Dover’s five game unbeaten streak came to a dramatic end in Andy Hessenthaler’s 200th game in charge of the Whites, as Maidenhead came back from one down to take all three points in a thriller at the Crabble. Joe Ellul’s 53rd minute strike ensured all three points went home with Maidenhead, as they picked up their first win of the month, leaving Dover’s first team coach “scratching his head” . There was drama late on as Sotiriou saw his penalty brilliantly saved by Chris Dunn in the Maidenhead goal, after Modeste was brought down in the box.
It was an electric start to the game, Sotiriou, on loan from Leyton Orient, giving the hosts an early lead in the fourth minute, after powerfully heading home from a well placed free-kick. Dover didn’t hold on long though as Maidenhead equalised six minutes later, Cassidy was put through on goal from a brilliant through ball, splitting Dover’s defence, placing the shot in the bottom left corner.
This only further increased the pace of the game, which was already being played at a frantic speed. The game remained level for only four minutes, Maidenhead failed to clear another Dover cross which fell to Sotiriou’s feet, who made no mistake and fired the ball past the keeper from close range, his second of the match. From the restart Maidenhead went straight back up the other end and would’ve pulled the game level if not for a brilliant save from Mersin, who despite this save, didn’t look confident in the Dover goal all game.
Maidenhead continued to apply the pressure, and on the 36th minute they were rewarded for their efforts, Ryan Upward hitting the ball out of Mersin’s reach to level the game again. There was more for the few travelling fans to cheer about as on the brink of half-time Jake Cassidy made the most of yet another mistake in the Dover defence to fire his side into the lead for the first time in the game. 3-2 to Maidenhead at the break.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Joe Ellul scoring in the 53rd minute to double Maidenheads lead and send their fans into ecstasy. The high winds at the ground was causing both defences problems with the ball hanging in the air. Dunn did well to collect a tricky cross a few minutes after the goal. In the 65th minute the referee awarded the first yellow card of the game to scorer Ellul for a foul on Dover’s Rooney, a decision that would prove crucial to the match. Dover who have become known for scoring from set-pieces halved Maidenhead’s lead, as Rooney lived up to his surname to rise higher than everyone else from the free-kick, heading the ball into the top corner.
This brought Dover back to life, and after making a triple sub, striker Modeste used his fresh legs to get ahead of the Maidenhead centre-back, who subsequently brought Modeste down in the box. Penalty Dover in the 77th minute. Sotiriou was quick to take a firm hold off the ball as he hoped for his hat-trick. To the home fans demise Chris Dunn superbly saved the penalty to his right, a head in hands moment for Andy Hessenthaler who was in charge of his 200th Dover game. The referee would have further decisions to make in what was a fiery encounter, as Ellul was sent off with seconds to spare for a second bookable offence.
It was too late to effect the result, as Dover dropped further points on the play-off places and saw their unbeaten run end. Maidenhead on the other hand ensured that they end November on a positive, after losing every game in November before this. The win keeps Maidenhead in 17th place, but pushes them six points above relegation. Dover on the other hand slip down to 12th and now find themselves five points off the play-off places.
The result left Dover’s first team coach Darren Hare disappointed and struggling to work out what it was that lead to the poor performance, especially after a run of very strong results. During an interview after the game, Darren went on to mention Dover’s defending, calling it “very very poor, and sloppy defending”. he did mention Sotiriou’s brace as the only positive from a result he is obviously very disappointed with. He hopes that the team can use this weekends FA Cup match as an opportunity to right a few wrongs and give something back to the fans.
It was a good performance by the officials in a game which had plenty of fouls, something that Darren agreed on saying that “when you don’t notice the referee it usually means they’ve had a good game” The referee did well to remain on top of every incident, and despite some players feeling aggrieved with some of his decisions, he was correct every time. He did well to remain in control of the game, especially at certain points when fans and players shouted at him demonstrating their frustration. One of the linesman was particularly outstanding, notifying the referee of the foul that resulted in Dover’s penalty. Unfortunately he was subject to some abuse by the home fans when he awarded Maidenhead with a free-kick. A home fan shouted at the referee “I will buy you some stilettos so you are taller than the corner flag”. This was disappointing to hear during a game which was a brilliant advert for National League football. The linesmen in discussion here did not deserve to receive this comment, especially as he was excellent throughout. There is also no place for these types of comments in football in general, no matter the performance of an official. As the name states they are an ‘official’, they are in charge of the game, you wouldn’t even think of speaking like this to your boss, so why do it to someone in charge during a game?
Dover will be looking to bounce back from this disappointing result and cause a massive upset as they travel to Peterborough at the weekend in the FA Cup 2nd round. Maidenhead host Barrow as they look for back to back wins.
For the full audio interview with Darren Hare, click the link: https://youtu.be/qed3X7tw0B0
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