Match Preview by Fred Deveson

This weekend sees a big clash at the bottom of the table as Dover host Havant and Waterlooville in a must win game for the Whites if they are to stay up this season.

The visitors this weekend started the season much like Dover, with the two being on similar points for most of the season.

However, in recent weeks, Havant have accelerated ahead of Dover, winning 2 of their last 5 and only losing once in that time.

They have been scoring well too of late, scoring two goals in each of their last three games, winning two of those.

Despite this good run, they have lost five of their last six away games, only managing to beat Hemel Hempstead on that run.

This weekend’s visitors are just six points from safety and a win at Crabble this Saturday will put them in a great position to continue to charge for survival as we head towards the end of the season.

As for Dover Athletic, it is looking bleak as we head into the final few matchweeks. If Dover lose the next two games and other results go against the Whites, then Dover will be relegated to the 7th tier and will be in the Isthmian League for the first time since 2009.

The Whites may feel slightly hard done by in recent weeks as performances have improved but the results just haven’t come.

The draw at Eastbourne was a positive result, although the game arguably should have been won based on the chances that were created.

George Nikaj has been performing especially well of late, as he made it 10 goals and assists this season against Eastbourne, so the hosts will be hoping he can perform again this weekend and get a vital win against a relegation rival.

It’s a massive game this weekend and it’s one that needs to be won by Dover if they are to have a chance of staying up this season.

Before the game, Dover boss Jake Leberl has said:

Our last outings we finally stopped the rut & picked up a point on the road against a strong full time Eastbourne outfit where we again conceded late to a wicked deflected goal, we look to build on & finish the season as strongly as possible in the hope to changing this club’s fortunes & recreate some positively moving forward 

Dover Athletic vs Havant and Waterlooville – Saturday 16 March 2024, 3pm

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

Match preview by Fred Deveson

It’s back to back away games in quick succession for the Whites who take on Eastbourne Borough tomorrow night. 

Eastbourne are coming off the back of a good win against Hemel Hempstead. The hosts for tomorrow are making a good late surge to stay up this season but are still in and around the relegation fight.

They have lost five of their last eight, however, which is not a good sign for the side. They have however won their last two home games which is a positive for them and they will be looking to make it 3/3 at home tomorrow.

As for Dover Athletic, they have lost their last 7 games but have had some tough fixtures in that run. The performances have improved and with new signing Pepe impressing on his debut, it is a good sign for the next few games.

The Whites have found scoring difficult of late, only scoring once in their last 4, but they have been creating chances well, so if a few more of these chances were converted, it could be a very interesting game tomorrow. 

The two sides drew 1-1 at Crabble in mid-November but Dover will be looking to take all 3 points this time out as they seek survival. 

Eastbourne Borough vs Dover Athletic. Tuesday 12 March 2024, 7.45pm:

• Stadium open from 6:45pm
• Clubhouse open for food and drinks with visiting supporters welcome

ONLINE PRICES

• Adults: £13 
• Concessions: £9 – Available to Over 65’s and Blue Light Card holders (ID will be required at the box office / turnstiles)
• UNDER 18’s & Students: £4 (ID will be required at the box office / turnstiles)
• Under 12’s: FREE, but need to be accompanied by a paying adult (ID may be required) and need to collect a FREE ticket from the box office on match day

ON THE DAY / GATE PRICES

Purchase here – https://ebfc.onlineticketseller.com/events/50688

• Adults: £18 
• Concessions: £12 – Available to Over 65’s and Blue Light Card holders (ID will be required at the box office / turnstiles)
• UNDER 18’s & Students: £6 (ID will be required at the box office / turnstiles)
Under 12’s: FREE, but need to be accompanied by a paying adult (ID may be required) and need to collect a FREE ticket from the box office on match day

Match Preview by Fred Deveson

Dover head to the west coast this weekend as they face Weston-Super-Mare, a very good ball playing side.
The last time the two sides faced off was earlier this season at Crabble and the hosts for this weekend played superbly, putting together some excellent intricate passing moves to break Dover down. They ran out 0-1 winners on that day.
The team from Somerset have seen plenty of reward for their good football this season, as thye currently sit in 15th place in the league after recently getting promoted.
Weston Super Mare have won two of their last three games and narrowly lost out to Yeovil in between.
The Somerset side have had a few postponements lately, so their win last time out at Chippenham is the only game they’ve played since the 20th February, meaning they are fit and ready to go this weekend.
However, they have not seen victory at home for a little while, with their last win at home coming in mid-January.
As for the Whites, they have lost 8 of the last 9 games, with their only win in that time coming against Slough.
The defensive side of things for Dover have improved, with the Whites conceding no more than two goals per game since the game against Worthing. Defeats have been narrow ones too, and Dover have lost the last four games by just a single goal.
Nick Dembele was a bright spark when he came on against Maidstone. He worked hard and battled for the side and he, amongst others, will be keen to start this one as Dover seek victory away from home for the first time since August.

Weston-Super-Mare vs Dover Athletic Saturday 9 March 2024, 3pm: Adults: £14.00 Concessions: £10.00 (over 60s and Students) Under 16s: £4.50 Under 8s: Free Family: £28.00 (2 Adults and 2 juniors)

 

Match Preview by Fred Deveson

This Saturday Dover Athletic host FA Cup story of the season Maidstone United, as they look to put all their efforts into promotion after their loss on Monday night to Coventry City.

Maidstone have had a fantastic season under George Elokobiand his story, as well as the club’s, has inspired millions across the country so far.

Elokobi and his assistant Craig Fagan both have Premier League experience and they now both have experience managing against Championship teams, but this weekend is a very different test against Dover Athletic. 

Interestingly, Maidstone have failed to win their last two games in the league despite their FA Cup run. They lost to Aveley last time out in the league and previously only managed a draw against Hemel Hempstead.

Dover’s Kent rivals currently sit in 9^th but they do have games in hand, and should they win those, they will be right amongst the top three. It’s up to Dover to stop their progression into the playoffs.

The Stones’ morale may be quite low, having had their FA Cup dream abruptly ended by Coventry, where they lost 5-0. Dover may look to capitalise on this and get a result against their rivals.

As for Dover Athletic, they have lost each of their last five games, however if the performance against Chippenham is anything to go by, then The Whites have a real chance on Saturday.

Dover were playing some excellent football last time out and deserved to get the win, but just ran out of steam right at the end. 

George Wilkinson has had an excellent month of performances,and the Dover fans will be hoping for another excellent one from the number 14 against fierce rivals Maidstone United.

Since 2008, the two sides have faced off 12 times, with Dover winning half of those games and Maidstone winning three, which is a good sign for the hosts this weekend. Dover have also scored 23 goals in those twelve games, showing goals has not been an issue in this fixture in 

This is an important game for both sides fighting at the top and bottom of the league and both will be desperate to get a win to help their causes.

Before the game Manager Jake Leberl has said:

For us it’s been such a disappointing run of results of late especially the Dartford & Chippenham games where we felt performances wise we deserved something out of both games.

Moving forward as a management team we have to keep going, educating & encouraging the players to learn from previous match day experiences to pick up results at this level where on occasions our general performance, effort, enthusiasm & spirt has been there to see, on the whole the boys have given that and need to continue to fight for themselves the team & the supporters to the very end

Jake Leberl

Dover Athletic vs Maidstone United – Saturday 2 March 2024, 3pm

Ticket Information:

This match is segregated. Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

Match Preview by Fred Deveson

This weekend Dover are back on the M4 as they face Chippenham in a game that people will feel is a must win if the Whites are to survive this season.

Chippenham Town have not been on the best run lately; they have only won two of their last eight games, losing three and drawing three.

The hosts this weekend currently sit in 15^th place in the National League South and are not too far off the relegation places so they will feel this is a must win game too.

Before their 2-2 away to Slough, Chippenham had not been scoring well at all, with just two goals in four games prior to their draw last time out, which is something Dover may look to exploit. 

The hosts this weekend went 0-2 up against Slough, only to give up the lead in the 84^th and 87^th minutes.

In terms of the head-to-head statistics, Dover are worse off, having not beaten Chippenham at all, whilst Dover’s opposition have won once and the other two games ending in a draw.

The Whites’ record of late has not been up to the level that Jake Leberl would have been hoping of his team. Dover have lost seven of the last nine and have been struggling for goals lately, apart from the away game at Worthing.

Dover’s last away win came at the very start of the season against Slough Town, and since then the away form has not been good, however the performances have largely improved. 

Destiny Oladipo may also be hoping to get his name back on the scoresheet for Dover this weekend as he looks to provide a glimmer of hope as we head towards the back end of the season. 

However the game goes it is sure to be a good one and the players will be beginning to feel the pressure as they look to make one last big push for survival this season.

Chippenham Town vs Dover Athletic. Saturday 24 February 2024, 3PM.

If you are planning to visit Chippenham this weekend, be advised that tickets can be purchased on the gate for this game, and cash / card is accepted. Please find ticket prices below:

Adults: £15, Senior Citizens*: £11, Junior (16-18): £5, Child (5-15)**: £3
*Students with a student card and serving Armed Forces personnel with an ID card.

U16’s FREE when accompanied by a paying adult.

Match preview by Fred Deveson.

It’s back-to-back home games for Dover Athletic who play twice in four days at Crabble as they look to make a push for survival.

St Albans are on a good run at the moment, being unbeaten in all but one of their last eight games, winning five of those. They currently sit in a playoff spot and are looking to make a push for promotion to the National League.

They have had some difficult games in this run, but they have drawn to Yeovil, beaten Torquay and drawn to Hampton and Richmond, all of which are promotion rivals.

A positive for Dover is that they are winless in their two away games, but they have beaten Torquay 0-4 in the south west.

The visitors on Tuesday have won eight of their last twelve games and appear to be scoring freely of late, despite their latest game being a 3-1 defeat to Bath. 

George Wilkinson said before the Dartford match that the team are going to do all they can in the little time that there is to prepare for the Tuesday game. The midfielder said it is important that the players playing full 90 minutes look after themselves and that the team as a whole has to be on it.

Whilst St Albans’ record is looking very good of late, Dover’s home record hasn’t been too bad of late. Despite the loss to Dartford, the performance was promising and wins against Slough and Aveley have shown that Crabble isn’t always an easy place to go.

The Whites have lost seven of their last nine games, however, which is a worrying sign in itself, but not all of the defeats have been deserved. 

In the head-to-head between the two, Dover have edged it. The Whites have won three times, drawing twice and losing twice, which is a positive sign.

It’s sure to be a good game on Tuesday night, and Dover will be looking to bounce back after the loss to Dartford.

First team coach Mike Sandmann has said before the game:

A quick turnaround from the disappointment of Saturdays result, it’s important to not to dwell too much and make sure we learn from every match taking into the next.

We need to get back to be difficult to play against and make sure we are organised better throughout the pitch from set plays.

Mike Sandmann

Dover Athletic vs St Albans City, Tuesday 20 February 2024, 7.45pm.

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

Match Preview by Fred Deveson.

Dover are back at Crabble this weekend as they host Dartford, who are struggling towards the bottom end of the league. 

The visitors have a particularly poor record in their last five matches, losing every one of them, and only scoring two goals in that tricky period.

The away side are without a win since boxing day, when they came out on top away to Welling United, who are themselves fighting for survival. 

Dartford are not big scorers either, having only scored four goals this calender year, which is something Dover will be looking to exploit this weekend, as the Whites’ defence has largely improved despite letting in six last weekend at Worthing.

The away side have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games and have been the first to concede in four of their last five, showing just how poor their record is of late.

The visitors have had a slightly busier schedule recently, with postponements making their schedule difficult. Dartford hosted Chippenham during the week; a game in which the visitors took a 0-1 win. 

As for Dover Athletic, their record has not been much better than Dartford’s lately but they did find their scoring boots last week at Worthing, scoring four times in a 6-4 defeat. 

The defence has somewhat weakened in the last two away fixtures, conceding nine in the last two, but at home it is a different story, with Dover keeping a clean sheet against Slough last time out at Crabble.

The two George’s at Dover have scored plenty for Dover in the past few games, with George Wilkinson getting two wonderful goals against Worthing, and George Nikaj netting the winner against Slough and the equaliser at Taunton. 

The Whites will be hoping that the pair can find their form once again against a leaky Dartford defence.

before the game Manager Jake Leberl has said:

We look to bounce back here today & get back to being a lot harder to beat than we have been in the two previous away games, where at home to date we have been, it’s our job to motivate the players & install the correct work ethic & temperament into the group to keep going to the last kick of the season which I feel we have just come away from in last two games, we need to build for whatever lay ahead what we can’t do or accept is down tools.

Jake Leberl

Dover Athletic vs Dartford – Saturday 17 February 2024, 3pm

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

Match Preview by Fred Deveson

Dover Athletic are back on the road this weekend as they face Essex based Braintree in the hopes of getting back-to-back wins.

The hosts have had a good start to 2024, winning 2/4 and only losing to Chelmsford on New Year’s Day. 

Their last home game was almost a month ago, which was a win against Hampton and Richmond, and overall they have been successful at home this season, winning a lot of the games they have hosted.

The Essex outlet have only lost once at home all season.

Braintree currently sit 11^th in the table and are fighting for the playoff spots after a good season. The hosts are coming off the back of a good 2-1 win away at Truro.

As for Dover Athletic, they are coming off the back of a fantastic performance at home to Slough Town, where they completed the double at Crabble, however George Nikaj is suspended for the trip to Essex after his red card.

The Whites have lost half of the last eight games, but performances have largely been better despite some results not going their way. 

Dover sit in 23^rd position, level on points with Havant and Waterlooville and will be looking to chase down Eastbourne in 22^nd.

The two sides faced off in August and the game ended as a 1-1 draw at Crabble, but Dover will be hoping for more this time. In the all-time head-to-head statistics, Dover are much more dominant, winning 8 of the 15 most recent meetings and scoring 25 times.

Dover will be looking to make it 9 wins in total against Braintree as they look to restart their survival chances.

Braintree Town vs Dover Athletic Saturday 3 February 2024, 3pm.

Ticket Information:

Adults – £15

Concessions – £10

U18s – £5

Match Preview by Fred Deveson.

It’s back-to-back home games for Dover Athletic who will be looking to put an end to Slough’s excellent recent form, and hopefully move themselves off the bottom of the league.

The Whites are coming off the back of a negative result on Tuesday night as they lost to rivals Tonbridge Angels in a disappointing game, but the team will be looking to make it right this weekend.

The visitors’ record has been superb of late, winning five of the last ten and losing just twice on this run, both of which away from home.

They recently got an impressive away draw at high-flying Worthing despite getting a red card in the game, which shows just how high their confidence is right now.

Scoring has also not been a problem for Slough, as they have only failed to score in one of their last 16 league games, whereasfor Dover scoring has been an issue, with the hosts for Saturday only scoring twice in their last four games.

The Whites’ have not been at the level seen around Christmas in the last five games, only getting one point out of a possible 12 this year.

The pitch may have a part to play this weekend, as it has only recently been played on, and wet weather could affect the movement of the ball, and could also be an advantage to either team who may exploit the wings with wet surface allowing the ball to move quicker, and making life harder for the full backs who could easily lose their footing without the ball.

Nevertheless, it is certain to be a good game and one not to miss as Dover look to get themselves off the foot of the table.

Ahead of this game Manager Jake Leberl has said:

Mike and I were somewhat disappointed with Tuesday’s performance particularly in the first half. We are looking to rectifying  our mistakes from that night and do better to create more chances in the opposition half. We continue to reinforce and instil a positive ethos as a group and the team have got to keep working and keep going as we believe they will.

Jake Leberl

Dover Athletic vs Slough Town – Saturday 27 January 2024, 3pm

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

Match Preview by Fred Deveson.

Dover host Kent rivals Tonbridge Angels and the Whites will be looking to pick up their first win of the year against a Tonbridge side who have been struggling as of late.

Coming into this fixture, both sides have been struggling and they each have one win in their last five games, with both losing three and drawing the other. 

The visitors have struggled with scoring lately, scoring just twice in their last four games, with both goals coming in a 2-1 win over Weymouth just over two weeks ago. 

Tonbridge have failed to beat a Kent rival since they beat Dover Athletic 1-0 at their home ground, and have since lost to Maidstone and Hythe, which is something The Whites could look to capitalise on.

For Dover, scoring has been an issue too. The hosts have failed to score more than one goal in a game since the Boxing Day win against Aveley, and the team has only scored once in the last three games, thanks to a header from Nikaj against Taunton. 

The last three meetings between the two sides have all gone the way of Tonbridge, with Dover losing all three. The Whites have not seen success of their Kent rival for almost ten years when the two sides met in the same division in 2014.

The team will be hoping for the fans to be in full voice at Crabble as they look to beat Tonbridge Angels for the first time in almost a decade.

Ahead of this game First Team Coach Mike Sandmann has said:

We are pleased to be back at home this evening after a couple of long away trips. Myself and Jake were extremely pleased with the performance away at Torquay despite coming away empty handed. I would like to thank the 13 supporters who travelled on Saturday. As always your support does not go unnoticed.

Mike Sandmann

Dover Athletic vs Tonbridge Angels – Tuesday 23 January 2024, 7.45pm

Ticket Information:

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)