Dover U16s handed top of the table Langton Green their first defeat of the season with a comprehensive win.
Despite missing a few key players due to injury, it was Dover who took the initiative from the outset clearly having the better of the opening exchanges. Playing some neat passing football, they were frustrated by dogged defending and some marginal offside decisions that went against them. Although the first half ended scoreless there were many positives, including the way Joe Muddiman settled into an unfamiliar left-sided centre half role, and also the amount of time and space Finlay Jarman-Hume and Dylan Tubb were getting on the ball in midfield, and setting the pace of the match.
The second half started in similar fashion, and it was no surprise when a Tubb through ball found Hector Duppre on the edge of area, who calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the net to open the scoring. Duppre soon added a second as Dover looked to take control of the match. However, against the run of play Dover failed to clear a corner and were punished as Langton reduced the deficit. This gave the hosts some hope, but this was soon quashed when Ed Muddiman clinically scored the vital goal to re-establish the 2-goal lead. Henry Mileham added a fourth when the Langton goalkeeper was unable to hold onto a testing Finlay O’Shea free-kick. Although Langton did pull a goal back with a well-worked attack, almost from the re-started Tubb made a driving run from just inside his own half, and had the vision to find Duppre to score the goal of the game, settling the match and completing his hat-trick.
The victory was fully deserved as Dover dominated almost the entire match, with Duppre just edging the man of the match award from a number of his team-mates, in what was an excellent all-round team display.
Dover: Ryan Tyler, Oliver Griffiths, Dylan Hammond, Joe Muddiman, Charlie Dale, Finlay Jarman-Hume, Dylan Tubb, Ed Muddiman, Hector Duppre, Henry Mileham, Dwayne Kattah. Subs, Will Giles, Finlay O’Shea
