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*BS*Dover Athletic are pleased to announce the signing of midfielder Lee Sawyer on loan from Woking until January 1st. The 24-year-old is available for selection for Saturday’s FA Cup clash.*BF*

Chris Kinnear has added to his midfield options by capturing highly-rated midfielder Lee Sawyer on loan from Woking until January 1st. Sawyer, who started his career at Chelsea, has made ten appearances for the Skrill Premier side this season.

With loan experience at Southend United, Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers, Sawyer adds Football League experience to the side, making over 60 professional appearances.

Sawyer made his international debut for the England under-16 side in November 2004, and has also played for the under-18 and under-19 sides – scoring a goal for both teams. He has twice previously played against Dover Athletic – in Woking’s 2-2 draw at Crabble in the 2010/11 season, and in a pre-season friendly against the Surrey side at the start of this campaign.

*BS*Whites will travel to Corby on Saturday with hundreds of supporters to back the team in the FA Cup First Round. Here is our fans guide for the game:*BF*

Chris Kinnear’s team will receive plenty of support this weekend for only the third FA Cup First Round tie in the club’s history.

DAFC Supporters Club are taking over 100 fans to the game in two coaches, while more fans will be travelling by car and train.

If you are planning to go to the game, check out our *Link1* for directions and stadium information.

*BS*Stadium Information*BF*

Known as The Steelmen, Corby play their home games at Steel Park, which was opened in 2011 and is located adjacent to their previous ground, Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium.

Steel Park has a capacity of 3893, of which just over 2000 is covered. The stadium has one seater stand for 577 spectators and a large covered terrace behind one goal. The other two sides of the ground are uncovered shallow standing areas.

Corby’s club bar will be open from 12.30 and will be serving hot food to all supporters.

*BS*Colours*BF*

Corby Town’s colours are black and white. Dover Athletic kitman Robin Hastie informed fans last week that Chris Kinnear’s team will be wearing the club’s yellow and green kit on Saturday.

*BS*Match Coverage*BF*

Follow live updates throughout the day on Twitter via *Link2* and *Link3*, which will have the usual team news and regular match updates.

We welcome you to join in. Send in your photos and support on Twitter. We will share a selection.

*BS*Pitch News*BF*

Regarding concerns over the pitch at Steel Park following two postponements earlier this week after heavy rainfall, Corby Town staff and supporters have been working hard to prepare the pitch and are confident of ensuring a good playing surface for Saturday’s cup tie.

All being well, see you at Steel Park for the FA Cup First Round tie!

*BS*Attention switches back to the FA Cup this weekend, with Whites travelling to Northamptonshire to face Southern League Premier side Corby Town.*BF*

After a 2-0 defeat to Basingstoke Town in the Skrill South last Saturday – which ended a run of eight matches unbeaten in all competitions – the change in focus will be most welcome as Dover look to emulate their famous FA Cup run of three years ago.

The side were due to face Eastleigh in the league this Tuesday, which would have given players one final chance to impress before Chris Kinnear finalises his side for this clash, however a waterlogged pitch saw the match postponed – a fate also suffered by Corby, who saw their planned fixture at home to Banbury United fall foul to the weather.

Town’s match last weekend was also postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, so the side are yet to play in November – their last game, a 3-0 victory over struggling St Neots Town, means that they enter this weekend in a positive frame of mind and should offer Whites a tough game.

Currently sitting in 16th place in the Southern League Premier, Corby have won four of their opening eleven matches, with three of those victories coming at their Steel Park home. The most impressive of these came against league leaders Chesham United – who have won 12 of their 15 matches thus far – back in September, where Town won 2-1.

Corby won promotion to the Southern League Premier in 2006, and despite an indifferent couple of seasons here, promotion to the Conference North was achieved in the 2008/09 season. Their first season in the North saw Town narrowly miss out on the playoffs; their sixth placed finish, just one point behind Droylesden, was an excellent achievement and gave The Steelmen hope that they could go one further the next season.

This wasn’t the case – increasingly poor league finishes in the Conference North over the next three seasons saw the side drop back into the Southern League last season by the narrowest of margins – finishing level on points with 19th placed Histon, they were relegated by virtue of their goal difference being just one worse than Histon’s.

Former Queens Park Rangers defender Chris Plummer was in charge during this period, but just two games into this season he resigned – following 3-0 and 6-0 defeats to Burnham and Hemel Hempstead Town respectively. Plummer’s assistant Mark Peters, himself an ex-professional defender with spells at Peterborough United and Leyton Orient, was appointed interim manager. Despite picking up ten points from his five games in charge, Peters was not given the opportunity to take charge of the side on a permanent basis as Andrew Wilson and Tommy Wright were appointed joint-managers in the middle of September.

The duo’s first match in charge was in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup, where they led the side to a 3-0 victory against Barwell. The next qualifying round saw them defeat Mickleover Sports after a replay (3-3 away from home, and 5-2 at home) and a 4-2 win against Trafford in the third qualifying round saw the side through to the final stage before the first-round proper.

Pitted against Skrill North side Colwyn Bay, Corby were underdogs to progress but an impressive 3-1 victory against Frank Sinclair’s Welsh side sealed their place in Saturday’s tie.

Despite making this stage twice in the past three seasons, Town have not reached the second-round since 1965/66 season and will view Saturday’s match as a chance to emulate this. Indeed, both sides will – this tie is one of only six all non-league matches, and only two feature sides both currently playing below the Skrill Premier Division – with Biggleswade Town’s trip to Stourbridge the other fixture.

Dover’s most recent notable exploits in this competition came back in the 2010/11 season, where a first-round win over Kent rivals Gillingham was followed up by a victory over Aldershot Town, sending Whites through to the third-round for the first time in the club’s history – a remarkable day ended in a 2-0 defeat away at Huddersfield Town, but the memories live long from that day.

Corby’s side features of number of players with Football League, and higher, experience – captain Gareth Jelleyman spent seven years at Peterborough United and made over 100 appearances for The Posh, whilst the capture of Mark Arber in the summer following his release by Dartford added nous to the side, although this had predominantly been off the pitch.

The most high-profile of Town’s squad is Lee Hendrie. The ex-England midfielder joined from Tamworth two months ago and, despite some troubled times in his personal life, the 36-year-old now seems settled in non-league football and his experience and undoubted talent should be instrumental to any success Corby do have this season.

It is not yet known whether Ricky Modeste will be fit for Saturday’s clash, but if the midfielder is able to start the game then he surely will. If Modeste misses out once again, manager Chris Kinnear will likely decide whether to keep faith with Liam Bellamy in midfield, or bring in a more natural wide man in the form of either Moses Ademola or Michael Bakare.

Nine goals from three games means the FA Cup is, so far, not a competition Whites have struggled to find the net in – top scorers in these games are Nathan Elder, Sean Raggett and Barry Cogan, all of whom have found the net twice.

The Modeste issue aside, Kinnear is likely to keep the faith with the remainder of the side who suffered defeat to Basingstoke on Saturday, meaning that Elder should once more lead the line for Whites.

This weekend’s clash will also see history made, with referee Amy Fearn set to become the first woman to take charge of an FA Cup first-round tie.

The Supporters club are holding a quiz night in the Centre Spot in aid of cancer research on Friday 29th November, 8pm start.

Entry is £3.00 per person with teams of up to 8. There will be a raffle and match day food can be purchased on the night.

Please come along!!

*BS*Whites will travel to Corby on Saturday with hundreds of supporters to back the team in the FA Cup First Round. Here is our fans guide for the game:*BF*

Chris Kinnear’s team will receive plenty of support this weekend for only the third FA Cup First Round tie in the club’s history.

DAFC Supporters Club are taking over 100 fans to the game in two coaches, while more fans will be travelling by car and train.

If you are planning to go to the game, check out our *Link1* for directions and stadium information.

*BS*Stadium Information*BF*

Known as The Steelmen, Corby play their home games at Steel Park, which was opened in 2011 and is located adjacent to their previous ground, Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium.

Steel Park has a capacity of 3893, of which just over 2000 is covered. The stadium has one seater stand for 577 spectators and a large covered terrace behind one goal. The other two sides of the ground are uncovered shallow standing areas.

Corby’s club bar will be open from 12.30 and will be serving hot food to all supporters.

*BS*Colours*BF*

Corby Town’s colours are black and white. Dover Athletic kitman Robin Hastie informed fans last week that Chris Kinnear’s team will be wearing the club’s yellow and green kit on Saturday.

*BS*Match Coverage*BF*

Follow live updates throughout the day on Twitter via *Link2* and *Link3*, which will have the usual team news and regular match updates.

We welcome you to join in. Send in your photos and support on Twitter. We will share a selection.

*BS*Pitch News*BF*

Regarding concerns over the pitch at Steel Park following two postponements earlier this week after heavy rainfall, Corby Town staff and supporters have been working hard to prepare the pitch and are confident of ensuring a good playing surface for Saturday’s cup tie.

All being well, see you at Steel Park for the FA Cup First Round tie!

*BS*Attention switches back to the FA Cup this weekend, with Whites travelling to Northamptonshire to face Southern League Premier side Corby Town.*BF*

After a 2-0 defeat to Basingstoke Town in the Skrill South last Saturday – which ended a run of eight matches unbeaten in all competitions – the change in focus will be most welcome as Dover look to emulate their famous FA Cup run of three years ago.

The side were due to face Eastleigh in the league this Tuesday, which would have given players one final chance to impress before Chris Kinnear finalises his side for this clash, however a waterlogged pitch saw the match postponed – a fate also suffered by Corby, who saw their planned fixture at home to Banbury United fall foul to the weather.

Town’s match last weekend was also postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, so the side are yet to play in November – their last game, a 3-0 victory over struggling St Neots Town, means that they enter this weekend in a positive frame of mind and should offer Whites a tough game.

Currently sitting in 16th place in the Southern League Premier, Corby have won four of their opening eleven matches, with three of those victories coming at their Steel Park home. The most impressive of these came against league leaders Chesham United – who have won 12 of their 15 matches thus far – back in September, where Town won 2-1.

Corby won promotion to the Southern League Premier in 2006, and despite an indifferent couple of seasons here, promotion to the Conference North was achieved in the 2008/09 season. Their first season in the North saw Town narrowly miss out on the playoffs; their sixth placed finish, just one point behind Droylesden, was an excellent achievement and gave The Steelmen hope that they could go one further the next season.

This wasn’t the case – increasingly poor league finishes in the Conference North over the next three seasons saw the side drop back into the Southern League last season by the narrowest of margins – finishing level on points with 19th placed Histon, they were relegated by virtue of their goal difference being just one worse than Histon’s.

Former Queens Park Rangers defender Chris Plummer was in charge during this period, but just two games into this season he resigned – following 3-0 and 6-0 defeats to Burnham and Hemel Hempstead Town respectively. Plummer’s assistant Mark Peters, himself an ex-professional defender with spells at Peterborough United and Leyton Orient, was appointed interim manager. Despite picking up ten points from his five games in charge, Peters was not given the opportunity to take charge of the side on a permanent basis as Andrew Wilson and Tommy Wright were appointed joint-managers in the middle of September.

The duo’s first match in charge was in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup, where they led the side to a 3-0 victory against Barwell. The next qualifying round saw them defeat Mickleover Sports after a replay (3-3 away from home, and 5-2 at home) and a 4-2 win against Trafford in the third qualifying round saw the side through to the final stage before the first-round proper.

Pitted against Skrill North side Colwyn Bay, Corby were underdogs to progress but an impressive 3-1 victory against Frank Sinclair’s Welsh side sealed their place in Saturday’s tie.

Despite making this stage twice in the past three seasons, Town have not reached the second-round since 1965/66 season and will view Saturday’s match as a chance to emulate this. Indeed, both sides will – this tie is one of only six all non-league matches, and only two feature sides both currently playing below the Skrill Premier Division – with Biggleswade Town’s trip to Stourbridge the other fixture.

Dover’s most recent notable exploits in this competition came back in the 2010/11 season, where a first-round win over Kent rivals Gillingham was followed up by a victory over Aldershot Town, sending Whites through to the third-round for the first time in the club’s history – a remarkable day ended in a 2-0 defeat away at Huddersfield Town, but the memories live long from that day.

Corby’s side features of number of players with Football League, and higher, experience – captain Gareth Jelleyman spent seven years at Peterborough United and made over 100 appearances for The Posh, whilst the capture of Mark Arber in the summer following his release by Dartford added nous to the side, although this had predominantly been off the pitch.

The most high-profile of Town’s squad is Lee Hendrie. The ex-England midfielder joined from Tamworth two months ago and, despite some troubled times in his personal life, the 36-year-old now seems settled in non-league football and his experience and undoubted talent should be instrumental to any success Corby do have this season.

It is not yet known whether Ricky Modeste will be fit for Saturday’s clash, but if the midfielder is able to start the game then he surely will. If Modeste misses out once again, manager Chris Kinnear will likely decide whether to keep faith with Liam Bellamy in midfield, or bring in a more natural wide man in the form of either Moses Ademola or Michael Bakare.

Nine goals from three games means the FA Cup is, so far, not a competition Whites have struggled to find the net in – top scorers in these games are Nathan Elder, Sean Raggett and Barry Cogan, all of whom have found the net twice.

The Modeste issue aside, Kinnear is likely to keep the faith with the remainder of the side who suffered defeat to Basingstoke on Saturday, meaning that Elder should once more lead the line for Whites.

This weekend’s clash will also see history made, with referee Amy Fearn set to become the first woman to take charge of an FA Cup first-round tie.

The Supporters club are holding a quiz night in the Centre Spot in aid of cancer research on Friday 29th November, 8pm start.

Entry is £3.00 per person with teams of up to 8. There will be a raffle and match day food can be purchased on the night.

Please come along!!

*BS*Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup clash against Corby Town, ex-Whites defender Tony Browne speaks to Jack O’Sullivan about his own experiences with the club in the Cup.*BF*

The opportunity to speak to Tony Browne ahead of this weekend’s Cup match was one I was keen to take advantage of. As we are all aware, the club have only reached this stage of the competition on two previous occasions – firstly against Oxford United in the 2002/03 season, and most recently the famous victory at Priestfield against Gillingham three years ago to the day.

Whites’ FA Cup campaign back in 2002 started with a home tie against Basingstoke Town, and goals from Simon Glover and Nicky Dent sealed the side’s first FA Cup victory in four years.

The third qualifying round saw Kent rivals Welling United drawn to face Clive Walker’s side, and a hard-fought match at Crabble – in which Whites were leading 2-1 but were reduced to ten men following a straight red card for Lee Spiller – eventually ended two goals apiece, setting up a replay at Welling’s Park View Road the following Tuesday.

The replay saw another four goals, however it was Dover who took the spoils – despite an early goal from Dave Powell, strikes from Jamie Day, Nicky Dent and Lee Spiller sent the side through to the fourth qualifying round – where they would host former Conference rivals Woking for a place in the first round proper.

Nicky Dent kept up his record of scoring in every game of Dover’s FA Cup campaign as Whites were held to a 1-1 draw in a game of two very different halves. An emphatic 33rd minute finish from the striker gave Athletic a much-deserved half-time lead, but an improved second-half performance from the Surrey side led to an equaliser from Barry Moore.

*Q1*The general consensus at the time was that the opportunity of making the First Round for the first time in the club’s history may have gone; after their third consecutive home draw in the competition, a tricky trip to Kingfield for the replay saw Whites enter the game as underdogs.

Despite missing three key players – captain Andy Arnott, top scorer Nicky Dent and midfield dynamo Lee Spiller, a fantastic team performance from Walker’s side culminated in a historic 2-1 victory.

The headlines that night went to Tommy Tyne, whose 85th minute goal booked his side a place in the main stages of the Cup, but kudos has to be given to every player who turned out for Dover on that day. Jamie Day’s penalty in first-half injury time, resulting in Woking captain Jon Boardman being dismissed, gave Whites the lead but a Ben Abbey goal early in the second half evened the scoreline up.

Tyne’s winner five minutes from time sent the travelling support into raptures and jubilant scenes at the full-time whistle ensued. Dover Athletic had done it – progression to the First Round had finally been achieved.

A crowd of 4,186 packed into Crabble in mid-November for the following clash against Oxford United proved to be one step too far, however, but not for a lack of trying – the predatory Nicky Dent had a number of chances to find the back of the net but could not. A 22nd minute United strike from David Oldfield turned out to be the only goal of the tie, but everyone involved at the club was delighted with the Cup run and the knowledge that the hoodoo had been broken.

Browne has fond memories of this momentous match: “The game against Oxford was massive for the club.

“We were always so well supported, especially during the Cup run. To get to that stage and reward them with a big home tie was great – particularly as it had started to feel around the club as if there was a bit of a jinx that was stopping us getting that far.

“We had some tough games on the way to the Oxford match – both Welling and Woking took us to replays, but we deserved to get through both. The side pulled together and the buzz after the Woking replay was incredible.”*Q2*

Full of praise for his fellow members during the Cup exploits, Browne revealed that it is still a point of discussion between him and an ex-team mate almost a decade on: “Me and Lee Spiller still talk about our time at Dover, and the Cup run, now. We had some great players in that side – Nicky Dent was an absolute goal machine. He wasn’t always the most mobile of players, but you could always rely on him to get goals.

Players like Danny Chapman and Jamie Day were vital to us. We had a well-balanced side and had the chances to beat Oxford.”

Alongside Lee Spiller, Tony Browne now runs the Soccer Elite FA (SEFA) coaching school – a role he describes as “incredibly rewarding”.

The defender had two spells at Crabble – from 1999 to 2004, and 2005 to 2007. Making over 300 appearances in his time at the club, Browne says he has nothing but good memories of his time at Dover: “I haven’t got a bad word to say about the club. Everything is so professionally run – it always has been. I’ve been at League clubs that don’t compare, and that stretches from the backroom staff right through to the facilities.

“I’m disappointed I had to leave the club. It wasn’t my intention, but work commitments had to come first. I still follow the club’s results and know first-hand how big a boost a good Cup run can be.

“I will be looking out for the score on Saturday and hoping for a Dover win. Good luck to everyone involved at the club – I’m sure the fans will be as fantastic as ever.”

*BS*Dover Athletic’s FA Cup match against Corby Town on Saturday will enter the record books regardless of the outcome, with referee Amy Fearn set to become to first woman to take charge of an FA Cup first-round tie.*BF*

Fearn has been qualified as a referee for over twenty years and, in 2010, became the first woman to take charge of a game in the Football League game when she replaced Tony Bates as match official in Coventry’s 1-0 Championship victory over Nottingham Forest.

In November 2006, the 35-year-old – who was then officiating under her maiden name of Rayner – was the subject of criticism from Mike Newell, then in charge of Luton Town. In a match against Queens Park Rangers, in which Fearn was assistant, a decision not to award Town a penalty incensed Newell: “She shouldn’t be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is not park football, so what are women doing here?”

Newell’s comments were investigated by the FA and he was fined a total of £6,500 and given a warning by his club, offering an unreserved apology to Fearn after the event.

Since then, Fearn’s dedication and commitment has seen her develop a reputation as a quality official and the feat she is set to achieve this weekend will further increase her stature.

This will not be Whites’ first game officiated by a female referee – Wendy Toms, who would later become the first female to operate as an assistant referee in the Premier League, has taken charge of a number of games including Dover Athletic.

Whilst the side’s primary aim for Saturday is to progress through to the second-round of the FA Cup for only the second time in the club’s history, the extra attention placed upon the tie following the refereeing appointment is welcome and we wish Amy all the best for Saturday’s match.