Canvey Island 4 Dover Athletic 3

ONCE again Dover threw away a match that they should have won on Saturday, conceding three goals in the last 10 minutes to crash out of the FA Cup after they had led 3-0 early in the second half.

Whites had made the perfect start in this third qualifying round in what always promised to be a testing encounter.

Matt Carruthers chipped the ball home with five minutes gone following a mix-up between Canvey goalkeeper Danny Potter and defender Steve ward.

Dover played well in the first half, with their defence keeping the free-scoring home side at bay without too much trouble. And when Tony Browne crossed for Craig Wilkins to head a second goal seconds before the break, it was no more than Clive Walker’s men deserved.

Wilkins then latched on to a another defensive error after 53 minutes to make it 3-0 with a low shot into the corner from the edge of the penalty area.

But with Whites’ travelling fans now thinking that the tie was now all over they were in for a painful shock. Canvey finally woke out of their slumbers and they pulled a goal back through a close range header from Jeff Minton after 57 minutes.

Dover were now forced on to the back foot as Canvey took over in midfield, but it wasn’t until the 81st minute that Minton pulled another goal back.

Minutes later, Dean Readings was adjudged to have tripped a home forward although he did make a meal of it with a spectacular dive, and Lee Boylan made no mistake from the penalty spot to tie the scores at 3-3.

With Dover fans looking anxiously looking at their watches, referee Mr Dedman added five minutes of stoppage time, though where it all came from in anyone's guess.

And the home side completed their spectacular comebacl when Minton scored his third goal from close range following a corner.

To have been 3-0 ahead with little more than half an hour left, and then lose the match, was hard to bear for the Whites fans in the crowd of 528.

Dover Ath: Hyde, Browne, Dyer, Readings, Cloke, Chapman, Rogers (Davies 70), Spiller, Wilkins, Tyne, Carruthers. Subs not used: Dent, Amadi, Glover, Postma.