STEVENAGE BOROUGH 4 DOVER ATHLETIC 1

 

Borough cruised into the quarter final of the FA Trophy after what was ultimately a comfortable victory over Conference South promotion chasers Dover Athletic. The Blue Square league leaders were forced to come back from a goal down but goals by Tim Sills, Chris Beardsley, Michael Bostwick and Yemi Odubade were enough to see off the spirited resistance of Dover.

 

Stevenage started brightly and put the Conference South side under siege in the early exchanges. David Bridges had a shot blocked, Ronnie Henry cut inside from the right and curled a shot just over and Stacy Long clipped a shot just wide all within eight minutes.

 

Henry was enjoying himself down the right flank and giving left back James Rogers a torrid time. Again he cut inside and tested Lee Hook with a low shot before minutes later squaring a low ball to Bridges, the midfielder dallied too long and had his effort blocked.

 

For their part Dover looked neat and tidy on the ball, if a bit predictable, and they finally tested Chris Day midway through the half when Adam Birchall curled a shot from the edge of the area that the goalkeeper did well to parry clear.

 

But with 27 minutes on the clock it was the visiting side who took the lead. Francis Collin was afforded far too much room wide on the left and when he sent in a deep cross to the far post two Dover players were unmarked and the lumbering Shaun Welford gave Day no chance from six yards.

 

Unperturbed Borough continued to press forward and got back on level terms with Sills’ first goal in a Borough shirt. Beardsley did well to control and turn in the area, fired a low ball across the six yard area and Sills slide in to beat Hook. Borough took the lead just before the interval when centre back Ollie Schulz made a complete hash of a cross from Henry and Beardsley was on hand to prod the loose ball into the roof of the net.

 

Bridges almost made it three seconds later when he burst into the box but Hook rushed off his line to block his effort, so Borough took their break just a goal to the good.

 

It was Bridges who had the opening opportunity of the second half, sending a powerful header just over the bar from a corner by Stacy Long. Seven minutes in and Borough did get their third. Sills excellently won a header on halfway and sent Mitchell Cole clear. The winger raced into the box and squared the ball to Bostwick who had acres of space from six yards and had time to control the ball and power his effort past Hook.

 

Long almost added to the advantage when he curled a delightful shot just wide from the edge of the area and Sills tested Hook with a powerful header. Although only attacking sporadically the visiting side still looked dangerous on the ball and Day had to be at his sharpest to parry a drive from Welford after Stevenage failed to clear a loose ball. The goalkeeper had to make an even better save with ten minutes remaining when he flung himself to his left to tip a header from Welford over the bar.

 

With three minutes remaining substitute Yemi Odubade made it four after some marvellous build-up play by Henry and ultimately Long, who teased the defence before crossing to the far post for Odubade to volley home for his ninth goal of the season.

 

The victory puts the trophy holders into Monday’s draw, but the downside is that the highly anticipated Blue Square Premier clash with Oxford United will now have to be rescheduled as it sits on FA Trophy quarter final day.

 

STEVENAGE BOROUGH (4-4-2) C Day – R Henry, M Roberts, J Ashton, S Laird – S Long, D Bridges, M Bostwick, M Cole (Sub: Y Odubade, 75)– T Sills (Sub: L Boylan, 83), C Beardsley (Sub: C Griffin, 88). Substitutes not used: A Bayes, M Albrighton. Booked: