Aveley 2 Dover Athletic 1 match report: Manny Ogunrinde scores 97th-minute winner to deny Whites a point
17:07, 30 December 2023
updated: 19:21, 30 December 2023
A last-gasp goal denied Dover a battling point at Aveley.
Nick Dembele scored against his old club as Athletic deservedly led at the break.
Siju Odelusi levelled with a penalty just after the restart and the Millers went on to dominate.
Whites, 2-1 winners in the Boxing Day meeting, looked set to survive the second-half onslaught but substitute Manny Ogunrinde pounced in the seventh minute of added time.
A minimum of five minutes had been signalled.
Dover made a late change to their starting XI, with captain James Dunne injured in the warm-up and replaced by Henry Young.
John Ayenuga took the armband and Johl Powell came on to the bench for the visitors.
Leberl’s only been in charge for a few weeks but he’s got Whites running and working hard and, crucially, looking organised.
They were the better side in the first half against an Aveley outfit who looked short on confidence having seen their early-season National South form desert them.
Their winless run stood at nine before this game and, bearing in mind they were battling with Yeovil up the top not all that long ago, it’s been a tough period for the Millers.
There was a scare for the home side when Bailey Akehurst’s wicked inswinging corner hit the inside of the far post.
Moments later, Dover took a 12th-minute lead.
Zidan Sutherland played a neat through ball for Dembele to run on to and he kept his composure to fire past Jonathan North.
Young threatened from the edge of the box before a similar ball to the opening goal, this time from George Nikaj, released Sutherland but North made a good save.
Aveley, having struggled to make an impact in open play, levelled from the penalty spot two minutes into the second half.
Odelusi was caught by Nikaj following a corner and the big man got up to fire low past David Aziaya from the spot.
The goal visibly lifted Aveley and they set about adding a second, enjoying their best spell of the match.
They had a good chance when Eduino Vaz’s left-wing cross reached Charlee Hughes at the back post but he couldn’t adjust his feet in time and finished tamely.
One-way traffic continued, with another good opening for Hughes snuffed out by Scott Holding.
An even better opportunity fell to Hughes from the resulting corner but he headed straight at Aziaya.
Vaz’s fierce strike was pushed over by Aziaya after a Dover counter-attack broke down, then Harry Gibbs fired inches wide as Aveley went close again.
Long throws and crosses kept Dover under pressure and they were indebted to a superb save from Aziaya, who stuck out a leg to deny Jalen Jones with a goal looking certain.
Aveley kept on coming and got their rewards when Ogunrinde finished a free-kick from the right.
Aveley: North, Ring, Vaz, Odelusi, Jones, Gibbs, Kyei (Ogurinde 86mins), Kelly, Hughes, Krasniqi, Pegrum (Hernandez 68mins). Subs not used: Cochrane, Eze, Brown.
Dover: Aziaya, Oyenuga, Akehurst, Mensah, Holding, Naylor, Young, Wilkinson (Charles-Cook 65mins), Nikaj, Sutherland (Allen 76mins), Dembele (Baptiste 82mins). Subs not used: Hatcher, Powell.
Referee: Adrian George.
Attendance: 568.
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