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Gateshead 1 Dover Athletic 2 match report

Dover Athletic produced another superb performance to register a 2-1 win on the long trip to Gateshead and extend their unbeaten Vanarama Conference run to six games.

Whites climbed to 13th in the table and made it 13 points from a possible 15 over the past three weeks after holding on to claim a famous win at the Gateshead International Stadium.

After the Athletic squad flew to the north east on Saturday morning, they were put under some early pressure by the hosts Stefan Payne put the visitors ahead on 21 minutes, expertly flicking home a cross from Tyrone Sterling for his ninth goal of the season.

Dover’s defence held firm against continued pressure from the home side but Nick Deverdics came close to the second goal, rattling the bar from distance nine minutes before the break.

Within 60 seconds however the scores were level as first a speculative cross from the right bounced off the crossbar before Whites keeper Andy Rafferty, who thwarted Heed striker Danny Wright on several occasions, was beaten by a low shot from Alex Rodman.

The 80 away fans who made the trip to the soggy north east were however sent into rapture two minutes before the break as Sean Francis headed a cross into the bottom corner for his second Dover goal.

After the break Whites pushed for a third, with Deverdics firing a free-kick straight at Heed keeper Adam Bartlett while a Tom Murphy cross on the break caused havoc in the home defence and Payne tore through the defence only to send a tame shot straight at Bartlett.

Inside the final 20 minutes Wright somehow fired wide of the target from six yards out, but the hosts never came closer to testing Rafferty as Dover’s defence impressed.

Stefan Payne. Picture: Gary Browne
Stefan Payne. Picture: Gary Browne
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