Home   Dover   Sport   Article

Midfielder Oscar Gobern wants Dover Athletic to build on their second-half performance against Hartlepool United

Midfielder Oscar Gobern hopes Dover’s second-half display in their draw against Hartlepool has set the benchmark for the rest of their season.

Whites fought back after the restart on Saturday and earned a point as substitute Nassim L’Ghoul netted a stoppage-time equaliser with the game at Crabble finishing 1-1.

Dover midfielder Oscar Gobern looks for space during his side's 1-1 draw against Hartlepool on Saturday. Picture: Alan Langley
Dover midfielder Oscar Gobern looks for space during his side's 1-1 draw against Hartlepool on Saturday. Picture: Alan Langley

L’Ghoul’s strike cancelled out Dover captain Kevin Lokko’s first-half own goal.

When asked if he was pleased with the side’s second-half response, Gobern, who joined Whites from league rivals Eastleigh in the summer, said: “Yes but, obviously, we need to play like that for 90 minutes.

“At the moment, we are a bit inconsistent.

"But if we perform more like we did in the second half rather than how we did in the first, we will probably pick up more points than when drop.”

He continued: “At this level, anyone can beat anyone.

“It’s important that we pick up more points than the other teams around us.

“We aren’t always going to play well but we just need to find a way to win. That’s the most important thing.”

Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler. Picture: Alan Langley
Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler. Picture: Alan Langley

The result leaves Andy Hessenthaler’s men 13th, five points behind seventh-placed Boreham Wood.

When asked if Dover’s players believe they can finish the season in the play-offs, Gobern replied: “One hundred per cent.

"If you look at the table, we have two games in hand on some teams.

“If we pick up points from those games, we can look up (the table) which is a positive.”

This Saturday, Dover will visit a Notts County team who are fifth and targeting an immediate return to the Football League.

Whites played out a 2-2 draw with Neal Ardley’s team in early October at Crabble, and they claimed a 1-0 victory at Yeovil in November, as well.

Gobern said: “We have played against ex-league teams this season and taken all three points, so I don’t see why it will be different against Notts County.”

Read more: All the latest sports news in Kent

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More