Dover Athletic (1) 2 Wilkinson 22,54
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 731
Admission: £17
Mileage: 94/3,840
When the fixtures drop in July, there are dates that are immediately pencilled it, Boxing Day, the Maidstone games and perhaps there is a new ground to visit. On the flip side, there are the visits that are done out of nothing more than loyalty while secretly hoping that a valid excuse surfaces to give it a miss.
Such is Dover Athletic, charmless and unfriendly, whose modus operandi seems to be to make visiting supporters as unwelcome as possible.
Where was the communication that this would be a segregated game. I’ve no issue with the decision to segregate given the recent history of both club's set of youths, but to only find out on arrival at the ground is poor, very poor.
For those of you who have never been to Crabble (lucky you), the stadium is set atop a hill, not just any old hill, it’s a mountain that with a bit of snow could host the downhill at the Winter Olympics. After a torturous climb to reach the turnstiles, with no help from club officials informing you in which direction to walk, I decided to put a step counter on the return descent which recorded a near half-mile hike down a treacherous, unlit pathway.
On the playing field, I have nothing but respect for Dover’s manager Jake Leberl. He took over a basket case of a club with a notoriously difficult chairman in a pretty toxic atmosphere and has led them to promotion and relative safety in National League South on what I can only imagine is a small budget in comparison to the division’s big hitters that certainly doesn’t include Tonbridge Angels.
One area in which Dover have always excelled is with their academy and it was fitting that a scholar of their programme, George Wikinson, was the architect of their 2-0 win.
Tonbridge went into the game on a high following Saturday’s win against Worthing, but on the night have to reflect on an evening of possession aplenty but with no cutting edge and ending up on the receiving end of two very good goals, the first a beautifully crafted team goal and the second a wonder strike from 25 yards.
On a heavy pitch, manager Alan Dunne opted for an amount of rotation with four changes to the starting XI with Bradley Williams, Matty Warren, Naz Bakrin and Alfie Pavey included.
A game unfolded that was high on endeavour, low on quality but, uncharacteristically defined by two moments of excellence. After 20 minutes of nothingness, a series of one-two’s within the Angels box opened up the space for Wikinson to roll the ball past Matt Rowley into the far corner.
Frankie Baker’s persistence and pace offered the Angels a route back into the game but this foundered throughout on the defensive solidity of two brick outhouses in Jalen Jones and Harry Beadle.
Bunmi Babajide, as always, was full of energy and it was his effort just before the break that was deflected into the welcoming hands of Mitch Walker that brought the first involvement of the Dover stopper.
Dunney’s Plan B was left with a Crabble-sized mountain to scale after 54 minutes when a headed clearance was met on the half-volley from Wilkinson which found the top corner like a tracer bullet. It was some hit and one I guess he won’t replicate ever again.
The goal brought a trio of the Dover oiks to goad the Angels support, undoubtedly the segregation plan was well founded, if ill-timed.
A full complement of substitutions, the vast majority of possession and plenty of “penalty area entry” failed to unduly stretch Walker although a cross-cum-shot from Bailey Akehurst drifted only narrowly wide and Akehurst was also responsible for a shot that cannoned off the goalkeeper’s chest.
Roll on July, fixtures being scanned in excited expectation, but this one won’t set the pulses racing.
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