Hayes & Yeading bounced back from Tuesday's defeat at Havant to take a hard earned three points back to Middlesex from Crabble on Saturday afternoon, Tobi Joseph striking the decisive blow on 71 minutes.

Nas Bashir made two enforced changes to his previous line-up, new signing Calum Butcher came in at right-back for the injured Yassin Moutaouakil while illness relegated John Goddard to the bench with available again skipper Sam Cox coming into the side.

In all honesty the first half was a bit of a dead duck with neither side creating any great amount of openings, the best falling to Dover's Ben May.

First to try his luck from range was United's Mark Bentley who saw his 20 yard effort swerve wide of the far post. On 19 minutes United had a real let off when a free-kick cleared Tom Cadmore and fell perfectly to May on the edge of the six yard box, with just James Beasant standing in his way his contrived to place his shot against the post and the danger was soon cleared (pictured below).

Minutes later it was again Bentley who had a chance to open the scoring for the visitors when White's keeper Mitch Walker spilled a low Calum Butcher cross, Bentley's touch was not strong enough and Walker pounced on the loose ball.

As the half closed a neat move from the home side saw the ball played wide to May, he picked out former United trialist Chris Sessegnon at the far post, his first time shot from 15 yards being well held by Beasant.

Thankfully the second half was to become more open with both sides pushing harder for that vital opening goal.

Ten minutes in and the chances started to flow at both ends, Tobi Joseph played in United substitute John Goddard but his shot from the edge of the area was just too high and within 60 seconds the ball was down the other end. A high ball over Pelé in the United defence fell to Dover player-manager Nicky Forster, a half-time arrival into the action, but he fired across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

Play continued to switch at a fast rate. Daniel Wishart cut in from the left and forced a low block from Walker that was cleared away for a corner before Beasant made a vital save at the other end. Jamie Smith fed the ball inside from the right to Barry Cogan, he in turn picked out Dean Rance in the centre but Beasant quickly spread himself to block out the White's midfielder's first time effort.

As we approached the hour mark first Luke Williams and then Goddard went close for United while at the other end a low shot by May was only just wide of Beasant's near post. Goddard and May both had efforts off target in the next few minutes before Joseph burst into the area, Steven Watt timed his tackle well but the loose ball fell to Williams who forced a diving save from Walker.

Forster and Cogan then both fired wide for the home side before a direct ball over the Dover defence saw Joseph break away from the attentions of Watt before bravely beating the on-coming Walker to the ball to lift it past the White stopper into the vacant net to give United the lead (pictured above right and to the left).

Dover came back at United almost immediately but the back line stood firm. Smith whipped in a cross from the right that fell nicely to Forster but under intense pressure from Pelé he skyed his shot over the bar. Six minutes remained when Forster was again denied, this time by a diving Beasant as his shot deflected off Pelé.

The final opening for the home side came two minutes later when recently arrived substitute Billy Bricknell held off Cadmore to get onto the end of a Rance throughball but fired over without troubling Beasant and the points were coming back to Middlesex.

Report by Kevin Watts.


Video stills courtesy of FC Video.


United Man of the Match:
James Beasant.