Dover Athletic 3-2 Dartford
The FA Carlsberg Trophy
Third Round Qualifying
3pm, Saturday 21 November 2009
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover
Winning clubs receive £4000
Click here for results
Veteran midfielder Nicky Southall grabbed the winning goal for Dover in an entertaining 3-2 victory over Kent rivals Dartford at the Crabble in The FA Carlsberg Trophy.
Southall latched on to substitute James Rogers’ 69th minute cross to poke home the winner, just seven minutes after defender Yado Mambo saw red for the hosts following a second bookable offence.
Dover’s victory was marginally deserved on the balance of play against a previously free scoring Dartford side.
Adam Burchill put the hosts into an early lead, turning on the edge of the 18-yard box to fire right-footed past Dartford goalkeeper Andrew Young with just six minutes on the clock.
Dartford, runaway leaders of the Isthmian Premier Division, equalised in the 27th minute through striker Jay May and took the lead in the 34th through Danny Harris.
However, Dover were back on level terms just two minutes later thanks to Francis Collin’s coolly converted spot-kick.
Both sides continued to create chances after the break, however the odds looked to be stacked in Dartford’s favour after Dover defender Mambo was dismissed with 28 minutes still to play.
However, it was the hosts that carved out a winning goal, through former Gillingham and Nottingham Forest midfielder Southall.
Dover Assistant Manager Darren Hare said: “It was a very even game and could have gone either way - they caused us a lot of problems.”
He added: “Today was important as it’s given the club a lift. The FA Trophy excites the players and the fans and we are hoping to put together a decent run in this season’s competition.”
