Category: Match Preview

UP NEXT – BRAINTREE TOWN

The Iron head to Crabble for our latest test.

We now look forward to the visit of Braintree Town to the Megger Community Stadium this coming Saturday, following the disappointing result against Tonbridge Angels. Mitch Brundle will be looking to see what kind of characters he has in his squad as they look to bounce back with three points at Crabble. ‘Every single one is willing to take advice and criticism on board. That’s good because I’m always ruthless, said Brundle when quizzed by Kent Online Sport. ‘Once you accept one bad performance, they think it’s okay to have another one. But people have written them off and it’s got a fire in their bellies.’

It’s a good learning curve for some of the lads and also a good wake up call. We had a training session yesterday and then it’s back to Saturday with the games coming around thick and fast – Mitch Brundle

The Iron had excelled themselves last season with many people expecting them to struggle, finishing in the play-off spots before eventually losing out to Worthing 2-1. The Whites will fancy their chances at getting back to winning ways with the head to head leaning favourably towards the home side but anything can happen on the day.

 

Form Guide:

Images courtesy of Flashscore.com

Head to Head:

Ticket Information:

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)

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 hope to see as many of you there as possible.

COYW.

 

SLOUGH TOWN 1 DOVER ATHLETIC 2

Baptiste strikes late to win it for the Whites.

A 94th minute winner from Luke Baptiste sent the dover faithful home with smiles on their faces after a winner at the death sealed three points for the Whites on their travels.

Dover headed to Slough for the first away trip of the campaign with both teams tipped to be propping up the table, this already seemed to be a fixture that neither team wanted to lose. Gaffer Mitch Brundle made only one change to the starting eleven that came back to draw against Torquay United, with Bello coming in to replace the injured Allen on the left flank. That was of course until the warm up when Josh Anifowose turned his ankle on the 4G pitch, giving youngster Henry Young his debut.

It was a fairly even start to the game with both sides sizing each other up. Billy Terrell made a fantastic stop midway through the first half to keep the scores level, palming away a header from a corner when it looked like the Rebels would take the lead. Dover built up confidence and the in form Zidan Sutherland struck low to put the Whites 1-0 to the good and take his tally to two from two. It was a decent half for the visitors, who by the referee’s half time whistle, had complete control of the match.

Scott Davies made a double substitution at the break, desperate to upset Athletics flow. Slough had played most of their attacking intent down Dover’s right but the impressive John Oyenuga was having none of it, snubbing out wave after wave of attack. His opposite number George was hooked at half time and Slough switched flanks in a bid to get back into the match.

Unfortunately for the Whites it was a set piece that was their undoing as a free header from Minhas brought the teams level. Slough looked the more likely to get the win as they pressed Dover further and further back, forcing Terrell into action again but the young stopper was equal to it. As the clock ticked into injury time it looked like both sides were going to settle for a point. Dover cleared their lines with the ball bouncing into the path of the energetic Bello. The forward took a couple of touches, dragging two defenders with him before sliding a pass down the side to Luke Baptiste. Baptiste looked to shoot on his right but the path to goal was blocked before switching to his left foot and slamming the ball home with barely seconds left on the clock.

The travelling fans behind the goal went wild and showed the players their appreciation at the final whistle. Thank you for your support, the lads really appreciate it.

Onto Tonbridge Tuesday night to face the Angels.

COYW!

Dover Athletic: Terrell, Oyenuga, McLean, Naylor, Olarewaju, Charles-Cook, Bello, Young, Dunne, Nikaj, Sutherland

Subs: Ojemen, Olu, Baptiste, Kayani, Dembele

Slough Town: Graczyk, Dandy, Prosper, Minhas, Goddard, Parillon, Alexander, Davies, George, Dice, Sundire

Subs: Giles, Ogbonna, Louis, Spicer, McElroy

UP NEXT – SLOUGH TOWN

Whites head to Slough in the search of three points.

Mitch Brundle takes his side on the road for the first time this campaign, looking to build on the 2-2 draw with Torquay United on the opening day last weekend. Roman Charles-Cook’s second half equaliser meant that both sides left Crabble with a point each on matchday one but the gaffer will be looking at improving on that. With many predicting that in the off season that the Whites will finish 24th in the division, Slough Town were predicted only one place higher.

Speaking to Kent Online Sport Brundle said ‘Everyone’s a different side this year. I’ve got to go and watch what they did on Saturday. That’s my work this week.’ Having dug in and secured a draw last time out, you would be forgiven in thinking that the manager might stick with the same eleven who battled so valiantly against Torquay but that might not be the case come 3pm Saturday afternoon.

‘Some games suit certain personnel better. I’ll pick it on what team I think is going to win – not who’s done well. I pick my team on what I think is best to win that game of football. I’ll continue to do so. If that means upsetting a couple of people because they’re not in the squad, of course I want them to be disappointed. But I always have said since day one when we started pre-season, if you’re going to sulk, sulk with me. Don’t sulk with the [other] players, just go around and make sure they’re on fire for the game. I pick a team, their team-mates don’t, so don’t sulk with them. If you’ve got a problem, then sulk with me. I’m big enough and ugly enough to deal with it – and I’ll always tell them honestly. I won’t beat around the bush. I’ll tell them the reasons why. Obviously I won’t do it at the game but, come Tuesday, I’ll speak to people individually.

They’ll be thinking ‘I want to play’ – everyone wants to play – and I get that. But the fact is there’s going to be a lot of changes throughout the season.’

Slough Town will be looking to get on the board themselves as they were beaten on the opening day in Kent by Maidstone United, going down to Reiss Greenidge strike midway through the second half, following a red card to Dan Bayliss, who will miss the game through suspension.

Dover will be in there home strip for the match and there will be no supporters coach running for this game.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible as we look to claim a valuable three points.

Form Guide: 

Images courtesy of Flashscore.com

Head to Head:

Ticket Information:

Adult 18-64 – £13

Concessions 65+ – £8

Student 16-17, NUS – £3

Arbour Park, Stoke Road, Slough, SL2 5AY
Parking:

There is no charge for parking in Unreserved bays at Arbour Park. Parking is not allocated and is managed on a first come, first served basis. Parking for Blue Badge holders is available on a first come, first served basis.

From the M25 (south): Exit at Junction 15 (signposted Reading/Slough) onto the M4. Exit the M4 at Junction 5 (signposted Colnbrook/Datchet/Langley). Head west on London Road (A4). Pass the Sainsbury’s Superstore on your right hand side and drive straight over the roundabout, continuing on London Road. Pass the Tesco Slough Extra store and then the turning to Slough Rail station on your right and at the next junction, turn right onto Stoke Road (B416). Continue along Stoke Road for 0.7 miles, going straight ahead at the crossroads with Shaggy Calf Lane and Elliman Avenue (following the signpost to Slough Cemetery & Crematorium, Wexham Park Hospital and Stoke Poges). The entrance to Arbour Park is a few hundred yards further on the right hand side.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART 2

Your Club Needs You

We head into the final game of the Vanarama National South campaign with our destiny in our own hands. I think its fair to say that the 2022/23 season hasn’t gone exactly as planned but sometimes thats football and thats how it works out. You need a little bit of luck at times and as the old saying goes, the rub of the green. The club haven’t had that in a while, either on or off the pitch, but we want to look forwards and not backwards and while we still have points on the board advantage, we have hope. We have one more game at home, one final push and we want you to be there to help drag us over the line.

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Hungerford Town and Cheshunt had their fates decided on Tuesday night, losing to Bath City and Worthing respectively. Our hosts Weymouth have find a little form in the run-in, including an impressive 3-1 win away at Taunton Town on Tuesday evening, to set up this all or nothing encounter. A win for the Whites and its plain sailing into the Vanarama South 2023/24 campaign. Concord also fell through the trap door last night, falling 4-3 to Havant in a thrilling tie at Canvey Island. It now means that if Dover lose, Dulwich will need to only a point to send us down so it all depends on ourself to dig us out of a hole.

Whatever the outcome, we need to make sure that we are sensible in the stands.

It’s the biggest game of the season.

It’s a big game for the players and a big game for me.

Gaffer Mitch Brundle spoke to Kent Online Sport in the build-up to the match. ‘It’s a very stressful week for me. It’s the biggest game of the season. It’s a big game for the players and a big game for me. From where we were, 14th or 15th, we’re now about where our budget is. Everyone else has invested in their squad. I have watched their games against Slough and Hampton. We have managed to get that video footage of them. But we haven’t performed against certain teams around us in certain games and then we beat someone like Braintree and you just think ‘How?’. But we’ll just try and be positive, going into the last game.’

 

Form Guide:

Head to Head:

The Whites have had the better of the visitors, winning three of the last five encounters including a 2-0 victory back in September.

TICKET INFORMATION

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

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

AND THE WINNER IS – AWARDS NIGHT

We look ahead to our season finale both on and off the pitch.

The Whites face Weymouth on Saturday, looking to complete the 2022/23 season with a win. Mitch Brundle and the players will be looking to put on a show one final time before the summer break and we hope that you can join us at Crabble.

Dover Athletic Youth Section:

All the players from the Dover Athletic Youth Section have been invited to attend the match and will be doing a lap of honour at half-time to show our appreciation for their efforts in representing the club at various ages.

Charlton Primary School:

We welcome the children from Charlton Primary School to the game as they will be the mascots for the match. It will be a great experience for the children and further engages us into the community, something that will be at the forefront from next season with the new community officer in place.

Dover Athletic Supporters Club:

Following the completion of the match, the supporters club will be holding its annual awards in the Centre Spot. It is open to anyone and we would encourage you to stay behind after the game and watch the awards. There will also be a buffet kindly provided by the Supporters Club.

The awards up for nomination are:

  • Golden Boot
  • The Andy Fisher Shield for Away Supporters Player of the Season
  • The Simon Harris Shield for Supporters Player of the Season.

The winner of the Simon Harris award will nominate a charity for a £200 payment to be made by DASC.

We hope that we can get as many of you there as possible to finish the season on a high.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – WEYMOUTH

Your club needs you.

This weekends sees the conclusion of the 2022/23 Vanarama National South campaign and it doesn’t get much tighter at the bottom with teams fighting for survival. We welcome Weymouth to Crabble in what will be a must win game now to secure our status as a National League club. The Terras will be heading to Kent desperate for the three points themselves, having beaten Slough on Saturday to move off the foot of the table.

Although we have a five point advantage over Cheshunt, the clubs in the bottom four all picked up points and have games in hand to be played during the week. We have our destiny in our own hands. Win and our league standing remains, but if we fail to pick up three points, then all of a sudden we are reliant on results going our way.

Dulwich Hamlet – Dulwich face Concord midweek which means that someone will drop points and then face an in form Chippenham on Saturday.

Cheshunt – A midweek home tie against play-off chasing Worthing and then a trip to Tonbridge to face the Angels.

Concord Rangers – The form horse of the bottom teams. Three games remaining including a six pointer against Dulwich. They finish the campaign with Havant & Waterlooville at home and then a trip to Eastbourne to face Boro.

Weymouth – Before heading to us Weymouth must head to Taunton Town.

Hungerford – The only team that cannot mathematically catch us. They face Bath City and league champions Ebbsfleet on the final day.

As a football club we appreciate your support from far and wide and we need you to come in numbers on Saturday to cheer the boys over the line. Bring a friend and one of their friends. It hasn’t been the season that we all anticipated after we dropped out of the National League last year but behind the scenes there has been a lot of hard work going on to ensure that we even still have a football club. Be loud and lets give the Gaffer and the lads some noise to get the win that we all need. We all need to stick together, support, and the good times will come back. Keep the Faith.

Form Guide:

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Head to Head:

The Whites have had the better of the visitors, winning three of the last five encounters including a 2-0 victory back in September.

TICKET INFORMATION

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

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

UP NEXT – FARNBOROUGH

We hit the road for the final time this season.

The Whites head to the Cherrywood road stadium to take on Farnborough on the penultimate weekend of the 2022/23 season. Mitch Brundle and the boys will be looking to bring home three points following defeat last time out on the road. Concord Rangers proved to be a tough nut to crack despite creating numerous chances. Boro themselves will be looking to gain momentum with a last gasp hope of a play-off place.

Form Guide:

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Head to Head: 

Boro have had the upper hand over the Whites in recent years but the lads will be looking to change that this weekend.

DASC Coach Travel:

There are still spaces available for the coach but these are limited as they are filling up fast.

TICKET INFORMATION: 

Adult – £12

Concession – £10

16-21 – £6

Directions: 

Easy As HGV Stadium

Farnborough Football Club

Cherrywood Road

Farnborough

Hampshire

GU14 8UD

 

UP NEXT – CONCORD RANGERS

The Whites head to Essex in search of a vital win.

Mitch Brundle and his players will be looking to secure another season in the Vanarama National South tomorrow night as the Whites head to Essex to face Concord Rangers. The bottom club will also be desperate for the points in a bid to commit the great escape, hopefully not at the expense of ourselves. It was a tough day last time out so the players will need to erase that fixture from the memory banks in a bid to get three points on the road.

Concord were impressive during their 3-0 victory over us back in October but their season has since taken a downward spiral, something that we look to take full advantage of at the business end of the campaign. With only three more games remaining, an eight point gap looks like it could be enough but you cannot be too sure.

Form Guide:

Information taken from Flashscores.co.uk

Head to Head: It’s even steven over the last four matches with both sides winning twice. Concord won with ease the last time the two sides met but haven’t managed to keep up that momentum.

TICKET INFORMATION: 

Ticket type Price
Adult £16.50
Concession * £11
Her Game Too *** £11
Next-Gen (18-21) £8
Junior (U18s) £6
Junior (U12s) ** FREE
Family ticket *** £18/£30

Under 12 tickets are only free of charge when purchased with an over 18 ticket – otherwise under 18 prices will apply.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

 

UP NEXT – OXFORD CITY

Oxford City head to Crabble.

The Whites face the Hoops in our penultimate home match of the 2022/23 campaign, looking to avenge the 3-1 defeat earlier on in the season. City will be looking to cement a place in the play-off spots with Ebbsfleet already guaranteed one promotion place following their league title claim from last weekend.

Mitch Brundle’s side will be looking to keep one step ahead of the relegation rivals, something the boss has been keen to speak about on numerous occasions. ‘I won’t really be happy until i see four teams with R next to their name so we will keep going,’ said the Gaffer.

Tyrone Sterling completed his ban so is now available for selection which could give the boss a selection dilemma with a fully fit squad at his disposal. Speaking to Kent Online Sport, Brundle said ‘That’s the best thing at the minute because it’s getting towards the end of the season and everyone is fit. Everyone’s trying to fight for their contracts for next year. We’ve had a full-strength squad.’

Opposition boss Ross Jenkins has placed the emphasis on remembering the performance last time out against the Whites. Speaking to his clubs website he said ‘It’s important we replicate our performance in the reverse fixture at their place. It’s a long journey but we’ve got to get on with it and we’ll prepare as normal and get ready for a good game of football. There’s no fear on their behalf. However, it’s important that we don’t focus on that. They’ll do what they can do and we’ll try and do what we’re best at and what we’ve been doing all season and try and get a result there.’

Oxford City Form Guide:

Head to Head: 

The two sides have met twice in the last ten years with both claiming a win each. Dover advanced to the next round of the FA Cup back in 2013 courtesy of a 3-0 win here at Crabble. The Hoops won more recently, at the start of this campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for this game can be purchased at the turnstile only.

Prices are as follows:

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

 

 

 

UP NEXT – DARTFORD

We head to Princes Park for a dose of Easter football. 

The Whites kicked off the Bank Holiday Easter weekend with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Welling United yesterday. It was a performance that summed our campaign up so far with us having dominated the ball but yet couldn’t put it in the onion bag. Welling hardly posed any real threat and looked content to play for a point but it could have been more had the referee spotted a potential penalty for Welling for a handball incident that eventually saw Wings Gaffer Warren Feeney sent off.

Dover manager Mitch Brundle was left frustrated by lack of three points but there were positives to take from the game. ‘I’m starting to sound like a broken record,’ said the Gaffer after the match. ‘We had some good moments but lacked the threat in the final third but that has been our season really. I was pleased with the defensive side of things as we never really looked like conceding. It’s another point and a clean sheet so we can take that away with us.’

The Whites dominated the first half, forcing Kai McKenzie into a handful of decent sides but were unable to bypass the Welling stopper. That game is now in the history books and with the Easter weekend raining fixtures on us, we move quickly onto Monday and a trip to North Kent. With Ebbslfeet wrapping up the title yesterday, Dartford now have the lottery of the play-offs to contend with if they want to advance back into the National League.

Dover will be looking to avenge a 3-1 hammering at Crabble earlier in the season but the form over the last five fixtures favours the home side heavily with the Whites only once in the last five, a 6-1 drubbing back in 2015. Despite the league table and formbook, we upset the odds last weekend away to Braintree so it’s not an impossible job. We hope to see as many of you as we can, to get behind the lads in what could be a crucial point in the season.

If you are thinking of travelling to the game the supporters club has a coach running.

Ticket Information

Adult £15

Concessions (Over 65) £10

Youth 13-17 £5

Junior £2