*BS*THE Centre Spot 2008 project is due to begin this summer and the supporters contribution to the new clubhouse has been given a timely boost.*BF*

Back in December club chairman Jim Parmenter generously pledged to underwrite the funding of the new facilities, which will cost more than £150,000, provided fans raise £30,000 by April in support for the project.

That target has been a challenge for supporters but the amount raised will soon total more than £20,000 thanks to a £10,000 grant sanctioned on Wednesday by Dover Town Council.

The grant has been awarded to the Supporters Trust, which will present the funds to the club for its Centre Spot Appeal Fund at the end of the season once the grant has been processed.

Councillor David Lloyd, a long time Dover supporter, discussed the possibility of a grant with Paul Harrison, the Trust’s representative on the club’s board of directors. Paul then submitted an application to Dover Town Council for £10,000 and made a presentation to the council members, who approved the grant on Wednesday.

Paul told doverathletic.com: “We are absolutely delighted that the Council are supporting us in this way. They were very responsive to our application and incredibly positive towards the club and its supporters, whose input has been valuable.

“We are very thankful to David Lloyd in particular for his assistance and support. He and his fellow members made it clear that they were very impressed with the way the supporters had helped the club financially and the direction the club is taking both on and off the field.”

Dover Town Council have supported similar projects before, assisting Dover Rugby Club amongs others, and the community-aspect of the football club’s redevelopment plans also encouraged them to get involved.

The one-storey brick-built facility will be able to comfortably sit up to 200 people for a banqueting function, perfect for wedding receptions, parties, business conferences and many other events.

And, furthermore, the clubhouse will be more spacious so our fans can enjoy refreshments before, during and after a match in a far more welcoming environment.

Paul Harrison said the Council’s grant is a victory for the supporters of the club: “We invited about 20 fans to represent the club at the Full Town Council Meeting, a cross-section of the fan base including some children wearing replica shirts.

“My thanks go to those supporters, and everyone who has contributed to the Centre Spot project so far. This grant is a large chunk of the finances required and I hope we can push on in the next few weeks.”

One way supporters can join in with the fundraising finale is by supporting events such as the Wine & Wisdom evening on Friday, April 11.

*Link1*

The Supporters Trust is also holding its AGM on Thursday, April 17 at 7.30pm in the Centre Spot, and fans are encouraged to attend.

On the agenda will be a suggestion to rename the organisation the “Supporters Society” as one way of adapting to its changing role within the fabric of the club. The committee would like it to encompass the merits of both the Trust and a supporters club, involving more of the fan base in its activities.

*Link2*

NULL

*BS*DOVER ATHLETIC fans can smell it. It’s there, unfamiliar and almost unrecognisable. The scent of success is wafting under the club’s nose, ready to be tasted.*BF*

It’s been a long time since Dover supporters have had something to really celebrate. There have been a few highs in this decade, amongst all the lows, but none as exciting as the prospect of seeing the team winning a league title for the first time since 1993.

15 years is a long time to wait. It seems a lifetime ago that I jigged round the Crabble turf behind Barry Little and co. with the Beazer Homes Premier division championship shield.

In those 15 years though, we have been fortunate in many ways. Out of those seasons, how many have been boring mid-table affairs? Less than we’d like perhaps but one of the reasons for our large fan base is probably the fact that life is rarely dull around Dover Athletic. We have moved leagues four times in that period and experienced life at the highest and lower reaches of the pyramid.

Whether it’s been admiring the great Dave Leworthy in his pomp, getting to the FA Trophy semi-final, seeing arguably the best midfield in non-league form and then split up in a matter of a few months, reaching the First Round of the FA Cup at last, suffering the humiliation of missing out on the newly-formed Conference South, or enduring the agony of financial woes and near-misses on promotion; it’s rarely been predictable at DAFC in the last 15 seasons.

And so the roller-coaster continued with the arrival of Andy Hessenthaler last summer. Having been at possibly their lowest ebb following the play-off semi final defeat to Hastings, Whites fans were given a bright ray of hope. Hopefully the Hess-Express is still only pulling out of the station on a long journey at the club.

But the job of gaining promotion is not yet done. Tooting could yet still win their remaining seven matches and Dover’s last five opponents are all top half teams going for the play-offs. That could work in Whites’ advantage though. All their opponents need wins rather than draws so the team is less likely to face 10 men behind the ball, as the lower sides in the division have often lined-up again Athletic this season.

Whatever the opposition though, Whites just need to keep up the level of discipline and professionalism that has poured out of them in the last few months. Last weekend in the horrid conditions at Leatherhead and in the local derby against Ashford, Hessenthaler’s team showed no signs of cracking.

*Lpic1*Only Ashford’s handled goal truly unsettled the team over the course of both games, and even then the ship was soon steadied. The superb defensive record in the last 14 unbeaten games remains intact. Just four goals conceded in that many games has set the club apart from all others in Ryman South.

Whites fans will be keen to see Saturday’s game at Worthing go ahead but a pitch inspection has been requested in the morning due to the heavy rain there this week. If the game is called off, Tooting could play twice before Dover’s next game at home to Burgess Hill on Saturday, April 5.

Tooting are scheduled to play Met Police at home tomorrow (Saturday) and Walton Casuals away on the evening of Friday, April 4. The scenario Whites fans would rather not happen is for Tooting to hand the title to Athletic without the team playing. Greedy perhaps, but a post-Dover-match celebration would be the icing on the cake of a tremendous season.

As usual with Dover Athletic, nothing is simple. Saturday could be a damp squib, a ‘nearly there’ moment or the full fireworks. But that’s one of the reasons we keep coming back – nobody knows what’s going to happen.

Boss Andy Hessenthaler hopes his team can get over the finishing line soon.

Hess said: “It would be nice to win it as soon as possible because then we can really start planning for next season, but we have just got to worry about what we do and be as professional as we have all season.”

NULL

*BS*DOVER ATHLETIC fans can smell it. It’s there, unfamiliar and almost unrecognisable. The scent of success is wafting under the club’s nose, ready to be tasted.*BF*

It’s been a long time since Dover supporters have had something to really celebrate. There have been a few highs in this decade, amongst all the lows, but none as exciting as the prospect of seeing the team winning a league title for the first time since 1993.

15 years is a long time to wait. It seems a lifetime ago that I jigged round the Crabble turf behind Barry Little and co. with the Beazer Homes Premier division championship shield.

In those 15 years though, we have been fortunate in many ways. Out of those seasons, how many have been boring mid-table affairs? Less than we’d like perhaps but one of the reasons for our large fan base is probably the fact that life is rarely dull around Dover Athletic. We have moved leagues four times in that period and experienced life at the highest and lower reaches of the pyramid.

Whether it’s been admiring the great Dave Leworthy in his pomp, getting to the FA Trophy semi-final, seeing arguably the best midfield in non-league form and then split up in a matter of a few months, reaching the First Round of the FA Cup at last, suffering the humiliation of missing out on the newly-formed Conference South, or enduring the agony of financial woes and near-misses on promotion; it’s rarely been predictable at DAFC in the last 15 seasons.

And so the roller-coaster continued with the arrival of Andy Hessenthaler last summer. Having been at possibly their lowest ebb following the play-off semi final defeat to Hastings, Whites fans were given a bright ray of hope. Hopefully the Hess-Express is still only pulling out of the station on a long journey at the club.

But the job of gaining promotion is not yet done. Tooting could yet still win their remaining seven matches and Dover’s last five opponents are all top half teams going for the play-offs. That could work in Whites’ advantage though. All their opponents need wins rather than draws so the team is less likely to face 10 men behind the ball, as the lower sides in the division have often lined-up again Athletic this season.

Whatever the opposition though, Whites just need to keep up the level of discipline and professionalism that has poured out of them in the last few months. Last weekend in the horrid conditions at Leatherhead and in the local derby against Ashford, Hessenthaler’s team showed no signs of cracking.

*Lpic1*Only Ashford’s handled goal truly unsettled the team over the course of both games, and even then the ship was soon steadied. The superb defensive record in the last 14 unbeaten games remains intact. Just four goals conceded in that many games has set the club apart from all others in Ryman South.

Whites fans will be keen to see Saturday’s game at Worthing go ahead but a pitch inspection has been requested in the morning due to the heavy rain there this week. If the game is called off, Tooting could play twice before Dover’s next game at home to Burgess Hill on Saturday, April 5.

Tooting are scheduled to play Met Police at home tomorrow (Saturday) and Walton Casuals away on the evening of Friday, April 4. The scenario Whites fans would rather not happen is for Tooting to hand the title to Athletic without the team playing. Greedy perhaps, but a post-Dover-match celebration would be the icing on the cake of a tremendous season.

As usual with Dover Athletic, nothing is simple. Saturday could be a damp squib, a ‘nearly there’ moment or the full fireworks. But that’s one of the reasons we keep coming back – nobody knows what’s going to happen.

Boss Andy Hessenthaler hopes his team can get over the finishing line soon.

Hess said: “It would be nice to win it as soon as possible because then we can really start planning for next season, but we have just got to worry about what we do and be as professional as we have all season.”

NULL

NULL

NULL

NULL

*BS*DOVER ATHLETIC have overcome, or simply ignored, many precedents under the management of Andy Hessenthaler and Darren Hare this season.*BF*

Met Police had been victorious at Crabble on both of their previous visits in 05/06 and 06/07, yet Whites swaggered to a 5-2 home win earlier this season. The November stumble followed by January and February nightmare of the previous two years was also disregarded as results have remained consistently positive throughout, barring a four-game blip at the turn of the year.

Another vital change has been the ability to take points against the top teams. Losses against Tooting (away), Fleet (twice), Dulwich (away) and Met Police (twice), as well as draws that should have been wins against Hastings (away), Dartford (twice) and Maidstone (away), prevented Whites from winning the title quite comfortably last season.

Under Hess and Hare wins have been gained against every side currently in the top seven of Ryman South and of course there have been no losses against any side currently in the top 17.

One more precedent to be overcome this season could be achieved tomorrow (Saturday). Dover haven’t managed a goal, let alone a win at Leatherhead in the past few years. In 05/06 Whites should have won but that game will be remembered for Danny Chapman’s mindless sending off which ruled him out of the play-off final at Tonbridge. Last season stand-in boss Terry White admitted to being happy with a 0-0 draw, and Dover never looked interested in going against that.

Happier days we are fortunate to be in, however, and it will no doubt be just another game for Hess’s men in their journey to, as John Keister described it earlier this week, “what everyone wants”.

On both previous visits to Fetcham Grove, Leatherhead have looked lively going forward and happy to play the offside trap to its limit at the back. The main protagonists in attack will be the same this weekend. Dave Stevens, recently returned from Met Police, will try to hold the ball up for the Tanners and utilise his unconventional style in the pursuit of goals. He scored at Crabble in the aforementioned 5-2 beating of Met Police in October.

*Ppic1*The Tanners tend to focus their forward play through the talented feet of Steve Sargent on the right wing. A target for several clubs last season including Dover, he is the son of Dave Sargent, who figured in the club’s famous FA Cup run in 1975.

Leatherhead are likely to be a tough nut to crack but they have been lower-mid-table fodder throughout a disappointing season. Having finished 10th and 11th in the previous two seaons, the Tanners were expected to fight for a play-off place this time. However, a lack of squad depth and an inability to ripple the net has held them back. At home Leatherhead have been particularly dour, scoring just 18 times in 17 matches.

The return of Frannie Collin to the starting line-up will provide Athletic with increased confidence ahead of Saturday’s trip and the visit of Ashford to White Cliffs country on Monday afternoon. Collin scored two goals of a quality rarely seen at this level in Dover’s 2-1 win on a mud-heap of a pitch at Homelands on Boxing Day.

Whites have been indebted to their top goalscorer in several tight matches this season. Hessenthaler though will have been pleased to see Shaun Welford take on the mantle of match-winning goalscorer in recent weeks whilst Collin has eased back to fitness after a hamstring strain.

Welford and Collin will continue to develop their partnership, as well as their link-up play with new boy James Simmonds, this weekend. The signs for the front pair were promising last Saturday when they combined after three minutes to put Dover 1-0 up. Using their individual qualities, very different to each others, to great effect; Collin spun away from his marker tight to the byline in trademark fashion and chipped a beautiful cross to the near-post, where Welford used his physical presence to leap past a defender and thump in a diving header.

Dover’s options in all areas of the pitch haven’t looked better and more varied for many a year. This is highlighted by the current injury situation. How many teams at this level could play to such a consistently high standard without three players of the quality of Craig Wilkins, Lee Browning and Alan Pouton. Add in James Rogers and Craig Cloke, and you have a list of five first-team regulars unavailable to Hessenthaler last weekend.

*Lpic1*The players who have replaced them have grabbed their chance though. Laurence Ball has been commanding in the air and more than comfortable in possession, playing beyond his years at the back. Young reserve Steve O’Brien also showed in his brief cameo last Saturday that he has the ability on the ball to stake a claim for a place in the first team squad next season.

Ashford’s ex-Dover contingent will no doubt be keen to prevent any chance of early celebrations for Athletic this season. Their Easter Monday visit should attract a four-figure crowd for a game important for both teams.

Steve Lovell’s side are still clinging onto the hope of a play-off berth and their recent form is good, having beaten Met Police and Walton & Hersham in their last two games. Seven former Whites appeared in both squad’s. Nicky Humphrey and Daniel Braithwaite have been regulars at full back, whilst Danny Lye is currently being deployed at centre back. Anthony Hogg has arrived from Sittingbourne to add some more creativity in midfield, while Mark Lovell is of course up front. Walid Matata and Tony Browne have been on the subs bench.

Key to Dover’s title prospects will be the continued defensive stability and dominance in midfield. Pouton and Hessenthaler are likely to share the load this weekend, with two games in three days too much for either of them at present. Leatherhead and Ashford will have to be at their best, you would think, to see a lot of the ball.

Tooting’s postponed match this afternoon (Friday) means that the title race is certain to go on beyond Easter Monday but a good pair of results for Dover would put the finishing line firmly in their sights.