Joff Vansittart scores the first goal.
| Nationwide Football Conference - Saturday 30 October 1999 - Crabble Athletic Ground | ||
| Dover Athletic | 4 - 2 | Stevenage Borough |
|---|---|---|
| Vansittart (27), Leberl (45), Dunne (48), Brown (54) | Att: 1001 | Leadbeater (47), Alford (90) |
| Dover Team: Hyde, Browne, Virgo, Munday (Leberl 25), Shearer, Wormull (Carruthers 75), D.Clarke, Dunne, Vansittart, Brown, Le Bihan |
| Substitutes Not Used: Hynes, Beard, Iga |
| Booked: Browne |
| Sent Off: None |
| DAFC Website Man-Of-The-Match: Steve Brown |
For the second Saturday in succession, Dover Athletic scored four goals against a a team above them in the Conference to take all three points at Crabble. And for the second Saturday in succession, Dover dominated their supposedly superior opposition and played some excellent attacking football.
Bill Williams had the rare luxury of being able to name an unchanged line-up for today's match. Jake Leberl returned from suspension but had to settle for a place on the bench alongside joint leading scorer Mark Hynes and last week's goal-scoring substitute, Matt Carruthers.
From the early stages of the match Dover looked to be in for a few goals as Stevenage's defence looked very shaky. Had it not been for the flag-happy linesman, Athletic may have grabbed a couple in the opening 10 minutes. Both Brown and Wormull were thwarted by dubious decisions.
Dover should have taken the lead after 6 minutes when Simon Wormull played the ball over the top and Steve Brown burst through the sloppy Stevenage backline to pick up the ball with only the keeper to beat. Brown took the ball into the area and hit a powerful shot across keeper Chris Taylor, who did well to push it away for a corner.
Shortly after, Carl Alford, who spent a couple of months on loan at Crabble at the end of the 1997/98 season before joining Stevenage, could have put the visitors ahead but headed Ray Houghton's cross straight into the arms of Whites keeper Paul Hyde.
Dover were forced to reorganise in the 25th minute, when influential defender Stuart Munday had to be substituted after picking up a head injury. Jake Leberl came on to take his place.
In the 27th minute Dover's pressure paid off and a goal arrived courtesy of Borough's ineffective offside trap. Joff Vansittart raced through unchallenged, to latch onto Steve Brown's header. Vansittart advanced into the area and cooly slotted the ball past the helpless Taylor.
Deep into first half stoppage time Dover doubled their lead, Jake Leberl heading home Simon Wormull's corner for his third goal of the season.
The three points looked to be secure but Stevenage had other ideas. Just after the break they reduced the defecit when Richard Leadbeater found himself in acres of space as Houghton's right wing cross picked him out enabling him to tap in from close range.
Dover's response was immediate. Vansittart found Joe Dunne who netted with an excellent shot across the keeper that went in off the post. It was Dunne's first goal for the Whites.
Athletic put the game beyond Stevenage in the 54th minute when Steve Brown scored with a 35-yard stunner that flashed past the keeper and slammed into the top corner of the net.
After Brown's goal the match quietened down a little with heavy rain making it difficult for both sides. Simon Wormull limped off after 75 minutes, he was replaced by Matt Carruthers. It was Carruthers who came closest to making it five for Dover but his shot was saved well by Taylor.
Deep into injury time at the end of the game and one Dover fan was heard asking "Where's Carl Alford been this afternoon?" Three seconds later the Conference's leading scorer arrived at the back post to head home Tony Samuels' cross for his thirteenth goal of the season.
In the end 4-2 was a fair reflection of the difference between the two sides on the day. Most games are won or lost in midfield, and a Stevenage midfield including ex-Liverpool, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland star Ray Houghton, and former Dover Athletic fans' favourite Jimmy Strouts, was no match for Dover's rampant quartet of Clarke, Dunne, Wormull and Le Bihan. It seems no coincidence that Dover have not yet lost with this midfield combination. One area where improvement is still needed for the Whites though is concentration in defence. One clean sheet in seventeen league and cup games this season is not a good return.
Athletic are currently the form team of the Conference with a six match unbeaten run. With the teams in the top half of the Conference all continuing to take points of each other we may see an impressive rise up the table if we can continue our recent run of results. The big test however is next Saturday when we are away at leaders Rushden. If we can win that then anything's possible.
