Dover Athletic 3-2 Dartford - We pulled together after Mambo's red card, admits Hessenthaler

Saturday 21st November 2009

DOVER ATHLETIC 3-2 DARTFORD
FA Carlsberg Trophy Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 21st November 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Crabble

DOVER ATHLETIC boss Andy Hessenthaler says his side’s character got them through to the first round of the FA Carlsberg Trophy - winning an enthralling five-goal thriller over Dartford with only ten men.

Eighteen-year-old defender, Yado Mambo, who signed on the eve of the game on a work-experience deal from Coca-Cola League One side Charlton Athletic, was clearly out of his depth and had a nightmare debut as he picked up his second yellow card after 62 minutes.

And from that point, Dover Athletic pulled together, but it was hard on Dartford, who played their part in an exciting game of football - Kent football at its best!

Dover Athletic took a seventh minute lead, against the run of play at the time, through the best player on the pitch, Adam Birchall, before Dartford fought back and deservedly lead through two good goals from strikers, Jay May and Danny Harris.

But the home side levelled when striker Frannie Collin levelled following a dubious penalty decision.

At half-time everyone at Crabble caught their breath, but after Mambo’s red-card, this brought Dover Athletic’s players closer together and, despite being on the back-foot for a vast majority off this game, Hessenthaler’s men sealed their place in the first round, courtesy of Nicky Southall’s bundled effort.

Billed as “The Battle of the Giants,” this FA Carlsberg Trophy tie certainly lived up to expectations, although no-one deserved to lose this game, it was that good!

Goalkeeper, John Whitehouse, starting only his second game of the season for Dover Athletic, following a back injury, made two smart saves before his side went up the other end to score from their first shot on target.

Whitehouse was forced to dive to his left to prevent Lee Noble from scoring with a right-footed shot, after Harris cut the ball back to the Dartford midfielder.

Then the former Chatham Town keeper dived smartly at his near post after Ryan Hayes squeezed a low left-footed free-kick from inches outside of the penalty area on the angle.

But Birchall’s tenth goal of the season after seven minutes lit up the grey skies and was the start of an explosive Kent derby of high quality between two sides flying high in their respective divisions.

A cross from Matt Fish down the right picked out Birchall, who twisted and turned his marker, and stroked a right-footed shot past Andrew Young, finding the bottom far corner with ease.

Young made the save of the match when he swiftly dived to his left to clutch the ball before it slid over the line, following Birchall’s angled drive.

But two goals inside seven minutes put the unbeaten Ryman Premier League visitors on the front foot, as Dartford scored two excellent goals.

Dartford deservedly equalised in the 27th minute when May played a delightful one-two with Harris, who laid the ball back to May with his back to goal, and May smashed a low right-footed drive past Whitehouse to score his sixth goal of the season from eight-yards out.

However, Dartford were in the lead, scoring from their next shot in a dominant spell, after 34 minutes, finishing off a sublime move.

Ryan Hayes whipped in a peach of a cross from the inside right channel and Harris stooped to nod into the near corner of the net from just two yards out.

Dover Athletic, with one win in their last six, yet still second in Blue Square South, levelled with a dubious penalty, which no-one could tell what it was awarded for.

Southall’s floated cross saw Shaun Welford being pushed inside the penalty box and Surrey based referee Mr Charles Breakspear pointed to award a 36th minute penalty.

Dartford keeper Young dived to his right but couldn’t prevent Collin’s driven free-kick from finding the back of the net as his eight goal of the season put the game on a knife edge.

The magnificent Birchall, proving to all why he spent three years at Arsenal earlier in his career, brought the very best out of Young just before half-time, the keeper stretching to tip over a fierce angled drive.

Dartford stepped up the gear during the second half and Hayes and May came within inches of regaining the lead - before the game turned when Mambo received his second yellow for a clumsy challenge on Harris.

But ten-man Dover Athletic grabbed what turned out to be the winning goal with 21 minutes of this pulsating clash remaining.

Hitting Dartford at their own game, a swift counter-attack, Southall played an intelligent cross for Welford, who cut in from the left, before releasing substitute James Rogers, on the overlap down the left hand side, and the long-serving midfielder whipped in an excellent cross for Southall, who had continued his run into the penalty area, to bundle the ball into the net at the far post with his left foot to score his fourth goal of the season.

Roared on by excellent, passionate vocal support, Dartford went in search for a late equaliser and despite putting severe pressure on the hosts, they didn’t beat Whitehouse for a third time.

The closest that Dartford came was when a long throw from John Beales was punched away by the keeper and substitute Danny Crouch hooked a shot towards goal, which looped agonisingly wide of the foot of the right-hand post.

The game was so good, Dartford deserved at least a replay, but Hessenthaler, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk during the press conference afterwards, was a pleased man that his side ended their miserable run of form.

“For Tony (Burman) and myself, absolutely hair-raising game really,” he said. “Again we’ve conceded two goals, which is not good enough again, and we’ve come back and shown good character haven’t we, having gone down to ten-men.

“We go and score with ten-men and we defended for our lives, showing massive character and that optimises the dressing room as far as I’m concerned. We’ve been under pressure a little bit because we’ve not been getting results. The players are under pressure because of my comments last week as we wasn’t good enough as we didn’t work hard (at Weston-super-Mare) but I can’t fault anybody. I thought they were outstanding!”

Hessenthaler admitted his side performed much better when the hapless Mambo went for an early shoulder, and it could spell the end of the teenager at Crabble.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, when something happens like that, the sending-off, it pulls you together,” he said.

“I felt that was the case and we showed massive character out there. All of a sudden we’re going after people and shutting them down a lot better than we was when we had eleven men.

Hessenthaler had beaten league rivals, Welling United, to sign Mambo, and when asked whether the teenager will feature again, he replied, “We’ll have to wait and see. I don’t really know what the situation is with the sending off, I know in our league, I don’t think it’s (suspension rules) the same so I’ll speak to Charlton in the week, but we may have Olly Schulz back so he was a little bit of cover for that.

“He (Mambo) looked a bit nervous at times but you can see he will be a player, the boy. He’s only just turned 18 years old, we were taking a little bit of a risk throwing him in, in a game like this.

“He’s been sent off and I think, the one thing I’ve touched on, it was the catalyst of us getting the result because we pulled together.

“I’ll be talking to Charlton on Monday and I’m sure they’ll be asking questions. A little bit of naivety, he needs to learn as he goes on in his career.”

Dartford boss, Tony Burman, meanwhile, said he was pleased with his side’s performance at a higher league club.

“I’m disappointed with the result yes, but the performance no!” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk during the press conference afterwards.

“I felt that we could have done better against Chelmsford, when we played a Conference South side (in the FA Cup earlier in the season) but today I don’t think we could’ve done a lot better in the performance.

“We’ve created a lot of chances, but I think we’ve come here and we’ve played and I’m delighted with the players.”

The 52-year-old added: “We came here thinking we could come here and win the game, no doubt about that. But they had a great start and scored in the first (seven) minutes and for us to come back and get a goal and then take the lead, then the referee’s seen something that no-one else has seen, so we have to sort of take t hat hard decision.

“Obviously the second thing (the referee) has helped them out is sending the lad off, letting them go down to ten-men.

“I felt they played a lot better when they had ten men then when they had eleven. I felt we was excellent and we should have won the game if I’m honest.”

Dover Athletic: John Whitehouse, Matt Fish, Sam Gore, Dean Hill. Yado Mambo, Jake Leberl, Nicky Southall (Tom Davies 86), Sammy Moore, Shaun Welford, Frannie Collin (James Rogers 66), Adam Birchall (Danny Walder 89)
Subs: Jerhal Hughes, Lee Hook.

Goals: Adam Birchall 7, Frannie Collin 36 (pen), Nicky Southall 69

Booked: Yado Mambo 30, Matt Fish 67

Sent off: Yado Mambo 62

Dartford: Andrew Young, Billy Burgess, Adam Gross, John Beales, Jamie Coyle, Danny Dafter (Danny Crouch 81), Ryan Hayes, Lee Noble, Jay May (Rob Haworth 81), Lee Burns, Danny Harris.
Subs: Karl Dent, Seun Egerakerho, Tony Kessell.

Goals: Jay May 27, Danny Harris 34

Booked: Danny Dafter 36

Attendance: 1,084
Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Michael Webb (Woking, Surrey) & Mr David Richardson (Balham, London SW12)