Playing their first National League game in over a month, there was little to cheer for Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic in the Boxing Day tea-time televised game at Crabble.
They slipped to their eighth defeat in their ten League games as Dagenham & Redbridge left the East Kent monsoon with all three points.
Already a man down at the break following Josh Passley’s 34th minute dismissal, Hessenthaler’s side remain rooted to the foot of the table courtesy of Angelo Balanta’s second half header.
The early signs weren’t great for Dover as the visitors mounted several early raids with their best chance coming from Paul McCallum, who could only steer Dean Rance’s shot straight at Dover keeper Yusuf Merskin, the Dagenham number nine then went closer with a fierce downward header – from Andrew Eleftheriou’s cross – but Merskin made a fine save at the base of his left post.
The side were struggling to make any chances in the opening half hour, but Steven Rigg did have one effort brilliantly blocked by Kenny Clark on the edge of the visitor’s box.
Dagenham nearly grabbed a second when McQueen got on the end of a long clearance and as the keeper raced out of his box, the former Dartford striker poked the ball wide of the sliding stopper, but from a Dover point of view the ball bobbled the right side of the post and wide of the goal.
Almost immediately after and in every worsening, weather conditions, Dover’s hopes took a real dent when Passley was dismissed by referee Durkin for an ugly challenge on McQueen – the look on the manager’s face just about summed things up for the home side!
Dover survived until the break but inside ninety seconds of the start of the second half were behind – the Dagenham half time subs (Charlie Adams and Myles Weston) combined neatly from a free kick routine and an unmarked Balanta headed home Weston’s cross.
The ten men did go close through Akheem Rose as he brought a fine reaction save out of Dagenham keeper Elliot Justham on the hour, and within a minute, Dover had a golden chance to level things up as Ady Azeez was clipped in the box giving referee Durkin the easy decision to point to the spot. Azeez picked himself up only to see his poorly hit penalty comfortably pushed round the right post.
Merskin then denied McQueen with a fine block – the rebound squirmed onto a post before being cleared – before Dover almost found a way back into the game when an under hit back pass from Callum Reynolds was pounced on by Rose who got to the ball just before the keeper but couldn’t control the skidding, bouncing ball and Clark was relieved to send the ball into the stands.
Merskin was twice called on in the closing stages to keep the score just one – denying Reynolds and then Gordon – but as the rain got even heavier reducing conditions underfoot to a lottery, there was to be no way back for the home side.
Andy Hessenthaler said before the season began that he wouldn’t look at the League table until his side had played ten games. This was the Whites tenth League game and the view that will greet the manager doesn’t make good reading…
DOVER ATHLETIC – Merskin, Ransom, De Havilland, Spencer-Adams, Passley, Hanson, Rooney (Bramble), Wood, Azeez, Rose (Collins), Rigg (Mussa)
Subs – Smith, Cumberbatch
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE – Justham, Croll, Clark, Reynolds, Eleftheriou (Adams), Rance (Weston), Ogogo, Gordon, Balanta, McCallum, McQueen
Subs – Strizovic, Johnson, Wilson
REFEREE – Mr Durkin