A brace from Town striker, Jack Muldoon, saw Harrogate come from behind to gain a place in the third round of The F A Trophy, for the second successive year.
Simon Weaver made two changes in Town’s line up, with Liam Kitching replacing Kelvin Langmead in central defence and Jack Muldoon taking over from Joe Leesley in attack.
Town started the quicker and Lloyd Kerry should have given them a fourth minute lead, but home keeper,Mitch Walker,blocked his effort.
Things got even better for Town two minutes later when Jack Emmett’s pass sent Mark Beck clear,only for him to be brought down inside the area.
The tall striker elected to take the penalty himself, but his shot down the middle struck Walker’s foot and bounced to safety.
Town were soon made to pay for their misses, when on twelve minutes,Beck’s defensive header from Anthony Jeffrey’s corner found Inih Effiong on the edge of the area and his shot through a crowded penalty area beat the unsighted James Belshaw.
Within two minutes the visitors were level when Callum Howe headed a George Thomson free kick across goal and Muldoon drove the ball low past Walker into the corner of the net.
An highly competitive game ebb and flowed and the small crowd were well entertained as both sides battled for supremacy.
Town applied plenty of pressure but couldn’t find the final touch,while Dover had a chance just before the interval, but Effiong’s weak shot from Jeffrey’s centre was easily dealt with by Belshaw.
Both Kerry and Thomson forced saves from Walker early in the second period, as Town kept up their momentum, and the former should have given Town the lead on fifty six minutes, when Ryan Fallowfield’s low cross found him at the far post, but his shot was off target.
Harrogate were dominating the game and on sixty-four minutes they struck the decisive blow.
There appeared little danger to Dover when Kerry found himself on the ground after the attentions of the home defence, but he swung his foot at the ball to find Thomson on the right wing and he crossed the ball into the middle for Muldoon to score with a glancing header.
Town easily controlled the rest of the game and this time there was no repetition of a late goal to prevent victory.
Afterwards, Simon Weaver praised his men saying that everyone had put in a good shift.
So it’s on to next Saturday when Town return to League action in a televised,home game against Hartlepool United,which kicks off at 12-35pm.
Town
Belshaw, Fallowfield, Falkingham, Howe, Burrell, Thomson, Emmett(Woods 88), Beck, Kerry, Muldoon(Knowles 79), KItching.
Unused subs, Cracknell, Langmead, Williams.
Goals Muldoon 15,64 Booked, Falkingham.
Dover Athletic
Walker, Diarra, Jeffrey, Brundle, Allen, (Reason 70), Effiong, Pavey, Bedford(Passley 45), Nortey, Lewis, Debayo(Lokko 70).
Unused subs, Sho-Silva, Daniel.
Scorer, Effiong 12.
Referee P Howard Att.463
By John Harrison
@JohnHar59276371
