By Fred Deveson

We are back! Dover Athletic’s preseason gets underway this weekend, as the Whites travel to Sevenoaks for their first friendly of the new season, and plenty has changed ahead of the new season.

A new look Dover team will travel up the M20 this week to face Sevenoaks, and there are some new (and old) faces around the place. Mitch Walker, the legendary goalkeeper of the National League days, has re-signed at the club from Whitehawk.

Following him from the same club is Joe Tennent and Luca Cocoracchio, both of whom had a good season, finishing with the 4^th best defence in the same league that Dover are going into, which is a promising sign for the season ahead. The Whitehawk trio will be in action over this preseason, so we can all get a taste of what is to come from our new boys.

Also, we have some players who have decided to sign-on with Dover for this season. Henry Young, Luke Baptiste, George Nikaj, Archie Hatcher, Matty Holness and Roman Charles-Cook have all signed contract extensions. You can watch them all link up on the pitch again starting this preseason.

Jeremiah Gyebi and Harrison Pont have also signed for the Whites ahead of the new season, and with their experience they will no doubt be of great importance to the side as preseason kicks off this weekend.

There is a lot of excitement and optimism around the club ahead of the new season, with manager Jake Leberl and assistant manager Mike Sandmann emphasising that better times are to come for Dover Athletic.

There are seven games in this preseason for fans to come and enjoy, all of which are local to the town. After the trip to Sevenoaks, we play Margate FC away from home on Tuesday 9^th July, who will be looking to kick off their pre-season in positive fashion after their relegation last season.

Following that on Saturday 13^th July, the Whites face one of the big FA Cup stories of last season In Ramsgate, who will be on a high after their successes last season. The following day sees Jake Leberl’s XI go up against a fan XI in a charity match, with that one kicking off at 16:30.

Dover will then have one more away game to attend in their preseason fixture list, with a trip to Whistable Town kicking off at 19:45 on Tuesday 16^th July. The final 3 games of the preseason are all at home, with clashes against Welling United and Tonbridge Angels of the National League South coming before the final game on the 3^rd of August against Lancing.

It is sure to be an exciting preseason, with match ups against teams of varying leagues, better and worse than Dover Athletic’s. It’s the perfect chance for you to come and watch the new signings in action and to get a glimpse of what’s to come in this new season, as Dover get ready to take on the Isthmian Premier League in 2024/25.

Prolific striker Jimmy Dryden and legendary left-back Tom Wynter will return to Crabble for our Fans Invitational Game as part of Jake Leberl’s XI.

We only have FIVE spaces left for those interested in playing at Crabble on Sunday 14 July, 4:30pm, £50 entry. In order to play, simply email [email protected] with your shirt size, and the best contact number you can be reached on. Fans are very welcome to attend with admission by way of a donation and we will be screening the Euros Final in the Centre Spot after the game.

Players for Jake’s team include: Paul Hyde, Matt Carruthers, Roy Godden, James Rogers, Jimmy Dryden, Tom Wynter and our youth team coaches. More players will be revealed soon.

We are delighted to welcome Paul Barnes to Dover Athletic as an important addition to Jake Leberl’s backroom staff.

The UEFA A-licence coach brings a wealth of experience with him. He has previously worked for Chelsea and Millwall before moving into coaching roles in non-league with the likes of Welling United, Margate and Ashford United. Paul joined Dulwich Hamlet in September 2022 as boss and was instrumental in stabilising the club in the National League South during a difficult transition period following the departure of the previous management team. Since then, he joined Isthmian Premier side Hastings United as boss and despite a good start to this season, internal changes in the club and new ownership saw Barnes depart with the team sitting comfortably in mid-table.

We are excited to have Paul join us at Dover Athletic and look forward to the positive influence he will bring to our club. Welcome aboard, Paul!

Dover Athletic are delighted to announce the signings of Jeremiah Gyebi and Harrison Pont.

Jerry Gyebi played 36 times in the National League South for Hungerford in 22/23, scoring twice, although he was not able to help them survive the drop. Prior to joining the Berkshire side, he enjoyed a successful spell with Enfield Town, where he played 44 times over two seasons. Jerry has also played abroad in Slovenia and Sweden, as well as playing more recently for Dulwich Hamlet and Hastings United

Speaking on Gyebi, Jake Leberl has said:

Jeremiah is a giant of man, a lad that has had a taste of step 2 football previously and done very well, he had a difficult season last year and wanted a club and environment to help kick start his career to fulfil his ambition. He is someone we tried to get in last year to be a dominant force in both boxes, he is someone that wants to be here for the challenge ahead and we are really looking forward to working with him. 

Jake Leberl

22 year old Harrison Pont played youth football for Gillingham before joining the Dover Athletic Academy. Harrison has also played for Herne Bay, Hollands & Blair, Margate, Sittingbourne and Canterbury City.

and on Pont, Jake has said:

Harrison is a product of our own Academy and is a Kent based boy who’s gone off and done very well in men’s football, having a great season with Herne Bay last season and now wants the challenge to push onwards with his career. He is a midfield lad that will give everything for the team and club and has a solid all round game, we look forward to seeing him progress with us. 

Jake Leberl

We welcome both players to Crabble!

We have had some recent updates to our preseason schedule. With England advancing to the Quarterfinals of the Euros, our preseason friendly away against Sevenoaks Town FC will now kick off at 1pm.

Our game at home to Ashford United will now be against Lancing FC due to Ashford’s involvement in the FA Cup.

A full schedule of games can be found below.

The schedule:
Saturday 6 July, 1pm – Sevenoaks FC (A)
Tuesday 9 July, 7.45pm – Margate FC (A)
Saturday 13 July, 12pm – Ramsgate FC (H)
Sunday 14 July, 4.30pm – Fans Invitational (H)
Tuesday 16 July, 7.45pm – Whitstable Town (A)
Saturday 20 July, 3pm – Welling United (H)
Saturday 27 July, 3pm – Tonbridge Angels (H)
Saturday 3 August, 3pm – Lancing FC (H)

Home pre-season games will be priced at £8 for adults, £6 for concessions, U11s FREE with a paying adult, free entry for 24/25 Season Ticket Holders.

Dover Athletic Football Club are delighted to announce that Roman Charles-Cook has agreed terms to remain at the Megger Community Stadium for the 2024/25 season.

Roman made 32 appearances in a White shirt last season, scoring 3 goals.

Roman Charles-Cook joined us last season from League 2 side Sutton United’s academy after having two loan spells last season at Cray Wanderers and Harrow Borough. Roman has also made 3 senior international appearances with Grenada.

Manager Jake Leberl has said:

We are really excited to have kept Roman, he had opportunities from above but choose to stay with us and believes in the rebuild. With John Oyenuga moving on to pastures new he’ll have the opportunity to stamp his authority on the coming season. Roman has all the attributes to really push on with his career all whilst helping Dover to stabilise and help get us back on the up. We are looking forward to being part of Roman’s progression this season.

Jake Leberl

We still have some spaces left for those interested in playing in our Fans Invitational game at Crabble on Sunday 14 July, 4:30pm. In order to play, simply email [email protected] with your shirt size, and the best contact number you can be reached on.

We have had a kind donation, from Matt Gerrard, of a spot in our Supporters Invitational Game and we want YOU to nominate a young fan to play. We are looking for a fan, aged 17-23 who deserves the chance to grace the Crabble pitch. Simply email [email protected] to make your suggestion, the winning fan (picked at random) will be announced at the end of the week.

We still have some spaces left for those interested in playing at Crabble on Sunday 14 July, 4:30pm. In order to play, simply email [email protected] with your shirt size, and the best contact number you can be reached on. Fans are very welcome to attend with admission by way of a donation and we will be screening the Euros Final in the Centre Spot after the game.

Players for Jake’s team include: Paul Hyde, Matt Carruthers, Roy Godden, James Rogers and our youth team coaches. More players will be revealed soon.

Watch the full interview here – https://youtu.be/BIKqo_Y4GeQ

Jim Parmenter wants Dover Athletic to start putting smiles back on the fans’ faces again.

The chairman took time out of preparing for a new campaign to speak to fans in an in-depth interview with The Sun’s chief EFL writer and lifelong Dover fan Justin Allen.

In the chat, Jim speaks about:

• The new community direction the club are now taking
• How much the two relegations in three seasons have hurt and what he and the club have learned

• The club’s recovery from Covid
• His admiration for clubs like former Dover player’s Crawley Town, who won promotion to League One despite not having a huge budget 
• Why the club are not going to sign experienced journeymen players who are only interested in money and instead ones that want to play for Dover to improve the team and their own careers
• Explains why Crabble will be a cashless stadium this season but allays any concerns from supporters who prefer to spend hard money at the ground
• How he is still hoping to build a 4G pitch next to Crabble and looking at other possibilities in the area
• His wish to grow girls’ football thanks to the hard work of Vikki Pawley and further improve the youth section
• The club’s superb relationship with main club sponsor Megger and gratitude that Delivered News are on board again this coming season
• His desire to see a football regulator appointed as soon as possible after the General Election to police football fairly so small clubs like Dover don’t get thrown by the wayside like they were during the pandemic
• The club’s decision to reduce admission fees and his wish to see the 200 Club lottery draw grow
  
  Also in the 25-minute feature, recorded in the home dressing room at Crabble, Jim speaks about the team’s brand new home and away kits for the upcoming season.
  
  And he also assures supporters that his enthusiasm and passion for Dover Athletic has not been drained one bit – and now he is retired from his business he has more time to dedicate to helping the club grow.
  
  The Whites chairman also tells Justin that there will be many more signings in the coming weeks.
  
  He said: “Everyone thinks they are Ronaldo in June but then in July they become more reasonable — or at least agents think their players are.
  
  “We’ll be solid this season, we’ll be positive and I think we’ll do very well.”

The club can confirm that midfielder Freddie Oliver has rejected a contract for the 24/25 season and is instead taking up the offer of a football scholarship at Tiffin University in Ohio, USA and will play for the Tiffin Dragons.

A graduate of the Dover Athletic Academy, Freddie Oliver was brought into the first team squad in 2022/23. Oliver made his debut in the 1-0 win away against Taunton Town in the February of 2023 and was then named in the Kent Sport Online Team of the Week following his robust performance.

Freddie has said:

I received a really good football scholarship so opted to take it, I’d like to thank Jake and Mike for everything they’ve done for me this season and everyone at the club. I wish the club and the fans all the best for the coming season. Cheers, Freddie

Freddie Oliver

The club can also confirm that the following players have rejected contract offers for the new season:

Bailey Akehurst
John Oyenuga
Jacob Mensah

Former players and current staff are going to be playing for Manager Jake Leberl’s Invitational XI in a fundraising match against a supporters squad at Crabble on Sunday 14 July with a 4:30pm kick off. The Euros final will be live in the Centre Spot after the game.

Players for Jake’s team will be revealed over the coming days, and if you are keen to play against them, here’s how to do it.

Two teams of supporters will play – one in the first half before the other plays the second, meaning 22 spots are available for anyone aged 17 and over.

Those interested in playing will pay £50. Included in that price will be a selection of DAFC merchandise, food and refreshments on the day and of course the chance to grace the hallowed Crabble pitch. All funds raised will go directly back into the football club. First come (+paid!), first served!

If anyone would like to be the manager for the supporters’ teams on the day and sit in the dugout, they can pay for that too – we also have the referees position up for grabs!

In order to play, simply email [email protected] with your shirt size, and the best contact number you can be reached on. Fans are very welcome to attend with admission by way of a donation.