Connor Essam’s 82nd minute winner has taken Vanarama Conference National side Dover Athletic into the Third Round of the FA Cup for only the second time in the club’s history at the expense of League Two Cheltenham Town.
The two goalkeepers were rarely extended during a scrappy match as both sides failed to take the chances that were presented. Eventually, Dover hit the woodwork through Tyrone Sterling and, after Cheltenham failed to clear the resulting corner, the ball fell kindly to Essam, who was composed enough to put his shot on target, just inside the left hand upright.
A jubilant Dover manager, Chris Kinnear, said afterwards “magnificent wasn’t it? I am excited, and I don’t get excited over many things, but I think we deserved it. We didn’t play great, but the lads stayed in the game, and we were always liable to nick a goal. We’ve worked a lot on deadballs, and it fell perfectly for Connor.”
“We said to the lads that we’ve got a chance here; no disrespect to Cheltenham. They’re not going through a great spell, and we’re on a great run, 11 unbeaten now, and flying. There was a lot more pressure on them than us, and we’d talked about it before the game. We’d had them watched and though that we had a great chance.”
“I’m always trying to do as best as we can in the League because once you are out of the Cup, people forget how you’ve done. Last year we lost 1-0 at MK Dons, and maybe could have got a draw, so with this result, it really raises the profile of the club.”
“I’d love a top-half Premiership club; that’s what everyone wants. Either that or someone around our level or League Two, because the way the boys are playing, I’d back them against anyone at our level.”
The first 15 minutes was classic Cup-tie football with two sides feeling each other out. Cheltenham were looking to utilise the pace on the wings from Braham-Barrett and Raffaele De Vita, who each created a chance for Byron Harrison. The first from the left was just beyond the reach of Harrison; the second, he headed over. Dover’s early threat came from a Nick Deverdics freekick, which eventually ended up with the midfielder volleying over the Prestbury Road Stand.
On 16, the visitors drew the first save of the game. Callum Davies fed a ball into the left side of the Cheltenham area, where Deverdics flicked a cross into the middle, which almost deceived Trevor Carson; the keeper having to furiously back-pedal to tip the ball over the bar.
Moments later, Carson pulled off a better save to deny Tom Murphy. Sean Francis played out from the back to Stefan Payne, who turned the ball on first time into space. Murphy drove into the area and turned Troy Brown, before firing a shot towards the near post, with Carson flying to his left to turn it round.
Andrew Rafferty was finally tested in the 24th minute, as Braham-Barrett skipped past two Dover defenders and attempted a shot from a narrow ange, which the White’s keeper blocked away with his legs.
Rafferty produced a better save to keep the scores level on 29. Braham-Barrett’s cross was allowed to travel to Harrison, who was given time and space to tee up Terry Gornell. The keeper tipped his onto the right hand post and behind for a corner.
Dover were riding their luck as Cheltenham started to dominate the midfield, and were grateful to the assistant’s flag on 34 as Gornell headed home at the back post. Kane Ferdinand’s pacy run down the right wing was tracked by Davies, who managed to get a touch on the cross, diverting it out of play, before it curled back in onto Gornell’s head.
Sean Francis had a shot on the turn deflected wide, but Dover were disrupted by the loss of Davies to an injury. With the midfield shuffling to accommodate Tom Wynter, Cheltenham continued to press, but couldn’t deliver a telling ball into the box; Tom Bonner and Richard Orlu dominating against the aerial threat.
The home side created the first chance of the second half, as Gornell latched onto De Vita’s cross to flick goalwards, but it was an easy save for Rafferty. While at the other end, a Deverdics corner was headed down by Orlu, Payne had a shot blocked and the ball eventually fell to Bonner, whose effort was scooped over the bar, with bodies littering the 6-yard box.
On 59, Braham-Barrett’s run down the left saw him skip through two challenges and lay the ball back for the advancing Jason Taylor, whose first time sidefoot shot skimmed past the left hand post.
Payne had a curling effort caught by Carson, as he cut in from the left side, but the two Dover forwards were looking increasingly isolated as Cheltenham pressed forward, with Braham-Barrett the chief tormentor of the right side of the Whites’ defence. Troy Brown put a ball over the back 4 on 71, which was controlled first time by Byron Harrison, whose first real sight of the Dover goal saw his shot deflected into the arms of Rafferty.
Both sides had appeals for penalties waved away; Deverdics for a push by Brown, and Gornell in a tangle of legs with Bonner.
Murphy had two decent chances within a minute on 75; Carson holding Murphy’s left foor shot at the 2nd attempt, before Murphy drove a low cross through the 5-yard area, but there was no Dover player within yards to apply the telling touch.
With every ball Cheltenham threw into the Dover box ending up in Rafferty’s hands, the game ticked into the last 10 minutes. Tyrone Sterling managed to wriggle his way into the box and unleashed a curling effort with the outside of his left foot that crashed back off the inside of the right post, and was cleared for a corner. From Deverdics’ delivery, the ball was headed back to the Dover midfielder on the left.
His cross glanced off Orlu’s head to the feet of skipper Essam, whose left foot shot crept in off the left post to send the Kent hordes into raptures.
The Robins’ were eager to restart the game with the seconds ticking away, but try as they might, the Dover defence stood firm and at no stage could Cheltenham find a way to test Rafferty.
CHELTENHAM TOWN: Trevor Carson, Craig Braham-Barrett, Matt Taylor, Troy Brown, Kane Ferdinand, Matt Richards, Byron Harrison, Terry Gornell (Harry Williams 87), Jack Deaman, Jason Taylor, Raffaele De Vita (Zack Kotwica 87).
Subs not used: Andy Haworth, Matthew Gould, Joe Hanks, Paul Black, Omari Sterling-James.
Booking: Tery Gornell 86.
DOVER ATHLETIC: Andrew Rafferty, Chris Kinnear jr, Ricahrd Orlu, Tom Murphy, Stefan Payne, Sean Francis, Tyrone Sterling, Nick Deverdics, Callum Davies (Tom Wynter 39), Tom Bonner, Connor Essam.
Subs not used: Liam Bellamy, Barry Cogan, Jake Reid, Chris Nanetti, Lee Hook, James Poole.
Goal: Connor Essam 82
Referee: Mr Dean Whitestone
Assistants: Mr Marvyn Amphlett and Mr Andrew Laver
4th Official: Mr Brian Durie
Attendance: 3,552 (587 Dover Athletic).