23 years since enrolling into the lowest rung of regional park football as simply an outlet for some friends to casually play football, Dorking Wanderers have achieved National League status.

That mere statement, while in itself surreal to their supporters, only scrapes the surface of a sensational achievement ordinarily limited to the realms of fairytale, in which the latest chapter will now pit them on an equal footing to former Premier League outfit Oldham Athletic plus potentially all of Notts County, Chesterfield, Wrexham from August onwards.

Their latest step towards that seismic landmark was characterised by the very spirit and ferocious willpower that has always underpinned the club, with them responding to impending late heartbreak by then equalising in the tenth minute of stoppages enroute to an extra time victory against a devastated Ebbsfleet United outfit.

Indeed, for quite some time it seemed like the narrative arc would centre around the Fleet's return to the division they were fractionally demoted from via a points-per-game metric in 2019/20 and they will surely bear the wounds for several weeks, so close were they to doing so having dominated a significant proportion of the ninety minutes.

  • Story of the match

Despite navigating the season and subsequent play-off semi final with commendable composure, Dorking seemed very nervous from the outset as they uncharacteristically misplaced passes and were largely pinned into their own half during the opening half hour by an Ebbsfleet outfit that smelt blood.

Rakish Bingham spearheaded their attack, constantly making untracked runs through the gap between the wide centre halves and wing backs. It was via this scenario that he went through on goal after four minutes, only to slip at the crucial moment.

Nonetheless this signified a warning sign that would go unheeded. Moments later, Joe Martin pinched possession off a dawdling defender and swung in a dangerous cross that floated beyond several arriving green shirts. Elliott Romain suffered the same fate after recycling it near the corner flag, thus ending a strong mini-spell.

Another one would soon commence, though, as an unmarked Sido Jombati planted wide from a free-kick before an expansive five-on-three breakaway led to Jack Paxman receiving the ball unmarked at the far post. The creative midfielder attempted to cut it back to Bingham but a vital home intervention preserved parity.

However, it wasn't long before the somewhat inevitable moment arrived. The danger was immediate as Paxman led a marauding upfield charge having dispossessed Josh Taylor, before threading through a defence-splitting pass for Bingham to fire beyond Dan Lincoln.

Jolted into action by this sizeable setback, Dorking finally had their first shot after half an hour. An intelligent reverse pass penetrated the Fleet backline, finding Jimmy Muitt whose driven cross was powered over by Jason Prior

Yet normal service promptly resumed with a lovely passage at the other end, where an overlapping Paxman teed up Martin to curl into the keeper's arms. 

The hosts were nonetheless incrementally growing in confidence, exemplified when Alfie Rutherford brilliantly engineered space in a packed box to fire at goal from point blank range, eliciting an instinctive stop from Louie Moulden.

Having been tightly marked beforehand, Rutherford was now finding space in the visiting box and that always spells disaster. So it proved, with his measured knockdown setting up McShane to fire home an equaliser going into the interval.

Having witnessed his team convincingly control the match for sustained periods, Fleet manager Dennis Kutrieb could not hide his frustration at it ultimately not yielding the half time advantage it deserved to.

His troops at least had the opportunity to regroup at the interval, but couldn't mitigate the seismic momentum shift. Fuelled by a now-expectant home crowd, Dorking immediately created more in the five minutes immediately proceeding the restart than the entire half beforehand.

(Image: Steve O'Sullivan)

Prior was at the heart of this, twice heading wide from advanced positions inside the area as the hosts exploited the increasing gaps within the visitors' ranks. However, the Fleet still packed a punch themselves, exemplified by Jombati finding space to cannon into Lincoln's arms from close range.

While the home side were sharper in their progressive play, chances came at a premium. Naturally, the longer the final wore on, the more the tension ramped up inside Meadowbank. Dorking did go close with the clock reading 77, as Luke Moore curled a free-kick over the crossbar.

One final opportunity before injury time saw Prior exert his aerial superiority again, but Alex Finney cleared his goalbound effort off the line to ensure things stayed level going into injury time. That's when everything changed.

Wanderers have been renowned for their commendable fearlessness irrespective of the scenario, yet in stoppage time this crossed the threshold into self-destructive naïvety as they were caught on an ominous counter attack while committing far too many men forward in search of a dream finale. 

The very opposite occurred after substitute Dominic Poleon capitalised upon Cheadle's costly miscontrol. Jinking between two covering red shirts, the striker crashed agonisingly against the post and Dorking wrongly thought they'd been let off the hook.

This feeling wouldn't last long because Poleon then recovered his composure to find fellow fresh face Craig Tanner, who skilfully shifted onto his stronger left foot before measuring a low strike into the far corner. Cue absolute pandemonium.

Ebbsfleet were surely up, except these were the play-offs and another absurd twist was in store. Dreadful irony underpinned it, with a visiting supporter indirectly complicit by over-exuberantly launching a flare onto the pitch to spark a lengthy delay that ultimately extended the stoppage period beyond ten minutes.

At which point the hosts embarked on one last make-or-break foray. Audible groans greeted Barry Fuller's decision to cut inside rather than deliver, perceived as an act of procrastination. However, it altered the angle and this marginal gain proved monumental. 

Rutherford reached the subsequent inswinger first by a matter of centimetres, the contact perfect as it zipped across the far post, where the arriving Moore gleefully bundled home from practically the goalline.

For the second time inside a few minutes, players and staff celebrated wildly with their fans by the corner flag. Fittingly, a pulsating final was going into extra time. 

Ebbsfleet were always going to find it immensely difficult to lift themselves and recover from such a harrowing end; so it proved because they crumbled afterwards. In the first real opening of the additional period, substitutes DJ Oldaker and Kane Wills played an intricate one-two that sent the latter in behind, where he crossed low. 

The initially intended recipient, McShane, missed the ball but sweeping up behind him was Rutherford, the striker guiding into the corner for his 37th goal across all competitions this campaign - it would be the one that made history for Dorking Wanderers.

  • Star Man

Alfie Rutherford (Dorking Wanderers) | The biggest stages differentiate good and great players. The National League South Golden Boot winner proved he belongs in the latter category by supplying the assists for both equalisers in the initial ninety minutes, including a brilliant flick-on in the very dying seconds, before then making club history in extra time with the goal that sent them up.

  • Starting lineups

DORKING WANDERERS: Dan Lincoln, Nick Wheeler (Ed Harris 🟨 88'), Jordan Cheadle (Kane Wills 91'), Dan Gallagher, Barry Fuller ©, Jimmy Muitt (Bobby-Joe Taylor 73'), Luke Moore ⚽, Josh Taylor 🟨, James McShane ⚽, Alfie Rutherford ⚽, Jason Prior (DJ Oldaker 88')

EBBSFLEET UNITED: Louie Moulden, Alex Finney, Joe Martin 🟨 (Craig Tanner ⚽ 78'), Sido Jombati, Ben Chapman, Chris Solly ©, Alfie Egan, Christian N'Guessan, jack Paxman 🟨, Rakish Bingham ⚽ (Dominic Poleon 87'), Elliott Romain (Lee Martin 60' (Shaquile Coulthirst 99'))

Referee: Jason Richardson | Attendance: 3000 (910)

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