No disgrace today despite.....

[Cookie]

Not getting anything out of the game. One moments lapse of concentration & a soft headed goal by substitute Welford was the only thing that separated these two sides today.

The lads shone on that big stage & I am sure Dover must be thanking their lucky stars & blowing a sigh of relief that they got that goal.They never really looked like scoring despite being at home & enjoying most of the play.Two real good chances to Peters who fluffed both.One in the first half & one after they had scored(penalty it was not)despite myself & others praying & shouting for one.

Good defensive performance. Smith & Young at the back played exceptionally well.(Who needs Sappleton?).

Paul Smith steadied the side & despite looking unfit made some experienced-like timely tackles & passes.You could see that this was rubbing off onto the other players.

Dover were very disappointing I have to say. This is not a Championship winning side on todays performance but much credit should go to our lads who stifled their raids on numerous occasions.

An all round heroic & team effort & its a shame we didn't come away with a point which would have been what well deserved.

Okay we are still lightweight up front & didn't sustain many attacks but we were dangerous on a few occasions I can tell you,despite that weakness.

Two weak links in my opinion,Coleman & Morris.They don't give us anything & before I get slated for naming Coleman(illness & all that) we can't keep using that as an excuse.

All others played well.

Scott in goal hardly had anything to do.A few punches out,maybe one save(that I can recall).But then again their keeper wasn't tested much either.

Ollie Shultz got M.O.T.M but for me the best Dover player was Keister. Spraying great balls around the park.

We were unfortunate today & the players had a five minute standing ovation at the end & rightly so.

Build on this,get a couple more forwards in & we will be getting results in next to no time.

Good crowd & a good day despite the disappointment.

If only we could have hung on for another 8 minutes.Dover were wasting time & hanging on themselves in the end & I'm sure their supporters were glad to hear the final whistle.

We came out with more credit than they today but they got the points.Both clubs gain after today in two separate ways.

Well played the team you were unlucky not to have got something today.

[Coffin Ender]

This league is ludicrously open. Carshalton, 100 per cent before today, lose 5-1 at home. Tooting, who let in seven on Saturday, put four past Sutton. Canvey, who I thought looked OK but nothing special on Saturday, hammer Billericay 4-0. I've seen enough in the opening games to suggest our results will pick up, as long as you are in the top half come February anything is possible.

 

[Ian_Sanderson]

As ive replied on another thread Cookie,excellent result even if you did lose, well done, out of interest who did score for Dover?

[Cookie]

As mentioned above Ian. I'm not saying it twice. Besides, it was a Dover player not a Ramsgate one.

p.s Sorry, I must have been typing when the other thread was put up otherwise I would have posted my comments under that thread. Anyway,done now!

[Ian_Sanderson]

Sorry Tony i missed it, hard luck any way

[Wellsie]

Agree that fitness / full recovery is Coleman's issue right now, but don't agree about Morris. I thought he was excellent in the midfield. I was right over the half way line - noce change for me to see both ends properly - and I thought Morris's work rate and application were fantatsiic today. OK, he came kinside to do his best work - but then that's his natural position.

 

A lot of the players had their best 90 minutes of the season so far. Very encouraging.

[michael]

It also seems to me from afar that AGAIN,BA got his tactics right-crammed midfield-where most games are won or lost (if you can keep your concentration ).

 

BA does seem quite defensively minded which i like and in the long run we will benefit from-grind out a few wins-and then-and only then, lets worry about the forwards.

(although, i would like to see Pratt and Joe Taylor given a chance as he just seems like a natural goalscorer/forward to me.

(talking of Taylor's-pleasing to see Sam Taylor on subs bench and part of the sqaud-i reckon he has a real part to play this season,along with Smith and Young-all 3 will be needed as we pick up injuries and suspensions.

 

Up the 'Gate

 

It seems to me ,that we have acquired a very good manager.

It would be nice to see somehow ,he being afforded a few extra shillings to acquire a bit more quality.

 

 

[buzzgate]

All sounds v encouraging

[deanmdafc]

i must say that given some of the supporters comments on here margate were very unlucky not to get points yesterday.your team seems a lot better than some of you give them credit for.we had an off day but that happens in football and the substitutions made by hess proved crucial.wont be long before you start climbling the table.

[BlueGate Alan]

Cheers dean, my sentiments exactly. Thank youfor posting that.

[Tony_T]

Dean, we are work in progress!!!! (bit like London's Olympic stadium!!! lol)

[sargon]

Cookies post only confirms what I saw of Dover at Hornchurch,as championshp favs they are pretty poor and thats being kind.

What AFCW would have done to them,let alone a rampant Chelmsford doesn't bear thinking about.

It only confirms that this league may be tighter but no where near as strong as last season.

[michael]

is'nt it funny how we are all perceived by others ?

 

I've copied this from the Dover forum,and would personally not currently see margate as a 'big strong side'.

 

I take that as a positive though,as i think in this league a big strong side has a better chance.

 

'Margate are difficult to play against - they are a big, strong side, and they were quick to close our players down. Whatever team or formation we used, it would have been a tough, scrappy game. We got the three points, which was the objective. There will be a lot of that type of game this season in this division against the physical sides whose players are quicker than those we played against last season. If we can win 1-0, then it will be a good result.'

 

 

 

 

 

It does seem to me though that BA does prefer a 'big strong side'and we are moving in that direction which i think augers well for the future.

 

 

[Boney Crisp]

If we are getting kind words from our opposition about our performances then that is only going to help the players further i feel. Its good to see we had a good performance yesterday, but now i think we need to start thinking about getting the ball in the box and getting shots away at goal, we seem a bit scared to do that so far

[michael]

And about consistency of performance.

 

Ba has to ensure that his team closes down and apply themselves the same in all matches-not just at dover in front of 1500, but on saturday on a windy margate day, and next tuesday on a damp night in Essex in fromnt of 170 people .

 

Of course he realises that-as he said in his interview.

Can the guys deliver for him though-something that rarely hapened over the last two seasons.

can we now deliver a consistent good performance ?

 

When you consider it-is it any different to us spectators/supporters-its no use getting behind the team one week, and then the next week watching and criticising-we also need to be consistent in our support -and for those who sing-sing every week !!

Up the 'Gate