Category: First Team News

MATCH PREVIEW – MAIDENHEAD UNITED VS DOVER ATHLETIC

After a weeks delay, Dover finally start the National League season with a visit to the oldest continuous football ground in English football as they travel to Maidenhead United.

Whites were due to begin the season at Crabble against Solihull Moors last weekend, however this was postponed after two COVID-19 cases were found within the group, meaning the playing and management team had to self isolate for 10 days.

Meanwhile, our hosts came from behind last Saturday to beat FC Halifax Town 2-1 in their opening game of the season.

Dover are one of five teams yet to play a game this season, however sit bottom of the league on -12 due to the punishment given by the National League after the club were unable to complete last season’s campaign and had to cease all football operations due to financial reasons.

This is one of the reasons why these two teams did not play each other in the National League at all last season.

They were due to play at York Road at the beginning of December however a COVID case meant the game had to be postponed, whilst the game at Crabble was called off due to heavy snowfall. These postponements meant both games were pushed back, however were never played due to the aforementioned reasons.

Magpies boss Alan Devonshire has made six signings during the summer, with the standout name from a Dover point of view being ex-White Will De Havilland who joined Maidenhead after leaving Dover in the summer.

They’ve also signed Emile Acquah and Kane Ferdinand from fellow National League clubs Southend United and Woking, with the latter scoring the winner on his debut for the club in the 89th minute last weekend.

Charlee Adams also joined the Magpies on a free transfer. The centre midfielder is an experienced player in the National League, having previously played for Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet.

Finally, goalkeeper James Holden joined the club on loan from Reading.

Whites’ visit to York Road will also mean a quick return for Seth Twumasi who will be looking to make his competitive debut for Dover against the side he left in the summer.

Maidenhead’s Player to Watch

Sam Barratt has started the season in fine form with one goal from one game and will be looking to match the 15 goals he scored for our hosts last season.

Coverage

To stay up to date with our opening game of the season, please follow @DAFCLiveText on Twitter to get live text coverage of the game.

Saturday’s National League Fixtures

Boreham Wood Vs Aldershot Town

Chesterfield Vs Wealdstone

Dagenham & Redbridge Vs Bromley

Eastleigh Vs Wrexham

Grimsby Town Vs Weymouth

Notts County Vs Torquay United

Solihull Moors Vs Barnet

Southend United Vs Stockport County (5:20PM)

Woking Vs FC Halifax Town

Yeovil Town Vs King’s Lynn Town

CAKESHOP PARTNERSHIP IS PERFECT RECIPE

Dover Athletic Football Club is pleased to announce Cakeshop Media as our new social media partner for the 2021/22 campaign. 

The Whitfield-based company was founded by Thom Cakebread, who some of you will know as one of our loyal fans.

Thom and his team will be helping the club with regular content across all of our social media channels.

He said: “It was an easy and exciting decision to take on the opportunity to work alongside my hometown club this season.

“The club needs all the help it can get and I was really happy to offer my services and to get involved.

“I am really looking forward to it.”

Richard Harvey, the club’s Sponsor Relations Manager and Managing Editor of the Media Team, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Thom and the Cakeshop Media team.

“They are a new brand who will certainly help our cause and help keep everyone updated with everything that’s going on at the club.

“We look forward to working with them across the season.” 

To find out more about Cakeshop Media visit their website HERE.  

 

 

 

NEW SLEEVE SPONSOR ANNOUNCED

Dover Athletic is delighted to announce Be Wise Gas & Plumbing Services as our official sleeve sponsor for the 2021/22 season.

Their logo will be seen on the left sleeve of our home and away shirts and those of the goalkeepers.

Be Wise Gas & Plumbing Services Director and huge Dover Athletic fan, Jamie Parsons, said he was delighted to get the opportunity to continue his support of the club in a new way.

“I am thrilled, to be honest – I’ve had a perimeter board at Crabble for three seasons now and that has given the business great exposure.

“I was looking for a new opportunity to continue supporting the club and Richard (Sponsor Relations Manager Richard Harvey) suggested becoming the sleeve sponsor.

“To see our logo on the shirts is unbelievable and I am delighted with how it looks.

“I would certainly recommend other local businesses have a look at what’s on offer at the club because we at Be Wise are thrilled to be partnering with Dover Athletic and we will be supporting the club every step of the way.”

To find out more about the fantastic range of services provided by Jamie and his company, please visit Be Wise Gas & Plumbing Services

ARTHUR PUTS PEN-TO-PAPER

Dover Athletic Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of former Birmingham City midfielder Koby Arthur.

The 25-year-old Ghanaian featured in our pre-season games against Watford and Tonbridge Angels, where he scored our first goal after just 17 seconds in the 4-0 win.

Arthur made 16 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham, including 12 in the Championship after making his debut against Wolves in April 2013.

During his time with the Blues, Arthur, who will wear the number 22 shirt for Andy Hessenthaler’s side, also spent time on loan with League 2 Cheltenham Town and Lincoln City in the National League.

After being released by Birmingham, Arthur joined Macclesfield Town and was a member of their National League winning team in the 2017/2018 season.

He featured in 20 League 2 games for the Silkmen the following season, making 25 appearances in all competitions, before leaving the club at the end of the campaign.

He joined National League North side Kidderminster Harriers ahead of the 2020/21 season making 12 appearances in all competitions before the season was cancelled.

Welcome to the club, Koby!

If you would like to sponsor Koby’s playing shirts for the 2021/22 season then please contact our Sponsor Relations Manager Richard Harvey at [email protected]

 

LEAGUE REVEAL OFFICIAL BETTING PARTNERS

The National League are pleased to announce 32Red and Unibet as the Official Betting Partners of the Vanarama National League.

A two-year partnership has been agreed with parent company Kindred Group, covering both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.

32Red and Unibet operate across Europe, including a wide variety of sponsorships within the domestic and international game. The brands will feature across the Competition’s digital channels, stadium advertising and in match day programmes.

Mark Ives, General Manager for the National League said, “The National League is thrilled to welcome the Kindred Group’s Unibet and 32Red brands as our official Betting Partner.

“We are excited to be working with an organisation who want to prioritise fan and community projects and gambling awareness, which is absolutely perfect timing, as we welcome back supporters in greater numbers than we have been able to over the last 18-or-so months.

“That period has been extremely challenging for us all and so we are very welcoming of this partnership for at least the next 2-years.”

Neil Banbury, UK General Manager, Kindred Group, added: “This is a hugely important day for everyone connected with the Kindred Group – we are excited and proud to be The National League’s official Betting Partner.

“Simply, non-league football is the lifeblood of our national sport. The elite level can only exist if the base of the pyramid thrives – and we hope that our investment will help to support that. At the heart of this are the supporters, of course, with their unwavering loyalty.

“The last year-and-a-half has shown us how vital they are to the clubs and to their communities. That is why we’ll be making sure that supporters see and feel a benefit from our sponsorship of their league. More broadly, Kindred remains committed to reinventing the sports sponsorship model – because we want a model that benefits the wider community.”

This community-first approach is in line with the Kindred’s sponsorship of Derby County, Rangers, and Middlesbrough, for example. These clubs benefit from six-figure funding to run the Team Talk initiative – a platform that uses the club and its staff, including players and manager, as a mechanism to engage with men about their mental well-being.

More broadly, the Kindred Group broke new ground earlier in 2021 by becoming the first gambling operator to disclose the share of revenue derived from harmful gambling. Kindred has set an ambition to reach zero per cent of revenue from harmful gambling by the end of 2023 and report this on a quarterly basis.

The purpose is to be transparent with data and raise awareness on what needs to be done to prevent high-risk gambling in society. For the second quarter of 2021, the share of revenue from harmful gambling was 4.3%

To celebrate the announcement, Kindred will be giving away tickets for National League matches on Saturday 4th September – which is an International Fixtures weekend – with fan competitions and giveaways set to be a feature throughout the partnership.

Details will be confirmed shortly.

NEW DATE FOR MOORS

We can now confirm that our postponed National League game against Solihull Moors at Crabble has now been re-arranged for Tuesday, September 21st at 7.45pm.

The game was originally scheduled to take place this Saturday but was postponed last week due to positive COVID-19 results being returned in our squad.

Please continue to stay safe one and all.

SOLIHULL GAME POSTPONED

We can now confirm that our opening National League game of the season against Solihull Moors at Crabble on August 21 has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation within the club

Our players and management are self-isolating for a period of 10 days in accordance with National League protocols and Public Health England guidelines following two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the group.

We wish those affected a swift and safe recovery.

The fixture will be re-arranged in accordance with National League rules.

CLUB STATEMENT

We can confirm that due to two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in manager Andy Hessenthaler’s squad, the entire group of players and management are now self-isolating for a period of 10 days in accordance with National League protocols and Public Health England guidelines.

We now await confirmation regarding next Saturday’s opening National League game of the season against Solihull Moors at Crabble.

Chairman Jim Parmenter said: “Our priority is the health and wellbeing of our players and staff. We will keep everyone informed.”

 

ACADEMY TRIO SIGN ON

Dover Athletic is proud to announce that three of our Academy youngsters have signed their first professional contracts with the club.

Right-back Harrison Byford, forward Noah Carney, and Alex Green, who can play at centre back or left back, have all featured and impressed during our pre-season campaign.

Harrison and Noah are both 17 while Alex, the Academy captain, is 18.

Manager Andy Hessenthaler said: “We are delighted that the three lads have signed with us. They have put in some good performances and shown plenty of potential, which is why they deserve this recognition.

“This is reflective of everything the Academy should be about. In these players, we see locally born youngsters developing on and off the field from their first steps into football to now into the first-team squad.”

Academy Manager Mike Sandmann said he was really pleased the three had taken their opportunity when given to them by the manager.

He said: “It’s evident to all the young players the pathway we now have into the first team and the ones that have been given the opportunity have taken it with both hands.

“Credit needs to go to Noah, Harrison, and Alex  – their work ethic is outstanding, always wanting to improve and they are great characters too.

“We provide an environment at the Academy that allows the players to develop, improve, and seeing another three lads given this opportunity will give everyone else a lift and an extra determination to work hard every day on the training pitch.

“Once again it shows that the manager and the club are willing to give young players a chance and that’s really important.

“The young players still have plenty of learning to do and now they are in the perfect environment regularly to continue doing that.”

Green will wear the number 12 shirt, Carney has been given number 19, while Byford will have 24 on his back.

MATCH PREVIEW: TONBRIDGE ANGELS VS DOVER

Dover travel to Tonbridge Angels this afternoon in their final pre-season friendly.

Whites come into this game having won six of their seven pre-season friendlies, including a 4-1 victory against a Watford XI last night.

This will be the last time manager Andy Hessenthaler will be able to see his squad in action before the National League season kicks off at Crabble against Solihull Moors on 21st August.

Like Dover, this will also be our hosts final pre-season game, with their season beginning next weekend.

They had wins against Colliers Wood United, Grays Athletic, Lewes and Merstham to start their campaign, however currently sit on a three game winless run having lost to Worthing and Sevenoaks Town as well as being held to a 2-2 draw at Kingstonian.

Please note – There will be no LiveText coverage for this game.

Admission Details

Adult – £5

Senior/Concession – £4

13-17 year old – £3

Under 12 – Free

Tickets for this afternoon’s match can be bought here https://www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk/buy-tickets. Card payments can also be taken on the gate.

Previous Meetings

24th July 2017 – Tonbridge Angels 0 – 2 Dover Athletic