From the Terraces: Supporters play their part as Dover fail to read the script

Kelvin Langmead proved to be Harrogate Town's saviour when Dover Athletic visited the CNG Stadium. Picture: Matt Kirkham

"When you are going through hell, keep on going. Never never never give up."

That’s all very well, but I’d venture that Winston Churchill didn’t find his team deservedly 2-1 down to a stubborn Dover Athletic deep into injury-time.

Having praised the players for their never-say-die spirit in previous columns, I find myself guilty of hypocrisy.

If it wasn’t enough that I’d totally given up on Town ever finding an equaliser, my daughter was also annoying me, harping on positively about how “we’re going to draw this, I can feel it”.

Yet nothing was falling for us in the box and Dover had resorted to blatant time-wasting and injury-feigning to run the clock down. It was turning out to be ‘one of those games’.

Then, totally out of the blue, a great Kelvin Langmead header levelled matters.

I don’t remember much else as delirium takes over in the Kop, apart from having to admit that my daughter was right once it all calmed down.

In the cold light of day, it was a lucky, but hard-earned, point against a second-from-bottom, under-new-management Dover team who clearly hadn’t read the script.

What made it a better result, though, was Salford and Orient dropping points in similar fashion.

On a different note, there’s been a little concern this week among supporters that the usual singing section of the home crowd has seemed more subdued in recent times, despite the steady increase in attendances.

A few theories have been put forward for this, but my two pennies worth is that the last three home matches have been more difficult ones for Town.

The fighting spirit has been there, but the players have seen less of the ball and created less going forward, leading in turn to a little more anxiety in the stands.

However, it was nice that Simon Weaver recognised the positive contribution of the supporters towards that glorious late equaliser in his post-match interview, referring to us all as part of a team.

Like my daughter, he was right. Both players and supporters raised their game and this will hopefully give us momentum going forward.

So let’s start as we mean to continue, and sing the players into the FA Cup first round proper on Saturday.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get there and draw Bradford City? I bet they wouldn’t dare send their reserves again.