Archives: News

FA TROPHY PREVIEW: WHITES V LEYTON ORIENT

Dover will be aiming to progress to the quarter finals of the Buildbase FA Trophy for the third time in four seasons when they host Justin Edinburgh’s side on Saturday.

Whites have played both previous rounds at Crabble, beating National South Eastbourne Borough (3-0) and Evo-Stik Premier Marine (4-3) to reach this stage.

The O’s are on the road for the third consecutive time in this competition, having knocked out Essex Senior League Haringey Borough (2-1) and National South Bognor Regis (2-1) to set up Saturday’s tie.

PLEASE NOTE THE GAME IS SEGREGATED

LEYTON ORIENT’S RECENT FORM

30/01/18: FC HALIFAX 1-2 LEYTON ORIENT

Orient secured their first win of 2018 with a crucial win at the Shay.

Macauley Bonne fired the visitors ahead on 18 minutes, collecting Dan Holman’s pass and firing past Sam Johnson in the Halifax goal.

Bonne headed narrowly over, but it was the hosts who levelled shortly after the half hour mark.

Josh MacDonald’s cross caused mayhem in the O’s box, allowing Tom Denton to fire in from close range.

But the away side were back in front six minutes later thanks to Josh Koroma. The midfielder drilled past Johnson for his second goal of the campaign.

Bonne set Jobi McAnuff clear in injury time, but Halifax’s stopper stood strong to deny the winger.

PREVIOUS MEETING:

18/11/17 LEYTON ORIENT 1-1 DOVER

Mitch Walker’s spectacular late save preserved a hard-earned point for Whites at a rain-swept Brisbane Road.

Athletic’s keeper blocked Macaulay Bonne’s point-black header from six yards with his legs as Chris Kinnear’s men extended their unbeaten league run to ten matches.

Nortei Nortey had curled the visitors ahead in the first half, but a deflected effort from Craig Clay 12 minutes from time had the O’s level.

The away side almost made the perfect start for when James Alabi bore down on goal following a mistake by Joe Widdowson, but home keeper Sam Sargeant, a late addition to the starting line-up after Orient’s first choice stopper Charlie Grainger injured himself in the warmup, denied the striker with his feet.

But Kinnear’s men were not to be kept out for long and Nortey collected Alabi’s pass and fired past a diving Sargeant much to the delight of the 537 travelling fans.

Dover keeper Walker tipped away Bonne’s header from a corner, but a goalmouth scramble ensued with Zimbabwe international Bonne poking an effort towards goal with Connor Essam clearing off the line.

But Leyton Orient’s pressure finally paid off as Clay run onto James Brophy’s pass and found the net from inside the box via a deflection in spite of Giancarlo Gallifuoco’s best efforts to keep the ball out.

And the home team, with caretaker boss Russ Embleton in charge following the dismissal of Steve Davis as manager earlier in the week, almost snatched a late winner as Bonne leapt highest to meet James Dayton’s ball into the box, only to be denied by Walker.

Jobi McAnuff fired a free-kick narrowly over in injury time as Dover kept their place at the top of the table, one point clear of Wrexham in second spot.

TICKET NEWS

Prices are as follows:

Adults – £17
Over 60’s – £14
Under 18’s – £8
Under 11’s – Free (With an accompanying adult)

COVERAGE

The game starts at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!

Coverage starts from 2pm.

SATURDAY’S OTHER FA TROPHY & NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

FA TROPHY

BRACKLEY TOWN v SUTTON UNITED
HARROGATE TOWN v BILLERICAY TOWN
MAIDENHEAD UNITED v STOCKPORT COUNTY
MAIDSTONE UNITED v GATESHEAD
SPENNYMOOR TOWN v EAST THURROCK UNITED
WEALDSTONE v WARRINGTON TOWN
WORKINGTON v BROMLEY

NATIONAL LEAGUE

AFC FYLDE v EASTLEIGH
FC HALIFAX TOWN v DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE
GUISELEY v WREXHAM
TORQUAY UNITED v BARROW
TRANMERE ROVERS v EBBSFLEET UNITED

AWAY TRAVEL

There is a coach travelling to Solihull Moors on Saturday 17th February and it is not too late to book your space on it.

It departs Crabble at 9:15am and the the prices are as follows:

Adult members £25, adult non-members £40 and accompanied child (Under 16) £10.

Please call or text Andy on 0793 4300335 to book your seat, or see him in the Centre Spot after the matches against Leyton Orient or Sutton.

Please note you are now required to pay for your seat in advance by cash or via bank transfer.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

I can announce that I have now submitted our full application for membership to the English Football League (EFL) as I believe we now meet all of the required criteria and await their response in the near future.

The position we are in is the culmination of 12 years hard work and major investment into our Crabble stadium.

In the last two years you have seen a new Family Stand, containing dressing rooms and official’s facilities that fully meet requirements, as well as the safety control room, the installation of over 50 cameras, renewal of our public address system and the inclusion of our disabled viewing platform with lift.

This was followed by new floodlights to provide the LUX values required by the EFL and a new executive lounge with a new entrance behind the Centre Spot to provide much needed VIP facilities.

The latest addition, finished only last week, are new safety barriers required because if promoted we will not be able to use the flat standing areas behind the goals.

The barriers were required to increase capacity to the terraced areas in order to meet minimum membership requirements for the EFL.

With the exception of the grant for the family stand, these improvements have been largely financed by myself and my wife Sally with a little help from sponsors, but could not have been achieved without a great deal of practical help from,  in particular, Neil Cook and John Heath – my sincere thanks to them.

I would also like to thank our Consultant Engineer Simon Oakley and Mark Duly from Kent Fire and Rescue for their assistance.

It has also been a challenge to ensure we have medical staff with the required qualifications and we welcome back to the Club Paul Wilson as head Physiotherapist.

Paul is eminently qualified and comes to us having obtained Football League experience.

We now have a fantastic team of three Doctors led by Dr Cox and my thanks go to him Dr Gregory and Dr Cardwell for their support.

I also welcome Chris Fudge who is now assisting us in the requirement for a trained Paramedic.

Many of these requirements will no doubt be a surprise to the majority of supporters but the rules for membership are stringent and are rigorously enforced.

Without compliance we would not be eligible for the play-offs, let alone promotion.

Of course we are only in this position because of the fantastic exploits of our team on the pitch and the Management Staff.

They deserve many accolades and these will be forthcoming as the business end of the season progresses.

But most of all they deserve the support of the Town, so please get your friends up to Crabble to roar the Team over the line.

It is a great pity that we now read that Chester FC are reporting financial difficulties and that they join Hartlepool United in facing an uncertain future.

It is a mystery to me how a club receiving an £800,000  plus parachute payment can be in this position, but there we are.

It is important to remind supporters of the financial reality of running Clubs at this level particularly when competing with the Clubs with larger bankrolls.

In our case, we do not have the largest budget, nor do we have the smallest, but we have moved into a phase where some players are full-time and require 52-week contracts.

We have to keep, our feet on the ground and not let the “red mist” descend or we will soon be in the same position as the Clubs mentioned above.

So please, when discussing which player we should sign this week or next week try and consider where the money is coming from.

There is no point having players to win things if the facilities mean that you can’t be promoted, several Clubs will experience that pain this year.

To put into context the cost of watching football at our level and Dover Athletic in particular, an average gate receipt after deducting V.A.T. at 20% and match day costs will pay approximately half of that week’s wages, so all the other running costs plus a great deal of the wage bill rely on sponsorship and frankly my support.

We want success and I know our supporters want success, but without income and people coming through the gates on a match day that task requires a massive leap of faith on my part.

I ask everyone to try and do their bit you can all make a big difference if you can get just one person to join you on match days.

Thanks for reading and best wishes to you all.

Jim

WHITES STRIKE LATE TO BEAT LIONS

DOVER 2-1 GUISELEY

(Brundle 7) (Southwell 63)
(Pinnock 88)

MITCH Pinnock struck late to hand Whites a valuable three points against a determined Guiseley side at a wet and windy Crabble on Saturday.

The midfielder collected Femi Ilesamni’s pass and after cutting inside Jack Sheppard, fired through the body of visiting keeper Luke Coddington as Chris Kinnear’s side registered back-to-back league victories for the first time since September.

Captain Mitch Brundle had given his side an early lead with a scorching 30-yard effort, but Dayle Southwell levelled midway through the second half in equally stunning fashion from a free-kick.

Dover almost made the ideal start as Pinnock crashed an effort onto the bar with the match barely five minutes old.

But Brundle was able to better his teammates’ effort, driving a 30-yard scorcher into the top corner after Anthony Jeffrey played the ball into the skipper’s path.

Ryan Bird thought he had doubled the lead after burying Brundle’s cross, but the linesman’s flag denied the forward his thirteenth National League goal of the campaign.

And Athletic’s top scorer went close again moments later, this time heading Jeffrey’s cross narrowly wide.

Whites were almost made to pay for their missed chances as new Lions recruit Harry Flowers nodded over Callum McFadzean’s corner.

The former Burnley defender then blazed wide of a static Mitch Walker moments after his previous chance.

Giancarlo Gallifuoco nodded off target from Pinnock’s corner as the home side searched for a second goal and Walker was called into action twice in succession at the other end, firstly tipping away McFadzean’s low drive and then producing a similar save to deny James Roberts.

Brundle almost had his first brace of the season, flashing Bird’s pass just past the post after the restart.

Walker punched away Roberts’ ferocious drive as the visitors seeked to end a run of three defeats on the spin away from home.

And it looked like one of Guiseley’s recent new signings had rescued a precious point for Paul Cox’s strugglers shortly after an hour.

Dayle Southwell, signed from Wycombe earlier in the week, curled a sumptious 20-yard free-kick past an onlooking Walker.

Cheers from the 2327 strong crowd, in attendance for the club’s third Community Day of the season, were short-lived after the linesman ruled out Pinnock’s curling shot after Bird had allegedly strayed offside.

And midfielder Pinnock almost made the controversial decision irrelevant as he blasted a set-piece past the wrong side of Northampton loanee Coddington’s post.

But the midfielder finally got his just rewards two minutes from time and Femi Ilesanmi almost wrapped up the points in injury time, but he was he was unable to find the finish needed following a lung-busting run from his own half.

Earlier, Kinnear kept with the same side that started away at Boreham Wood last weekend.

The win sees Whites move up one place to sixth in the table, five points off current leaders Macclesfield Town.

Dover next host Leyton Orient in the Buildbase FA Trophy on Saturday 3rd February. Kick off 3pm.

Dover: Walker, Gallifuoco, Essam, Parry, Passley, Nortey (Bellamy 78), Pinnock (Okosieme 90), Brundle (c), Ilesanmi, Bird, Jeffrey (Daniel 79).

Subs not used: Richards, Fazakerley.

Guiseley: Coddington, Sheppard, Flowers, St Ledger, Crookes, McFadzean, Lenighan, Harvey (c), Southwell, Odejayi (Fondop-Talom 62), Roberts (Liburd 88).

Subs not used: Palmer, Purver, Haworth.

Attendance: 2327

Referee: Sam Purkiss

COMMUNITY DAY TODAY

We will host our third Community Day of the season today.

We’ve given 50 tickets to every school in the Dover district to allow students to attend the day and savour the Crabble experience during the National League clash with Guiseley.

The game kicks-off at 3pm but Community Day sees the turnstiles open at noon.

There will be goody bags, flags and balloons for the children.

We look forward to welcoming you all to Crabble.

COYW!!

JEFFREY LOAN DEAL EXTENDED

Dover Athletic have extended winger Anthony Jeffrey’s loan from Sutton United until the end of the season.

The 23-year-old arrived at Crabble from our National League rivals in November and has made eight league and two FA Trophy appearances for Chris Kinnear’s side in that time.

Before joining Whites, Jeffrey, who started his career as a trainee with Arsenal, made 11 appearances for the U’s this season.

PREVIEW: WHITES V GUISELEY

Dover will be aiming to secure a third consecutive victory when they take on Guiseley at Crabble on Saturday.

Chris Kinnear’s men won at Boreham Wood last weekend to end a winless streak of five National League matches.

And Athletic’s boss will be confident of three points against a Guiseley side on a run of three straight defeats on the road.

The Lions, currently bottom of the away league table, have turned to a man with international experience to help turn around their current plight.

Former Republic of Ireland defender Sean St Ledger signed for Paul Cox’s side last week. The 33-year old has 37 caps and scored his country’s only goal at Euro 2012.

GUISELEY’S RECENT FORM

13/01/18:  AFC FYLDE 2-1 GUISELEY

Fylde bagged the three points late on thanks to Danny Rowe’s stunning free-kick.

The striker fired in from 30 yards to extend his side’s unbeaten run to ten matches and codemn the visitors to a second consecutive defeat.

Jonny Smith slotted in on 18 minutes to give the hosts a deserved lead.

But the Lions hit back 12 minutes later as James Roberts headed in Liam Hughes’ cross.

Visiting keeper Joe Green kept the home side at bay with a string of fine saves, but was powerless to prevent National League top scorer Rowe’s thunderous set piece two minutes from time.

PREVIOUS MEETING

23/09/17:  GUISELEY 1-1 DOVER

Whites drew at Guiseley thanks to a stunning first-half equaliser from Nortei Nortey.

The midfielder curled home a sumptious 20-yard effort in the 40th minute to cancel out John Rooney’s deflected free-kick 11 minutes earlier.

The home side started strongly and Rob Atkinson nodded Rooney’s free-kick narrowly wide.

The forward then tried himself moments later, but could only strike the top of the crossbar with a thunderous effort from close in.

But shortly after Mitch Walker tipped over Kayode Odejayi’s header from a corner, Rooney had better luck with his next effort.

The playmaker’s set-piece struck the visiting wall and spun into the net past a stranded Walker to put the hosts ahead.

Dover’s stopper then somehow denied Jake Lawlor on the half-hour mark, tipping the defender’s header onto the post with his defence able to clear the danger afterwards.

And that save proved crucial as Athletic levelled moments later with their first shot on target.

Nortey, who had already blazed two shots from distance over, collected Kadell Daniel’s pass and fired home.

The hosts almost won the match late on after Reece Thompson robbed Connor Essam, but the striker could only find the side-netting when shooting towards the near post

The draw saw Whites drop one place in the table to third, one point behind then leaders Sutton United.

OTHER MEETINGS

25/03/17:  Guiseley 0-4 Dover
19/11/16:  Dover 2-0 Guiseley
19/03/16:  Guiseley 0-1 Dover

TICKET NEWS

Prices are as follows:

Adults – £17
Over 60’s – £14
Under 18’s – £8
Under 11’s – Free (With an accompanying adult)

COVERAGE

The game starts at 3pm but if you are unable to make the trip, we will have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – follow us and get all the news as it happens!

Coverage starts from 2pm.

SATURDAY’S OTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

BARROW V SUTTON UNITED
BROMLEY V FC HALIFAX TOWN
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE V SOLIHULL MOORS
EASTLEIGH V HARTLEPOOL UNITED
EBBSFLEET UNITED V BOREHAM WOOD
GATESHEAD V MAIDSTONE UNITED
LEYTON ORIENT V ALDERSHOT TOWN
MACCLESFIELD TOWN V TORQUAY UNITED
MAIDENHEAD UNITED V CHESTER
WOKING V AFC FYLDE
WREXHAM V TRANMERE ROVERS

AWAY TRAVEL

There is a coach travelling to Solihull Moors on Saturday 17th February and it is not too late to book your space on it.

It departs Crabble at 9:15am and the the prices are as follows:

Adult members £25, adult non-members £40 and accompanied child (Under 16) £10.

Please call or text Andy on 0793 4300335 to book your seat, or see him in the Centre Spot after the matches against Guiseley, Leyton Orient or Sutton.

Please note you are now required to pay for your seat in advance by cash or via bank transfer.

ACADEMY STARLET ON THE MOVE

Dover Academy’s Matty Robinson is heading to America.

The 17 year-old has accepted a four-year, full scholarship to Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina.

Robinson, who played for Chris Kinnear’s side in the Kent Senior Cup defeat to Folkestone at Crabble in December, will start his scholarship in September.

Not surprisingly, coach Mike Sandmann said everyone at the Academy and Abbey School is extremely proud of Robinson’s move.

He said: “Matty has been offered a fantastic opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Academy graduate Joshua Donnelly, who is still in America finishing his degree whilst playing football full time.

“To get a full scholarship offer is fantastic, but is huge credit to him and he is a role model for anyone coming into the Academy.

“He has had to overcome a lot of hurdles during his time and the character he has shown to overcome this to achieve is unbelievable.

“Matty, who can play as a No.10 or as a forward, has fantastic ability in which has been developed during his two-years with us and has scored some fantastic goals.

“We are all extremely proud of what Matty has done already and will go on to achieve and know he will be a success out in America.”