Dover Athletic 1-2 Boreham Wood - We can go a very long way, says Hessenthaler

CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING MANAGER 2009:  Andy Hessenthaler has secured back-to-back titles for Dover Athletic - and the club can now look forward to playing Blue Square South football next season.
Photograph courtesy of Simon Harris - www.doverathletic.com

Having sealed the title with a convincing 6-0 home win over play-off chasing Sutton United a fortnight ago, today’s game was a case of after the Lord Mayor’s Show, as the champions put in their “worst performance of the season”.

Boreham Wood, however, enhanced their own survival bid, as goals from Sean Sonner and Mario Noto punished a flat Dover Athletic performance.

The Hertfordshire side are now four points clear of the drop - with only three games to go - but that doesn’t matter for Whites boss Andy Hessenthaler, who saw his side clinch back-to-back titles to book their well deserved place in Blue Square South next season.

“We were just saying, Darren (Hare) and myself that it happened to us last year believe it or now when this trophy turned up to be presented, we didn‘t perform and we got beat against Sittingbourne,” a disappointed Hessenthaler told www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards.

And he joked, “I think they should ban trophy celebrations until the very last game - or maybe come down to our presentation evening.”

But it was a disappointing display from Dover Athletic, the only bright spark coming from French trialist Lassana Sidibe, who scored his first goal for the club to bring the Kent side level eleven minutes into the second half.

“Unfortunately we’ve turned up today and probably put in our worst performance of the season,” admitted the professional Hessenthaler.

“But we do look at the bigger picture. I’m obviously disappointed we’ve lost our home record, being unbeaten, but we look at the bigger picture that is over a season and the reason why we’re champions is we’re the best side.”

Boreham Wood replicated the actions of Heybridge Swifts seven days ago, by forming a guard of honour for the league champions - but then went on to spoil the party somewhat.

The Hertfordshire side created the first chance of a disappointing game after eight minutes when Billy Hawes’ cross from the left was knocked down on the edge of the box by Sonner, but Noto’s right-footed hooked volley sailed over.

Simon Overland, formerly of Ashford Town and Fisher Athletic, prevented Dover Athletic breaking the deadlock when he got a decisive touch to Frannie Collin’s left-footed angled drive, after a move involving Alan Pouton, who later hobbled off injured, Jerahl Hughes and Sidibe.

The expectant Crabble crowd were stunned when Boreham Wood took the lead after 25 minutes.

Wes Daly’s free-kick was knocked down by Ryan Kirby at the near post and striker Sonner stabbed the ball underneath Edwards.

And they should have doubled lead just on the half-hour mark, but the on-loan Millwall goalkeeper made a fine block after Lewis Cook broke through the Dover back-four.

Dover Athletic’s best chance of the first half arrived after 36 minutes when Overland’s finger tips prevented Sidibe scoring with a left-footed drive, after turning on the edge of the Boreham Wood penalty area.

But the French man was not going to be thwarted as he brought Dover level, on his home debut, after 56 minutes.

Jon Wallis swung in a free-kick from the left and Sidibe, whose older brother Mamady played for Hessenthaler’s Gillingham, rose above the visitors’ defence and the ball looped over Overland and dropped into the far corner - off the Frenchman’s shoulder.

And Dover Athletic almost snatched the lead on the hour mark when Collin stepped up to unleash a right-footed free-kick from 25-yards, which left the giant goalkeeper rooted to the spot, only for the ball to agonisingly bounce off the left post.

Three minutes later and Boreham Wood defender Jon Wordsworth was unlucky when his effort flashed just past the left-hand post.

But Boreham Wood did what 20 other clubs have failed to do all season - take all three points away from the Crabble - which has one of the best - if not the best - playing surfaces in the League.

Edwards did well to deny Sonner’s flicked shot, but the goalkeeper diverted the ball towards the unmarked Noto, who stabbed a right-footed volley into the net from just two-yards out.

Dover’s shooting was pretty woeful today, but Overland, diving low to his right, made a comfortable save from Hughes - and then Wallis’ right-footed drive from 22-yards flashed agonisingly past the far post.

Marc Charles-Smith squandered an gilt-edged gift from Edwards in the 79^th minute, but the Boreham Wood striker held his head in his hands as his shot bounced back off the far post.

Dover substitutes Shaun Welford and John Keister saw headers comfortably saved by Overland late on, but their visitors’ wanted the game more and ran out deserved winners.

However, at the final whistle, Boreham Wood’s players trudged down the players tunnel unloved, it left proud Whites’ supporters to spill onto the pitch to bask in their heroes’ glory.

An area in front of the directors/press box was roped off as the champions trophy - and shield - sat on a table beside the touchline.

And once each player received their well-deserved champions medal, Pouton and Keister proudly held the trophy aloft to the delight of the Dover faithful.

When asked how far he can take the Kent giants, Hessenthaler replied, “Who knows! I’d like to think I could take them a long way.

“We’ve produced back-to-back promotions, we’ve still got three games left, we now look forward to the promotion and look forward to the Conference (Blue Square) South.

“We will go there, once we start the season, with no fear and we’ll build a squad accordingly.

“I think we could go a very long way. To do back-to-back (titles) is great, what we’ve achieved, what the players have achieved now, we’ve got to think and be positive.

“It could happen again - three in a row would be unthinkable!”

But the hard work had already been done during their previous 38 league games.

“I mean, it is difficult isn‘t it. If you could write the script, you would write it that we needed a result against Wealdstone next Saturday at home to win the league, but we’ve wrapped it up quite early,” said Hessenthaler.

“I wanted to have a look at a few people, but I think there was a few today that weren’t on their games. It’s been a long season, they (Boreham Wood) were fighting for their lives still and they’ve come here and they deserved to win and you’ve got to give them credit.

“But hard to celebrate because of the performance, but that’s me being an old taskmaster but at the end of the day it’s credit to the players, they have been phenomenal all season and they can still get to that 100 points.

“We need to win two out of our last three games and I still believe we’ll do that.”

With Hessenthaler at the helm, the Whites are capable of clinching the Blue Square South title in 12 months time.

Dover Athletic: Preston Edwards, Matt Fish, James Rogers, Laurence Ball, Ollie Schulz, Alan Pouton (John Keister 62), Jon Wallis, Matt Bodkin (Shaun Welford 62), Lassana Sidibe, Frannie Collin (Sam Jones 72), Jerahl Hughes.
Subs: Sam Gore, Andy Hessenthaler.

Goal: Lassana Sidibe 56

Boreham Wood: Simon Overland, Keith Stephens, Jon Wordsworth, Billy Hawes, Ryan Kirby, Wes Daly, Mario Noto, Marc Charles-Smith (Lee Allinson 89), Sean Sonner, Joe Reynolds (Greg Morgan 81), Lewis Cook.
Subs: Raphael Sylvester, Jon Clements, Anthony Anstead.

Goals: Sean Sonner 25, Mario Noto 69

Attendance: 1,346
Referee: Mr Mick McCoy (Worthing, West Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Graham Kane (Brighton, East Sussex) & Mr John Pike (Hurstpierpoint, East Sussex)