Dover Athletic goalkeeper Andy Rafferty says he is angry with himself after his error sees 13-game unbeaten league run end at Lincoln on Saturday
Published: 00:00, 02 February 2015
Updated: 13:15, 02 February 2015
Goalkeeper Andy Rafferty has accepted responsibility for Dover’s 13-game unbeaten run in Vanarama Conference coming to end at Lincoln on Saturday.
The Imps won 1-0 thanks to a rare mistake by Rafferty.
Ben Tomlinson scored the only goal of the game, 90 seconds after half-time, after Rafferty dropped Sean Newton’s cross and Tomlinson hammered home from close range.
Rafferty said: “I am so angry with myself. To be the reason our run ended isn’t a great feeling - I am gutted to be honest.
“I am so disappointed because, in the end, the game was decided by my mistake.”
And the former Hartlepool man says he has no excuses for his error.
He said: “The wind was swirling a bit and I lost it (the ball) the floodlights for a spilt second, but hey, I caught everything else in the game.
“It’s just one of those things you have to accept as a goalkeeper - you make a mistake and have to accept the responsibility for it.”
Meanwhile, two of the men in the defensive line in front of Rafferty, Richard Orlu and Tyrone Sterling, have agreed contract extensions to stay at Crabble until the end of the 2015/16 season.
Bury striker James Poole has also arrived back at Dover on loan until the end of the season following a brief spell in Norway.
Poole spent a month with Chris Kinnear’s side in December, scoring once, before leaving ahead of the Crystal Palace game.
There will be a pitch inspection at Crabble tonight (Monday) ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled Vanarama Conference clash against Grimsby Town.
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Richard Harvey