Dover trip Rebels up at the Crabble
George Nikaj nets late winner to deflate Davies' men
Dover Athletic 1, Slough Town 0 Jake Leberl’s Dover Athletic were able to trip up Scott Davies’ highflying Slough Town at the weekend with a narrow win that lifted them from the bottom of the National League South.
The Rebels, eager to secure another three points in their quest to close the gap on seventh place, were consigned defeat on Saturday afternoon as George Nikaj scored in the 83rd minute at the Crabble Athletic Ground.
At full-time, player-manager Davies said he was feeling ‘bitterly disappointed’. This was, after all, his side’s second loss to the lowly-placed Whites this season.
“We’ve lost six points to Dover this season and if we want to be serious then we’ve got to beat teams that are below us,” he said.
“We’ve lost to Dover and Weymouth in the last few weeks, and if you look at the results of the teams around us, this is when we’ve got to win. It’s as simple as that.
“Credit to Dover, they’ve come out on top today and we go home, three hours on the coach, feeling massively disappointed.”
With one eye on Slough's game against table-toppers next week, Davies named a rotated XI with captain Josh Jackman and top goalscorer Johnny Goddard both taking a place on the bench.
However, the first half suggested Goddard could have made an impact with both sides looking tense, the ball constantly in the air, and chances at a premium.
Slavi Spasov registered the Rebels' first meaningful effort in the 16th minute when he wrapped the ball wide of the woodwork before Davies got goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu on his toes after the halfhour mark with an in-swinging cross.
As the opening 45 minutes drew to a close, the Whites dominated possession and the Slough players breathed a sigh of relief when Luke Baptiste blasted over Dan Lincoln's crossbar from yards out.
In the second half, Dover got their foot back on the ball quickly, and bodies had to be thrown on the line to deny the hosts from taking the lead early on.
Eventually, Goddard was required to enter the pitch with the number 10 replacing Spasov before the hour mark and, unsurprisingly, the Rebels began to carve out chances.
First, David Ogbonna dragged the ball narrowly wide, having been found brilliantly by Goddard, before Leon ChambersParillon stung the palms of
Jinadu with a powerful strike from the edge of the area.
Moments later, Dover found themselves in behind with Zidan Sutherland clean through on goal. Though his shot was well-hit, Lincoln confidently parried the ball away. The Whites' subsequent corner was met by the head of Jacob Mensah but this effort was also well-stifled by Lincoln.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 84th minute when substitute Destiny Oladipo hooked the ball over his head and Nikaj prodded it over the white line following a rare error from Lincoln.
Slough had a glimmer of hope when Nikaj received a second yellow card and then a red for a reckless challenge. But, the 10 men of Dover stood strong against the Rebels' advances and competently secured a much-needed three points.