Our National League South clash against St Albans at Crabble has had its kick-off time changed from 3pm to 12.30pm.
The time for the December 3rd match has been brought forward in order to avoid a potential World Cup clash.
One of either England or Wales may feature in the last 16 games at that time.
Our Academy played their way into the history books after they beat Langley FC 3-2 in the FA Youth Cup First Round proper tie at Crabble on Tuesday evening.
Archie Hatcher, Leo Dodds, and Joel-Michael Oderian scored the goals which saw the team become the first one to reach the Second Round for the first time in the 12-year history of the Academy.
Manager Mike Sandmann’s team will now head to Suffolk to play Lowestoft Town in the Second Round.
Lowestoft beat Concord Rangers 4-3 on penalties last week after it finished 1-1 after extra time.
Not surprisingly, Sandmann was full of praise for his talented youngsters.
He said: “What a great achievement and what a fantastic performance – I couldn’t be prouder of the players.
“Langley played their part and were a good side with some very good individuals and we knew that coming into the game.
“We watched them in the build-up to the game and thought we performed well on the night limiting their creative players
“We showed great character after missing the penalty and the players didn’t allow it to affect them, which is important.
“I felt we could have been in front by more at half-time but you have to give Langley credit for making it difficult.
“Heading into the final 10 minutes with only a one-goal lead was always going to be nervy, but I thought we limited them to very few chances and defended well as a team.
“As the manager, I’m always going to be looking to improve, but I don’t want to take anything away from the players – they were excellent and have made history getting to this stage, and let’s see where it takes us.
” I would also like to thank the fans who came to watch, so thank you so very much for your ongoing support of the Academy lads – they do really appreciate it.”
Dover Athletic Chairman Jim Parmenter provides us with an exciting update on what’s been happening behind-the-scenes at the club.
For some weeks now I have been developing a new community strategy for the Club and can now update our Supporters and the wider community of our plans which have been formulated in conjunction with our main sponsor Megger, who have been fantastically supportive of our plans, and you will hear more about their involvement and support in due course.
3G PITCH PROJECT
I have been in positive discussions with the Kent County FA and Dover District Council about a project to convert our old training pitch behind the River End Stand to a 3G pitch exclusively for community use.
We have already started to discuss the matter with the youth football community and the feedback has been very positive indeed.
The time has now come to consult the wider community and our neighbours on the project.
So any person or organisation who has an interest in using the facility and would like to add their support to the project please contact me at [email protected]
Equally, if any of our neighbours have any questions or concerns I would be happy to meet with them at the stadium and explain the project.
To be clear, the facility will be designed for small-sided games up to 9 a side with an option for two 5-a-side pitches on the same area.
Our emphasis will be on Community engagement particularly mini-Soccer, Youth football, Futsal and walking football.
We will be continuing with our excellent Saturday morning “Happy Feet” project.
Our emphasis will be to reach out also to members of the Community with disabilities and diverse ethnic backgrounds as well as developing women’s and girls’ football.
So please, if you have an interest in the project or any concerns do not hesitate to contact me.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INCLUSION OFFICER
Thanks to the support of our friends at Megger we are able to bring a colleague into the team to drive our community activities.
We will be embarking on a diverse programme within the Community (sporting and non-sporting) and whilst football will form an important part of our community activities, they will by no means be exclusively football related.
More details will be published soon.
So in the meantime, I would like to send my best wishes to everyone and I will continue to keep you all updated.
Our Academy will now play their postponed FA Youth Cup First Round proper tie against Langley FC at Crabble tonight at 7.45pm.
The original game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch last Thursday.
With a win tonight, Manager Mike Sandmann’s young team will become the first team to reach the Second Round for the first time in the 12-year history of the Academy.
In the four games they have played in the competition so far, the Academy have beaten Hollands & Blair (9-1), Margate (5-0), Ebbsfleet United (5-1), and Walton & Hersham (6-2).
Admission for the game is £10 and £5 for concessions with cash only being accepted.
Teenage forward George Nikaj is back from his two-month loan spell at Ashford United and goes straight into the squad for today’s National League South game in Essex.
Nikaj has made a big impact at the Isthmian South East club, scoring nine goals in his time with the high-flying Nuts & Bolts.
Andy Hessenthaler’s squad, who won 1-0 at Bath City last time out, take on the high-flying Clarets at The Melbourne Community Stadium (7.45pm).
Chelmsford, who will start the game in fourth place on the table, drew 1-1 at National League side Barnet in the FA Cup First Round tie at The Hive on Saturday.
Dover trained on Saturday as scheduled opponents Taunton Town were also in FA Cup action.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
You can read the Chelmsford preview HERE
LAST TIME WE MET IN A LEAGUE GAME – FEBRUARY 1st 2014
Dover Athletic squandered a two-goal lead for the second successive home game as they drew 2-2 with Chelmsford at Crabble.
The Whites were poised to move into fifth place in the Skrill South when they led 2-0 with 18 minutes to go but, as in their 3-2 defeat by Bishops Stortford at Crabble last month, Chris Kinnear’s side were unable to convert their two-goal advantage into three points.
They led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Barry Cogan and Jeff Goulding who, playing against his former club, struck his sixth goal in three matches a minute after Cogan’s opener.
Dover then looked comfortably in command for most of the second half until Christian Smith pulled a goal back for Chelmsford in the 72nd minute and then, in the first minute of added time, Kieron St Aimie scored the equaliser.
Match highlights from that game can be found HERE
DOVER TEAM NEWS
Defender Myles Judd and leading goalscorer Alfie Pavey will both miss the game through suspension with both serving one-game bans after collecting their fifth bookings of the season.
Defender Tyrone Sterling (ankle) and young forward Noah Carney (knee) also miss out through injury while Mitch Brundle (knee) continues to be sidelined.
COVERAGE
The game kicks off at 7.45pm and if you are unable to make it, we will be providing live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens.
Radio Clarets will also be covering the game HERE
TICKET INFORMATION
You can get all the details you need HERE
Our Academy will now play their postponed FA Youth Cup First Round proper tie against Langley FC at Crabble next Tuesday, November 8th at 7.45pm.
The original game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch on Thursday.
Should Manager Mike Sandmann’s team win, they will head to Suffolk to play Lowestoft Town in the Second Round.
Lowestoft beat Concord Rangers 4-3 on penalties on Wednesday after it finished 1-1 after extra time.
The young Whites will also become the first team to reach the Second Round for the first time in the 12-year history of the Academy.
In the four games they have played in the competition so far, the Academy have beaten Hollands & Blair (9-1), Margate (5-0), Ebbsfleet United (5-1), and Walton & Hersham (6-2).
Admission for the game is £10 and £5 for concessions with cash only being accepted.
Unfortunately due to the wet weather, the regular Happy Feet junior coaching sessions have been called off because of the ground being unplayable.
Sunday’s Walking Football has also been cancelled.
You can contact the Community Team HERE
Tonight’s Academy’s FA Youth Cup First Round proper tie against Langley FC at Crabble has fallen victim to the weather and, following a referee’s inspection, has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
We start our FA Trophy campaign with a trip to Isthmian South Central side Uxbridge.
The second-round tie will be played on November 19th at 3pm.
Prize money is £3,750 for winning teams with the losing side collecting £1,000.
FA Youth Cup history is within our Academy’s grasp.
Manager Mike Sandmann’s squad of talented young players take on Langley in the First Round proper at Crabble on Thursday (7.45pm) and should they win, they will become the first team to reach the Second Round for the first time in the 12-year history of the Academy.
The campaign so far has been a story of guts, passion, and hunger to succeed in the four games they have played.
First-team squad member Kieron Agbebi (pictured) and his teammates started their journey with a 9-1 win against Hollands & Blair at Crabble before backing up that performance with wins against Margate (5-0) and Ebbsfleet United (5-1).
They then won 6-2 at Walton & Hersham to secure their place in the First Round.
Admission is £10 and £5 for concessions.
So please come along and support the youngsters – they love having you there.
