Dover Royals edged to victory in a thrilling, hard-fought encounter against Hythe.

The match was end-to-end from the first whistle, with both teams creating plenty of chances. Hythe struck first, breaking quickly and finishing smartly from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

The Royals kept pushing for an equaliser, and when Ben was bundled over outside the area, Joey stepped up and curled a brilliant free-kick into the bottom corner. 1-1!

Momentum swung our way shortly after. A ball was clipped over to Joey, who set himself before reversing a pass to Thomas, smashing home our second on his left foot. A superb finish and a 2-1 Royals lead.

Hythe came out strong in the second half and levelled with a well-worked move, making it 2-2 and setting up a grandstand finish.

With around 10 minutes to play, Leighton slipped a lovely ball through for Ben, who hammered home the decisive goal to restore the Royals’ advantage at 3-2.

Under late pressure, the Royals showed real grit and resilience to hold on and secure a well-earned victory.

A fantastic performance from the whole squad — well done, Royals!