Penalty hero praises team effort
PENALTY hero Paul Hyde saluted the Dover team after their win in the John Ullmann Kent Senior Cup Semi-Final against Gravesend and Northfleet last night, writes Justin Allen.
Hyde, who saved Moussa Sidibe's
final penalty to hand Whites a 5-4 shootout victory following the 1-1 draw
after extra time, says it's fine reward for their efforts.
The keeper said: "The lads
were brilliant. To be perfectly honest I only made one save all night and
luckily for me it came at a crucial time.
"I nearly saved a couple of the penalties beforehand. We
kept up the pressure by scoring our kicks. And, when they were about to take
their last one, I said to the referee quite loudly, 'Is this the last and final
one, ref?' That put the pressure right on the kid - a little bit of gamesmanship
- and I've managed to get my hand to it to push it over of the bar.
"I'm really delighted for these young players. I do feel
that some of them weren't given a fair chance under previous managers, and to
reach a cup final is a fine reward for the way they have responded since Clive
Walker took charge.
"We've already got six cup finals in the league. Let's
hope it's now going to be a lucky seventh."
Whites will face the winner of the other semi-final between
Folkestone Invicta and Margate in the final on May 2. Their semi-final is
scheduled for April 12.
The venue of the final will be decided by the toss of a coin. Wherever it takes place, it promises to be a fantastic afternoon for Whites against one of their main rivals. It should be a cracking finale to the season.
Looking ahead to Whites' crucial derby match
against Folkestone on Easter Monday, Hyde said: "It's going to be a
hell of an atmosphere and a high pressure game.
"We were dead and buried in January but we've battled on
against all the odds and now suddenly are right in the mixer. We can do
it."
