Posh ahead early on, but a spirited Dover fashioned chances with Will De Havilland, Bobby-Joe Taylor and Jack Munns all going close in the second half, before late goals from Frankie Kent and Mohamed Eisa sent Peterborough into the hat for Monday evening’s third round draw.

The hosts went ahead in some style with the game’s first shot on target.

Toney lashed in a first-time dipping volley over visiting keeper Lee Worgan from 35-yards after De Havilland’s defensive header had fallen towards Posh’s top scorer.

Toney was almost at it again with another volley, smashing Eisa’s cross narrowly wide of the target following a swift counter attack.

Shooting when the ball was in midair seemed a common theme for United, with Louis Reed slamming an effort straight at Worgan from the edge of the box.

Taylor sent a free-kick sailing over the bar for Dover and home fans were groaning when Eisa squandered the chance to double Boro’s lead.

A quickly taken set piece released Joe Ward, but striker Eisa could only slice his teammate’s pass wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

Marcus Maddison then blazed over after being sent clear by Toney as Athletic remained just one goal down at the break.

Posh continued to create chances and after the restart Worgan was called into action to rescue his side.

Worgan turned Eisa’s curling shot behind with his fingertips after the striker ran clear of Dover’s defence and opted to shoot rather than pass the ball across goal to the lieing-in-wait Toney.

Toney was then given an opportunity himself, this time by Fraser Blake-Tracey from out wide, but headed inches over the bar.

Worgan stopped Eisa again, pushing behind his low drive after the striker was unselfishly fed by Toney.

Will De Havilland then had home stopper Christy Pym scampering across his goalline line to catch the defender’s header from Kurtis Cumberbatch’s deep cross.

Michael Woods then scooped over Ricky Modeste’s lay-off and Pym dived onto Taylor’s right-footed strike.

Jack Munns then went closest for Dover, collecting sub Nassim L’Ghoul’s pass and curling the ball onto the outside of the post with Pym a mere spectator.

And just minutes later Peterborough’s passage into the third round was sealed.

Maddison’s corner was stabbed in, via the base of the near post, by Posh defender Frankie Kent.

And Eisa sealed victory for Boro, slotting in sub Serhat Tasdemir’s pass with six minutes remaining.

Earlier, boss Hessenthaler made five changes to the side that started against Maidenhead on Tuesday.

Worgan, Cumberbatch, De Havilland, Rigg and Modeste all came in with Yusuf Mersin named as a substitute, Inih Effiong, Aaron Simpson and Oscar Gobern all missing out through injury and Ruel Sotiriou returning to parent club Leyton Orient following a one-month loan spell at Crabble.

Whites next host Boreham Wood in the National League on Saturday 7th December, kick off 3 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

PETERBOROUGH UNITED REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”372″ gal_title=”Peterborough United v DAFC 01/12/19″]

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Dover Athletic v Maidenhead United

Dover were on the wrong side of a thriller at Crabble on Tuesday night, though nearly completed an impressive comeback against 10-man Maidenhead United.

Leyton Orient loanee Ruel Sotiriou, on a hattrick having twice put Dover ahead in the first half, saw his late spot-kick saved by visiting goalkeeper Chris Dunn.

Jake Cassidy had levelled in between Sotirou’s goals, with Ryan Upward also equalising for the Magpies in a pulsating first half.

Cassidy put the visitors ahead for the first time before the break and Joe Ellul, who was sent off for a second yellow card in injury time, stretched Maidenhead’s lead after the break.

Rooney stooped down to nod Athletic back into the match, but Andy Hessenthaler’s men were unable to find a leveller despite late heavy pressure.

It was the perfect start for Dover and Sotiriou after just five minutes.

The Cypriot headed Bobby-Joe Taylor’s set-piece into the top corner, though visitors Maidenhead were level four minutes later thanks to Cassidy.

The striker latched onto a ball over the top and planted the ball into the bottom corner, out of reach of home keeper Yusuf Mersin’s despairing dive.

But Sotiriou restored the lead again just minutes later, taking advantage of a mix up in United’s defence.

Two Magpies defenders clashed when trying to clear the same ball and Sotiriou, still with work to do, flicked the ball over his head and into past visiting stopper Dunn.

Remy Clemira nearly restored parity, with Mersin’s tip-over equally as spectacular as the defender’s audacious back-heel volley from Josh Smile’s corner.

It was Dunn’s turn to impress between the sticks, getting down low to palm away Jai Reason’s low drive.

Mersin turned James Akintunde’s bottom-corner bound shot behind the post and Michael Woods was well-placed from the resultant set-piece.

Athletic’s Captain cleared a Maidenhead header off the line to keep his side one goal ahead on the half hour mark.

However, the scores were level again when Upward found the same corner as Cassidy after Akintunde had capitalised on Scott Doe’s poor clearance.

Having twice been behind, Maidenhead then went into the break ahead when Cassidy took advantage of static Dover defending to run clear and slot in to make it 3-2.

And there was no stopping a rampant away side going further ahead after the restart when Ellul slid in between two Dover defenders to score his side’s fourth of the evening.

The two-goal deficit prompted Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler to make a triple substitution, however it was two of the starting XI that pulled the hosts back into the game.

Taylor swung in a free-kick for Paul Rooney to stoop down and nod past Dunn, the Irishman’s first goal for Whites.

Mersin saved well from Akintunde and then Josh Kelly to keep the score at 4-3 to Maidenhead.

And the drama was not over as Whites missed the chance to level from 12 yards after Ellul fouled Ricky Modeste after the sub had outpaced the centre back.

Sotiriou, on a hattrick, saw his penalty pushed to the side and Taylor then went close as Dunn beat away his free-kick from the edge of the box.

And despite late heavy pressure from the home side, Athletic were unable to find a way back into the game.

Earlier, boss Hessenthaler made one change to the side that drew with Solihull on Saturday as Sotiriou came in for Steven Rigg.

Whites next travel to League One Peterborough United in the Emirates FA Cup second round on Sunday 1st December, kick off 2pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

 

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”369″ gal_title=”DAFC v Maidenhead United 26/11/19″]

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Dover Athletic v Solihull Moors

A stunning free-kick from Jamey Osborne denied Dover a third consecutive win on Saturday.

The midfielder curled Sollihull’s first shot on target into the top corner from 25-yards to cancel out Inih Effiong’s early header.

Athletic’s top scorer had stylishly put Andy Hessenthaler’s men ahead after five minutes, looping Jack Munns’ set piece into the top corner.

Both sides had chances to win the game and the away side nearly won it with three minutes remaining when sub Nathan Blissett diverted Callum Howe’s header onto the post.

However, both sides, coming into the match with Dover’s home record matching Moors’ away record, had to settle for a point at the end.

Whites made the perfect start when Effiong’s backward header from Munns’ free-kick looped over the outstretched arms of visiting stopper Boot and into the top corner.

Jai Reason then went close, striking the outside of the post from the edge of the box following Munns’ clever back-heel.

Effiong then had the ideal chance to double the hosts’ lead after beating Moor’s offside trap, only to be denied by Boot’s sprawling save having sprinted through on goal.

Those missed chances were then punished by Solihull.

Home stopper Yusuf Mersin could only watch as Jamey Osborne curled a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner after Michael Woods had committed a foul on the edge of the box.

Reason then nearly restored Whites’ lead after arriving onto Bobby-Joe Taylor’s pinpoint cross at the backpost, only to head high over the bar.

Steven Rigg latched onto Reason’s clever flick after the break, but stabbed his shot straight at Boot.

Yusuf Mersin’s palmed away Osborne’s 20-yard effort after Paul McCallum wrestled Paul Rooney off the ball.

Callum Howe rose highest to meet Osborne’s corner, but could only find the roof of the net and substitute Ruel Sotiriou nearly made an instant impact after coming on, nodding Rigg’s centre wide of the target as the game started to stretch.

Sotiriou went close to meeting Aaron Simpson’s cross and at the other end Mersin was out quickly to deny McCallum sliding in.

Effiong then ran through the Solihull defence, however Boot once again denied the big striker, turning his effort into the side netting.

The woodwork then denied the Midlands side from snatching a late winner.

Osborne’s set-piece was met by Howe and via Blissett’s forehead, the ball smacked the post with Oscar Gobern able to clear away to safety.

And neither side were able to find a winner as whites moved up one space on the league table to ninth.

Earlier, boss Andy Hessenthaler made one change to the side that started at Yeovil last weekend, with Reason returning from suspension to replace Nassim L’Ghoul.

Whites next host Maidenhead United on Tuesday 26th November, kick-off 7:45 pm.

DOVER ATHLETIC REACTION

SOLIHULL MOORS REACTION

MATCH GALLERY

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”367″ gal_title=”DAFC v Solihull Moors 23/11/19″]

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