*BS*Dover Athletic is excited to announce the launch of Happy Feet Soccer School, the first initiative as part of the new Dover Athletic in the Community Scheme.*BF*

Happy Feet Sessions are run every Saturday and last for 1 hour. Qualified coaches will teach children between 5 and 16 years of age and of all levels and abilities.

Happy Feet will initially take place at *BS*Dover Christchurch Academy*BF*, before relocating to new facilities at Crabble Stadium, currently being developed by the club.

Sessions are split by age group as follow:
*BS*JUNIORS:*BF* 5-10 years old from 9am until 10am
*BS*SENIORS:*BF* 11-16 years old from 10.15am until 11.15am

The cost for all age groups is £3 per child, per session.

*BS*Sessions continue Saturday 22nd February.*BF*

Football in the community officer, Matt Harris said “We are really pleased to be launching Happy Feet; this represents an important milestone for everyone at the club. We have been working on bringing our community project to fruition for some time now and it will be nice to see local young people benefiting from the scheme.”

The Happy Feet project is funded by Dover Athletic Football Club and The Football Conference Trust and will run for an initial 10 months.

Harris said “The Soccer School is just part of the first phase of the project, as we get closer to the summer we will roll-out an inter-schools football tournament, to be held at Crabble before every first team home game, the competition will run over 10 weeks.”

Phase two of the project extends the clubs offering further by providing sport sessions aimed at developing the gross motor, literacy and mathematical development of children between the ages of 2.5 to 5 years. Running alongside this the scheme will create sporting
opportunities for children with a disability where they can develop, not only their interest in sport, but also their personal and social skills in a warm, calm and friendly environment.

Once fully rolled out the Happy Feet project is set to benefit over 300 children from within the local community. The club will be rolling out further initiatives as part of its ‘in the Community’ scheme, over the next 12 months.

Dover Athletic Chairman, Jim Parmenter commented “We have been developing our Community Scheme for several years, but have now reached a stage where we have the personnel and resources to make things really happen. We believe that this Football Club should play a pivitol role in the community; this is just the start of our plans. We hope to have a really positive impact here in Dover and the surrounding area.”

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*BS*Fourth-placed Sutton United make the trip to Crabble on Tuesday, rounding off Whites’ run of three home matches in a week.*BF*

With victories already sealed against Maidenhead and Bath, the side will be aiming to win three consecutive home games for the first time in a year.

Whilst it may be too soon to say that the corner has been turned when it comes to results at Crabble, performances have certainly improved.

The run of three consecutive home matches could potentially have all but ended Whites’ dreams of a playoff place, instead they are well on the way to reviving promotion hopes.

With wins recorded against Maidenhead United and Bath City in the seven days, Whites welcome Sutton United to Crabble in what should prove to be the toughest of the triple-header of games.

Having surrendered a 2-0 half-time lead against both Bishops Stortford and Chelmsford City, for the side to record back-to-back wins has given fresh impetus and hope that a playoff place is within reach. Saturday’s win saw the side climb to 6th in the Skrill South table, two points behind Bath City but with three games in hand over the Somerset side Whites impressively dispatched.

A win against Sutton United on Tuesday night could see Dover rise to 4th place, a position the side have not occupied in almost six months. A slow first-half of the season saw the side slump to 15th at one point, but the feeling around the club is that the experience gained can now help the side to push forward, as Chris Kinnear Jr states: “I don’t think we have anything to fear from any side in the division. We’ve played everyone now and know what to expect from sides, so hopefully the experience from the first half of the season can play into our hands in these last few months.”

Sutton are certain to provide a stern test, one that will certainly give some indication as to how far Dover have come in recent weeks – Paul Doswell’s side have picked up ten points from their last four games, with wins against Chelmsford City (2-0), Basingstoke Town (1-0) and Weston-super-Mare (3-0) adding to a point picked up away at Gosport Borough (2-2).

Contrary to their opponents, Sutton have occupied a top-five position for the majority of the season thus far. Since their arrival in the division for the 2011/12 season, United have finished in 4th and 6th, confirming their status as one of the most consistent and strongest side in the league. Indeed, in the five league meetings between the two sides during this time, Dover are yet to record a victory – whilst Sutton have picked up three wins.

The clash between the sides earlier on in the season, at Gander Green Lane in September, saw a solitary Dean McDonald strike enough to give the hosts all three points. That defeat was Dover’s fourth on the spin at the time, the worst run of games suffered under Chris Kinnear since his return to the club.

McDonald, who had featured for Dover in pre-season, has now moved on – after a brief spell at Margate, the midfielder has joined Whitehawk. He is one of a number of key players who have departed Gander Green Lane in the past couple of months, with Jamie Stuart, Anthony Riviere and Sam Rents all joining Margate.

One player familiar to Whites fans this season is Lee Sawyer, who endured an unsuccessful spell on loan at Crabble earlier on in the campaign. The midfielder signed for United in December after his release from Woking.

Chris Kinnear opted to stick with the same starting line-up for Saturday’s match against Bath City, and after two consecutive victories he is unlikely to rotate the side for Tuesday’s game, meaning Nathan Elder will likely to have to settle for a place on the bench considering the red-hot form of fellow striker Jeff Goulding.

The ex-Chelmsford man has netted seven goals in his five games for Dover so far, with Saturday’s win being the first match he had failed to score in, but his all-round play has impressed Whites fans and he will be more disappointed than anyone that he failed to net for the fifth consecutive match.

The weather forecast for Tuesday shows that rain is expected, although there is no pitch inspection currently planned. First news of any inspection that may be required will appear on doverathletic.com

After seeing his team win successive home matches, Chris Kinnear was delighted with the fighting spirit the players showed in the 2-0 win over play off rivals Bath at a very windy Crabble. ‘I think we deserved it. After playing Tuesday night, I thought our legs would be heavy – It just shows the desire of the lads, especially as it was really difficult in the first half against the wind. We tried not to get frustrated and in the end we could have won by many more.’*Lpic1*

He also added’ They are a good side and you can see why they are on a good run. The lads were disappointed with how they played up to half time, but we told them not to beat themselves up what with the wind. I think we got stronger and stronger as the game went on.’

Bath played their part in what was an entertaining game and can consider themselves unlucky to have not taken anything from the game, in particular in the second half when Terrell Forbes struck his own post, only for the ball to be cleared to safety. According to the manager though, it was the fortune that Dover have been missing at times this campaign. ‘We have not had a lot of luck recently here, all of a sudden we got a bit of luck. In all honesty we should have won by a lot more.’*Lpic2*

This was the first time Whites have recorded back to back wins in the league at Crabble this season and the importance of home form is something Kinnear is all too aware of. ‘If I had to choose, I would pick home games over away games. We want to win every game – It does not matter who we play we want to win.

Chairman Jim Parmenter had already provided a report to the manager after a scouting mission to watch Bath whilst visiting the area with his wife last week and Kinnear joked. ‘The chairman’s report won us the game and he should give himself a win bonus!’*Q1*

Weather permitting, Dover face 4th placed Sutton United at Crabble on Tuesday night with Chris Kinnear having a fully fit squad to choose from for the second game running.

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After seeing his team win successive home matches, Chris Kinnear was delighted with the fighting spirit the players showed in the 2-0 win over play off rivals Bath at a very windy Crabble. ‘I think we deserved it. After playing Tuesday night, I thought our legs would be heavy – It just shows the desire of the lads, especially as it was really difficult in the first half against the wind. We tried not to get frustrated and in the end we could have won by many more.’*Lpic1*

He also added’ They are a good side and you can see why they are on a good run. The lads were disappointed with how they played up to half time, but we told them not to beat themselves up what with the wind. I think we got stronger and stronger as the game went on.’

Bath played their part in what was an entertaining game and can consider themselves unlucky to have not taken anything from the game, in particular in the second half when Terrell Forbes struck his own post, only for the ball to be cleared to safety. According to the manager though, it was the fortune that Dover have been missing at times this campaign. ‘We have not had a lot of luck recently here, all of a sudden we got a bit of luck. In all honesty we should have won by a lot more.’*Lpic2*

This was the first time Whites have recorded back to back wins in the league at Crabble this season and the importance of home form is something Kinnear is all too aware of. ‘If I had to choose, I would pick home games over away games. We want to win every game – It does not matter who we play we want to win.

Chairman Jim Parmenter had already provided a report to the manager after a scouting mission to watch Bath whilst visiting the area with his wife last week and Kinnear joked. ‘The chairman’s report won us the game and he should give himself a win bonus!’*Q1*

Weather permitting, Dover face 4th placed Sutton United at Crabble on Tuesday night with Chris Kinnear having a fully fit squad to choose from for the second game running.

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*BS*Dover Athletic welcome Bath City to Crabble on Saturday, with both sides in the hunt for a playoff place. Whites have already beaten their Somerset opponents on two occasions this season.*BF*

A comfortable 2-0 victory over Maidenhead United on Tuesday night kept Dover within touching distance of the playoffs, with goals from Jeff Goulding and Tom Wynter leaving United just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.

The goalscorers were notable for their own reasons – Goulding’s 50th minute goal was his seventh in four games for the club, whilst Wynter’s strike shortly after was his first for the club he joined three-and-a-half years ago.

That win means Whites sit in 8th place, three points behind the final playoff spot with games in hand over the majority of sides above them. Saturday’s clash against Bath City is sure to provide a much tougher test than that posed on Tuesday.

The sides have already met twice this season, with Dover coming out on top on both occasions. In September, goals from Nathan Elder and Tom Murphy sealed a 2-0 victory in the league, and two months later a goal from Elder was enough to ensure progress in the FA Trophy.

In addition to the meeting earlier on in the season, previous clashes between the sides in the Conference South have generally gone Dover’s way – in their five league meetings since the 2009/10 season, Dover have ended victorious on four occasions, with the only blemish being a 0-0 draw at Twerton Park in 2010.

Bath’s recent form confirms the assumption that City will provide a stern test. Lee Howells’ men enter the game on the back of three consecutive wins, over Bishops Stortford (2-1), Hayes & Yeading (2-0) and Whitehawk (2-0). This momentum has seen them climb the table and the Somerset side currently sit in fourth place in this season’s Skrill South table, just two points behind Ebbsfleet United.

Just as Bath City should provide a tougher test for Dover, Chris Kinnear’s side should offer a stronger challenge than their previous three opponents. Jeff Goulding has added goals to the Dover side since his arrival, and will be looking to score in a fifth consecutive match. Ricky Modeste has also returned the side after injury, and will be hopeful of another start as he attempts to rediscover the form which blighted opponents’ defences earlier on in the season.

Moses Ademola has also been used from the bench since his return from a loan spell at Canvey Island, and manager Chris Kinnear is said to be pleased with his impact thus far.

The goal threat from Bath this season has largely come in the shape of duo Ross Stearn and David Pratt, who have found the net 11 and 10 times between them. Whites should also be watchful of midfielder Noah Keats, who has scored three times in City’s last three matches.

Bath’s away form is amongst the best in the league, with the side picking up 19 points from 13 matches thus far. The home form which has dogged Dover in recent years has continued – although the current three-match home run the side are in the middle of is a perfect chance to remedy this – and Whites have taken just 14 points from 12 matches at Crabble this season.

With Sutton United facing Weston-super-Mare on Saturday – two of the three sides currently dividing Dover and Bath – the match takes on extra meaning, with all three points vital for both sides if they want to stay in the chasing pack.

Despite the recent inclement weather – further downpours are forecast in the lead-up to the match – there is not believed to be any doubt over the ability to play the fixture, largely down to the club’s investment in a blotter to remove any surface water from the Crabble turf.

After it had been used for the first time ahead of Tuesday’s match, Chris Kinnear said: “I thought that there would be no way the game would be on but the pitch was great. Everyone helped clear the surface water and though it was a bit heavy, it was nice and firm and well worth getting the game on.”

*BS*Dover Athletic welcome Bath City to Crabble on Saturday, with both sides in the hunt for a playoff place. Whites have already beaten their Somerset opponents on two occasions this season.*BF*

A comfortable 2-0 victory over Maidenhead United on Tuesday night kept Dover within touching distance of the playoffs, with goals from Jeff Goulding and Tom Wynter leaving United just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.

The goalscorers were notable for their own reasons – Goulding’s 50th minute goal was his seventh in four games for the club, whilst Wynter’s strike shortly after was his first for the club he joined three-and-a-half years ago.

That win means Whites sit in 8th place, three points behind the final playoff spot with games in hand over the majority of sides above them. Saturday’s clash against Bath City is sure to provide a much tougher test than that posed on Tuesday.

The sides have already met twice this season, with Dover coming out on top on both occasions. In September, goals from Nathan Elder and Tom Murphy sealed a 2-0 victory in the league, and two months later a goal from Elder was enough to ensure progress in the FA Trophy.

In addition to the meeting earlier on in the season, previous clashes between the sides in the Conference South have generally gone Dover’s way – in their five league meetings since the 2009/10 season, Dover have ended victorious on four occasions, with the only blemish being a 0-0 draw at Twerton Park in 2010.

Bath’s recent form confirms the assumption that City will provide a stern test. Lee Howells’ men enter the game on the back of three consecutive wins, over Bishops Stortford (2-1), Hayes & Yeading (2-0) and Whitehawk (2-0). This momentum has seen them climb the table and the Somerset side currently sit in fourth place in this season’s Skrill South table, just two points behind Ebbsfleet United.

Just as Bath City should provide a tougher test for Dover, Chris Kinnear’s side should offer a stronger challenge than their previous three opponents. Jeff Goulding has added goals to the Dover side since his arrival, and will be looking to score in a fifth consecutive match. Ricky Modeste has also returned the side after injury, and will be hopeful of another start as he attempts to rediscover the form which blighted opponents’ defences earlier on in the season.

Moses Ademola has also been used from the bench since his return from a loan spell at Canvey Island, and manager Chris Kinnear is said to be pleased with his impact thus far.

The goal threat from Bath this season has largely come in the shape of duo Ross Stearn and David Pratt, who have found the net 11 and 10 times between them. Whites should also be watchful of midfielder Noah Keats, who has scored three times in City’s last three matches.

Bath’s away form is amongst the best in the league, with the side picking up 19 points from 13 matches thus far. The home form which has dogged Dover in recent years has continued – although the current three-match home run the side are in the middle of is a perfect chance to remedy this – and Whites have taken just 14 points from 12 matches at Crabble this season.

With Sutton United facing Weston-super-Mare on Saturday – two of the three sides currently dividing Dover and Bath – the match takes on extra meaning, with all three points vital for both sides if they want to stay in the chasing pack.

Despite the recent inclement weather – further downpours are forecast in the lead-up to the match – there is not believed to be any doubt over the ability to play the fixture, largely down to the club’s investment in a blotter to remove any surface water from the Crabble turf.

After it had been used for the first time ahead of Tuesday’s match, Chris Kinnear said: “I thought that there would be no way the game would be on but the pitch was great. Everyone helped clear the surface water and though it was a bit heavy, it was nice and firm and well worth getting the game on.”

The wet weather could not dampen Dover’s spirit as they battled to a 2-0 victory over a Maidenhead team who are flirting close to the relegation trapdoor. *Q1*

Dover boss Chris Kinnear was satisfied with his team’s efforts on the night. ‘They did ok today, I thought we played better in the games where we dropped points and should have won. We looked nervous at the start, but the lads are under pressure and myself Jake have been a little bit uptight as we are all desperate to do well.’

‘It was very, very important that we won tonight and nice to keep a clean sheet as well. It was not long ago they only lost to Grimsby 2-1 in the Trophy. They play open football and make it difficult. I thought we super organised tonight.’

He added ‘There was only going to be one winner. We could have had a hatful again. It was a good home win and hopefully it is the start of many more.’

A second half header from in form Jeff Goulding and a real collector’s item from Tom Wynter from a free kick sealed the win for whites. It was ironic that one player that cannot stop scoring and one that never scores were the heroes on the night. Nevertheless, Kinnear was full of praise for the duo.

‘We have a lad who is popping goals in and we have him here for next season’ said the boss of Goulding, who has notched seven in his first 4 games. ‘He is scoring a goal a game at the minute and we were talking to him for a long time. I am surprised that they let him go. Though we are always looking to strengthen; the squad is shaping up nicely.’ *Lpic1*

Discussing Wynter’s first goal for the club, ‘I am really pleased for Tom, as for the last few weeks he has been really focused. We had a chat about next season and where we are looking to go and it seemed to put his mind at rest. He his 23 and with all the young lads, we want them to stay and move up with us so we can build a team and I can’t see any of the young lads wanting to leave at the moment.’

Crabble was not among the four Skrill South matches to fall foul of the weather, mainly in thanks to the chairman and his new blotter. ‘ I thought that there would be no way the game would be on but the pitch was great’, beamed Kinnear, ‘everyone helped clear the surface water and though it was a bit heavy, it was nice and firm and well worth getting the game on.’*Lpic2*

The aptly named Bath City are due in town for a visit to Crabble on Saturday, in what is a another must win game for Dover against a team sitting 4th in the table and have won their last three games.

Kinnear explained how he was able to scout his latest opponents. ‘The chairman was in Bath with his wife on Saturday and offered to watch them – So I asked him to write a report. He scanned it over and it was decent to be fair. It was really nice of him to do that, but we have known each other a long time and I always ask him for his opinion – If we win 4-0 though, Jim will say it was down to him!’

Dover has a clean bill of health for the game with Nathan Elder back from a three match ban and Ricky Modeste coming through Saturday’s game with no adverse reaction to his recent injury.

The wet weather could not dampen Dover’s spirit as they battled to a 2-0 victory over a Maidenhead team who are flirting close to the relegation trapdoor. *Q1*

Dover boss Chris Kinnear was satisfied with his team’s efforts on the night. ‘They did ok today, I thought we played better in the games where we dropped points and should have won. We looked nervous at the start, but the lads are under pressure and myself Jake have been a little bit uptight as we are all desperate to do well.’

‘It was very, very important that we won tonight and nice to keep a clean sheet as well. It was not long ago they only lost to Grimsby 2-1 in the Trophy. They play open football and make it difficult. I thought we super organised tonight.’

He added ‘There was only going to be one winner. We could have had a hatful again. It was a good home win and hopefully it is the start of many more.’

A second half header from in form Jeff Goulding and a real collector’s item from Tom Wynter from a free kick sealed the win for whites. It was ironic that one player that cannot stop scoring and one that never scores were the heroes on the night. Nevertheless, Kinnear was full of praise for the duo.

‘We have a lad who is popping goals in and we have him here for next season’ said the boss of Goulding, who has notched seven in his first 4 games. ‘He is scoring a goal a game at the minute and we were talking to him for a long time. I am surprised that they let him go. Though we are always looking to strengthen; the squad is shaping up nicely.’ *Lpic1*

Discussing Wynter’s first goal for the club, ‘I am really pleased for Tom, as for the last few weeks he has been really focused. We had a chat about next season and where we are looking to go and it seemed to put his mind at rest. He his 23 and with all the young lads, we want them to stay and move up with us so we can build a team and I can’t see any of the young lads wanting to leave at the moment.’

Crabble was not among the four Skrill South matches to fall foul of the weather, mainly in thanks to the chairman and his new blotter. ‘ I thought that there would be no way the game would be on but the pitch was great’, beamed Kinnear, ‘everyone helped clear the surface water and though it was a bit heavy, it was nice and firm and well worth getting the game on.’*Lpic2*

The aptly named Bath City are due in town for a visit to Crabble on Saturday, in what is a another must win game for Dover against a team sitting 4th in the table and have won their last three games.

Kinnear explained how he was able to scout his latest opponents. ‘The chairman was in Bath with his wife on Saturday and offered to watch them – So I asked him to write a report. He scanned it over and it was decent to be fair. It was really nice of him to do that, but we have known each other a long time and I always ask him for his opinion – If we win 4-0 though, Jim will say it was down to him!’

Dover has a clean bill of health for the game with Nathan Elder back from a three match ban and Ricky Modeste coming through Saturday’s game with no adverse reaction to his recent injury.