Both sides came into Saturday's clash in indifferent form, with Dover having surrendered top spot in the league in recent weeks, while the Blues had shown signs of resurgence from a really difficult run either side of the New Year. The visitors started on the front foot, nearly scoring in the second minute when Matteo Salamon lost possession, but a crucial goal-line clearance kept the score level. Wingate responded with a promising attack, but all of their early attempts were off target.
The hosts had to withstand a decent amount of early pressure from Dover, with a dangerous free kick in the 10th minute and multiple corners testing the home defence, with captain Billy Cracknell making his return alongside Ben Frempah at the heart of the Blues backline. After weathering the early storm, the game evened out and it was the home side who broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, as a precise right-footed strike by Ryan Lowe from the edge of the area found the bottom left corner.
The second half saw a major turning point in the 51st minute when Dover’s Alfie Matthews received a second yellow card for stamping on Rhamar Garrett-Douglas while he was down, reducing the visitors to ten men. Despite the disadvantage, Dover found an equaliser in the 66th minute through an impressive mid-air volley from Luke Baptiste after a right-wing cross.
Wingate found the impetus to press forward again and regained the lead in the 75th minute when a corner from Ryan Lowe led to an unfortunate own goal by Dover’s Roman Charles-Cook.
The final stages saw both teams pushing for another goal, with Wingate hitting the inside of the post in the 89th minute and Dover missing a close-range effort in stoppage time. After six minutes of added time, the match ended 2-1, securing an important win for Wingate & Finchley, their second in consecutive home matches.
Wingate & Finchley: Salamon, Garrett-Douglas, Byron, Cracknell, Frempah, Watt (Georgiou 64’), Bello (Alexandrou 71'), Lowe, Obi (Keller 80'), Drakes-Thomas, Restrepo (Newton 46’)
Unused Subs: Hernandez
Attendance: 270
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
By Noah Bercott
Hear from manager Ahmet Rifat on yesterday's win below:
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