Dover Athletic 2 Worcester City 1

JAMIE DAY rounded off his splendid season with the two goals that secured Dover Athletic third place in the final Dr Martens League, premier division, table at Crabble on Saturday.

The victory also took Whites’ points tally to 71 and ensured that manager Clive Walker would have keep his promise of treating all the players to a curry if they reached 70 points.

But Walker’s satisfaction at his side’s achievement was diluted somewhat by the knowledge that he will be without Danny Chapman for the first three matches of next season. The defender was sent off following a 76th-minute flare-up involving half-a-dozen players from both sides which ended with referee Mike O’Keefe brandishing two red cards and two yellows.

Chapman was dismissed along with Worcester’s John Holloway, while Andy Arnott and Worcester’s Carl Heeley were booked. Angry Dover fans felt that Heeley should also have been shown red after appearing to throw a punch at Paul Hyde in the melee just outside the Whites’ penalty area, but Heeley’s reprieve was shortlived. Two minutes later he was off as well after catching Lee Spiller with his elbow as they went for a high ball.

All this mayhem was in stark contrast to most of what had gone before. After a bright start from Dover, the game had settled into a fairly sedate end-of-season affair, but there was clearly a residue of ill-feeling following the game at Worcester in January, when Hyde was alleged to have made racist comments to City’s black midfielder Paul Carty.

That ill-feeling rose rapidly to the surface when Worcester midfielder John Snape fell dramatically to the ground, claiming that he had been punched, to spark the 76th-rumpus.

Mr O’Keefe took nearly five minutes to regain control as various players argued and squared up to one another, all of which seemed so unnecessary with the end of the season just 15 minutes away.

But at least Whites came away with the three points, thanks to the double strike from Day which took his tally for the season to 11 - an excellent return from midfield, and another reason why he would be my choice as Dover’s Player of the Year.

But Day was pushed close for Saturday’s man of the match award by Tommy Tyne, who worked tirelessly up front and laid on both of Day’s goals.

The first came after 17 minutes and was reward for a bright opening by Whites. Spiller’s low cross was cleverly flicked into Day’s path by Tyne, and the midfielder drove home a 12-yard volley under the diving body of City goalie Danny McDonnell.

It was Whites’ first goal in four matches, following three consecutive goalless draws, but any thoughts that one goal might be enough in view of Whites’ impressive defensive record were quickly dispelled when Worcester equalised four minutes later.

It came from a perfectly-executed near-post corner move, with Snape flicking on Adam Wilde’s delivery for Heeley to head in just under the bar.

On the half hour Dover had to reshuffle their pack after Mark Patterson, playing the midfield holding role, went off injured to be replaced by Nicky Dent. Spiller dropped back into midfield, allowing Dent to assume his normal attacking role, but the change seemed to disrupt Whites’ rythym and it was Worcester who looked the more likely to score again before half-time. They went desperately close 10 minutes before the break when Adam Webster flicked Wilde’s cross against a post, and from the rebound Snape brought a good save out of Hyde.

Walker reminded his men at half-time that the season wasn’t over yet, and Whites soon rediscovered their early dominance. But, with Day missing a ‘sitter’ on the hour, they had to wait until the 72nd minute before going back in front.

Again Tyne was instrumental, with his perseverance winning the ball in a contest with Worcester’s Mark Shail. The striker then cut the ball back from the byline for Day to drive home from close range.

Day was then denied a hat-trick in the dying seconds when he thudded a shot against the underside of the bar. If that had gone in, Dover would have scored three goals at home in a league game for the first time this season, and Day said afterwards: “It was a shame we didn’t score more goals because it would have rounded the season off nicely if we had won 4-1 or 5-1.

“I thought the crossbar one was in but I don’t know what happened with that other chance I had - we won’t talk about that one!”

Dover Athletic: Hyde; Readings, Arnott, Chapman; Browne, Patterson (Dent 32), Day, Dyer, Davies (Carruthers 60); Tyne, Spiller (Glover 88).