Welling United 1-1 Dover Athletic - Everyone involved deserves a pat on the back, says Jamie Day

WELLING UNITED  1-1  DOVER ATHLETIC
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 2^nd October 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Park View Road

DOVER ATHLETIC boss Nicky Forster criticised the standard of referring in Conference South after this pulsating Kent derby saw both goals scored from the penalty spot.

Dover Athletic striker Ben May opened the scoring in the 32^nd minute, but Welling United deservedly maintained their unbeaten home record when midfielder Joe Healy held his nerve to score a last-gasp penalty at the end of this enthralling Kent derby at a wet Park View Road.

Forster, 39, said he was pleased with his side’s performance as Dover Athletic maintained their unbeaten away record at Park View Road which saw their last defeat come in the Dr Martens Premier back in September 2004.  Jamie Day scored Dover’s only goal in the 2-1 defeat that day.

Forster said: “I thought we were terrific. I thought we played very, very well. I thought we took the game to them.

“I thought they were a very good side. They had their moments in the game and they played well. They’re a very strong team at home. They haven’t lost this season, they only lost once at home last season.  This is a tough place to come.

“We had them on the rack up until the 93^rd minute. We must have done something right and I was absolutely proud with every one of them. They were super.”

But Forster would like to see an improvement from the officials in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South.
 
He said: “On reflection of things I thought they were two soft penalties.  I felt the officials got that wrong tonight.  I think he (referee Ian Cooper) struggled with the game if I’m honest but rather than criticise that individual I’ll criticise them as a whole.  I don’t think the officials are good enough for this standard of football. I’ve seen it week in week out now when they are costing teams - not only us - but other teams come to us and the officials’ are not at the standard they should be at this level.”

Dover Athletic secretary Frank Clarke revealed after the game that the club will pick up a £250 fine (and £10 for each of their) seven yellow cards shown to their players tonight.

Forster added: “I don’t think there was any nasty tackles in it.  I don’t think there was any malice. We’ve picked up seven bookings, which I think triggers a fine and I don’t think we had a bad tackle in the game.

“I didn’t see anything untoward from either side to be fair, but we could sit here and talk about the officials all night long.”

Welling United boss, Jamie Day, 32, who was denied the opportunity to play against one of his former clubs after waking up with a bad back, was happy with a point after going down to an unlucky 2-1 defeat to second-placed Dorchester Town at the weekend.

“I think Saturday and today we’re back-to-back games where we played some really good football and probably the best back-to-back games that we’ve played since I’ve been here,” said Day.

“We didn’t deserve to lose and credit to them. They stuck bodies on the line, blocked shorts and it was a good game to watch and we didn’t deserve to lose.  In my opinion probably could’ve won it but when you score near the end you take the point and we move on to Saturday.”

The 543 fans who braved the wet conditions and decided to support their clubs instead of staying in the warm to watch Champions League football on television, were treated to an exciting game between fifth-placed Welling and sixth-placed Dover Athletic, who at kick-off were both on fifteen points after nine games.

Welling United called their former loan keeper Mitch Walker into early action, making a comfortable save to deny striker Kiernan Hughes-Mason from scoring with a speculative drive from a tight angle with only 184 seconds on the clock.

And from Walker’s resulting kick the ball was flicked on into Billy Bricknell’s path and the Dover Athletic striker stroked a right-footed curler into the far corner but the goal was the first of two to be chalked off for offside for the visiting side.

With both sides playing crucial FA Cup Third Qualifying Round ties at home to Thurrock and Bromley respectively at the weekend, both Day and Forster made a couple of changes each.

Dover Athletic created the next chance when Dean Rance’s right-footed shot on the turn sailed over Sam Mott’s crossbar from thirty-yards.

Barry Cogan then swept a corner into the Welling penalty area from the left and Ian Simpemba came up from the back to loop his header over the crossbar from six-yards.

But the best chance to open the scoring fell to Welling United in the 24^th minute.

Healy spread the ball to Lee Clarke, who played a precise cross out to the left and left-back Jack Obersteller cut inside and his left-footed cross sailed over Walker’s head and Hughes-Mason ghosted in at the far post and his stabbed shot from close range was blocked by the keeper’s legs at his near post.

But Dover Athletic were awarded the game’s first penalty in the 32^nd minute when Welling defender Ben Martin was penalised by referee Ian Cooper for nudging May from behind.

May stepped up and slotted his right-footed penalty into the bottom right-hand corner – to score his fourth goal of the season much to the delight of the rain-soaked travelling fans at the Danson Park end of the ground.

Day said: “I think from my point of view Ben, a couple of minutes before that, he’s done three or four similar sort of challenges and the referee’s let it go and then the one which I felt was probably the least out of four or five that he’s done he gives the penalty for.

“We’ve said to Ben if you’re going to keep putting your arms up then at some stage you’re going to give away a penalty and I think if it was the other way round we’d be saying the same thing, so it’s just disappointing that we’ve conceded another penalty and gone one down and we’re sort of chasing the game a little bit.”

Welling United almost responded from that set-back when Clarke met Obersteller’s free-kick from the right with a planted header but his effort cleared the crossbar from six-yards out.

Welling United should have done better three minutes before the break, after Healy cut the ball back to right-back Loui Fazakerley, but his low left-footed angled shot was easily gathered by the Dover keeper at his near post.

Welling United increased their urgency after the interval and they camped in the Dover Athletic half for most of the half.

Hughes-Mason fed Fazakerley on the overlap and the Welling right-back whipped in a cross which was punched away by Walker, only as far as Healy, whose left-footed shot brought the very best out of the former Brighton & Hove Albion keeper, who dived to his left to palm the rasping drive away.

Dover Athletic thought they had scored again in the 50^th minute when May powered his header into the left-hand corner after Cogan floated in a fine free-kick from the right.

Dover Athletic’s defence started to throw their bodies in the way of the ball as Welling United pressed and another fine cross from Fazakerley found Hughes-Mason unmarked inside the Dover penalty area but he glanced his header straight at Walker who made a comfortable catch.

Clarke played a one-two with Obersteller and the Welling central midfielder unleashed a low drive which was blocked by Dover left-back Tom Wynter – which was one of many penalty box blocks by a man in a light blue shirt.

With visiting keeper Walker taking his time at every opportunity, much to the frustration of home fans and management alike, Welling United went close when Martin’s right-footed shot on the turn screamed wide of the far post from 20-yards after Obersteller’s free-kick.

But the turning point in the game came in the 69^th minute.

The impressive Dover Athletic front pairing of Bricknell and May combined and May cut into the penalty area down the left and his driven shot took a wicked deflection off Martin at the near post and keeper Mott made an excellent reaction save to make a one handed save to push the ball around his near post.

Day praised the former Thamesmead Town keeper for keeping his side in the game.

He said: “Great save because if they get another one and you go two down then the game’s over in my opinion, especially at that stage.  Fantastic reactions, great save and pleased he’s obviously pulled off a good save like that.”

Forster added: “We had a couple of chances, which had that one gone in, had we got the second goal – the goalkeeper pulled off a really good instinctive save with a ricochet blocked chance in the second half against the run of play it’s fair to say.”

Welling United went close again when Healy teed up Clarke, who cracked a right-footed shot towards goal from 25-yards, which curled agonisingly wide of the far post.

Dover Athletic almost snatched a second following a marvellous run from their recent signing Daryl McMahon.

The former Eastleigh midfielder picked the ball up from Danny Webb in the middle of the park, turned and went on a penetrating run straight down the middle of the pitch before unleashing a low left-footed drive from 25-yards, which flashed agonisingly past the foot of the right-hand post with Mott well beaten.

McMahon was then denied a goal when his long-range shot was deflected away as the game ticked towards injury time.

Forster said: “Daryl McMahon had a couple of shots. One was going in and took a slight deflection. Another one just missed the post.

“Had we scored the second one we would’ve seen the game out, which is probably easy to say that but it was certainly a soft penalty to give away!”

Day said: “It’s disappointing when you go a goal down but I felt we played some good football throughout the game. Probably the last ten minutes where we’re hitting a few longer balls and we didn’t have our best spell we ended up scoring.  I felt we deserved to get a goal and we’d like three (points) but we’ll take one!”

As the board for four additional minutes went up, Welling United threw everything at Dover Athletic at one last desperate attempt to get the goal their play deserved.

Day said: “I felt we had a good spell in the second half where we had four or five good attacks at goal and credit to Dover their back four, back five threw themselves in the line of the ball, got blocks. Mitch the goalkeeper pulled off a couple of good saves so give credit to them as well.  They’ve come here and defended exceptionally well and I’m just pleased that we’ve kept going and got a goal at the end.”

Harry Baker clipped his cross into the penalty area where fellow substitute Jon Main’s right-footed shot on the turn deflected over from fourteen-yards.

Baker swung in the resulting left-wing corner into the near post and Dover Athletic keeper Walker was adjudged to have pushed Healy and referee Mr Cooper pointed to the spot again.

Healy held his nerve and stepped up and stroked his left-footed penalty – to score his fifth-goal of the season - just left of centre to give the home side a deserved point.

When asked about the decision, Day replied, “I was honestly just watching the ball so I didn’t actually see if it was a foul or not, but we’ll take it!”

Forster added: “I think it was a soft penalty decision. I think it’s probably fair to say ours was probably a soft penalty decision as well and having said that there were other moments in the game, other incidents in the game that were by far more definite than that in terms of should it be a foul? Shouldn’t it be a foul? Should it be a penalty? Shouldn’t it? – and they were all missed.”

The Wings almost snatched the win at the death but Main’s left-footed curler sailed just wide of the far post.

Day said: “I thought we played some good stuff tonight and I thought they did as well. It was a good game of football that probably got the right result in the end but from our point of view obviously pleased with the performance and pleased with the last two games. We’ve played some good football and some good stuff so hopefully we can continue that at the weekend and try and get through to the next round of The FA Cup.”

Day added: “I think everyone put in a good performance. The subs that came on made an impact. Everyone involved tonight deserves a pat on the back.”

Day seemed disappointed that Welling United have not fared well against their Kent rivals at Park View Road in recent years.

He said: “I think I’ve played Dover five or six times now and I think we’ve only won one so we knew it was going to be a difficult game.  I think they will be up there at the end of the season. It was a good game of football and obviously we’re pleased that we didn’t get beat. We’d like more but I think both deserved a point.”

Forster added: “I think that Welling will be in the mix come the end of the season. We gave as good as we got against them and we’re disappointed not to win the game so they are a team that will be up there or there abouts as they were last year.

“I look at some of our players, not some of our players, it’s an injustice to the others. I look at our squad and we have got a good squad, good footballers. We’ve got some strikers now who are creating real problems, real havoc.

“We’re still fresh as a team together.  I think we’re now played eleven games in total, ten in the League and one in the Cup. We’re still blending and we’ll get stronger and stronger.”

Welling United: Sam Mott, Loui Fazakerley, Jack Obersteller, Jake Gallagher, Fraser Franks, Ben Martin, Theo Fairweather-Johnson (Jon Main 60), Lee Clarke, Ross Lafayette, Kiernan Hughes-Mason (Harry Baker 85), Joe Healy.
Subs: Scott Kinch, Jamie Turner, Anthony Acheampong

Goal:  Joe Healy 90 (pen)

Booked: Theo Fairweather-Johnson 36

Dover Athletic: Mitch Walker, Shane Huke, Tom Wynter, Dean Rance, Ian Simpemba, Danny Webb, Steven Thompson (Ricky Modeste 74), Daryl McMahon, Ben May (Jamie Smith 90), Billy Bricknell (Callum Willock 82), Barry Cogan.
Subs: Steve Watt, Lee Hook

Goal:  Ben May 32 (pen)

Booked: Tom Wynter 10, Dean Rance 56, Billy Bricknell 68, Daryl McMahon 72, Ricky Modeste 81, Shane Huke 86, Mitch Walker 90

Attendance: 543
Referee: Mr Ian Cooper (Rochester)
Assistants: Mr Nick Dunn (Deal) & Mr Adam Bakalarz (Bromley)