*BS*CLIVE WALKER is back in charge of first-team affairs – after making a full recovery from a back operation.

*BF*Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter would like to pass on his gratitude to Terry White, who has been in caretaker charge while Clive has been on sick leave.

Clive had calcified discs removed from his back less than two week ago – but is now already back on his feet and raring to go.

Jim said: “For Clive to come back from an operation of that magnitude so quickly just shows the strength of character the man has got, his strength of purpose and what this football club means to him.

“He is a Dover Athletic man through and through and passionate about bringing success to the club. He is a strong character and that is exactly what is needed, especially when things haven’t gone well for a week or two.

“Terry came in under difficult circumstances and done a great job. It’s not a situation you see very often and he has given it his all. I am sure he will be involved in helping the club out in the future.”

Clive said: “I am delighted to be back. I am not 100 per cent fit but getting that way. In a couple of weeks, I will. But I am certainly fit enough to take charge.

“It’s been frustrating for me. I’ve not been able to walk for seven weeks – and just to be able to get back on my feet is great.

“I’d like to thank Terry very much for his efforts. He’s done a good job in very difficult circumstances.

“It is very hard for someone to come in to be a caretaker manager without knowing the players very well.

“The club had to get someone in because the job is just too big for one person.”

*Q1*It’s been a traumatic time for Clive.

He said: “I was told there was a chance I could become paralyzed if I didn’t have the operation. That scared me and I had to have it done.

“I am walking again with a stick – and it’s just a case of building the strength up in my legs again. I should be completely fit in a couple of weeks.”

*BS*Full free audio interview with Jim to follow.

*BS*CLIVE WALKER is back in charge of first-team affairs – after making a full recovery from a back operation.

*BF*Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter would like to pass on his gratitude to Terry White, who has been in caretaker charge while Clive has been on sick leave.

Clive had calcified discs removed from his back less than two week ago – but is now already back on his feet and raring to go.

Jim said: “For Clive to come back from an operation of that magnitude so quickly just shows the strength of character the man has got, his strength of purpose and what this football club means to him.

“He is a Dover Athletic man through and through and passionate about bringing success to the club. He is a strong character and that is exactly what is needed, especially when things haven’t gone well for a week or two.

“Terry came in under difficult circumstances and done a great job. It’s not a situation you see very often and he has given it his all. I am sure he will be involved in helping the club out in the future.”

Clive said: “I am delighted to be back. I am not 100 per cent fit but getting that way. In a couple of weeks, I will. But I am certainly fit enough to take charge.

“It’s been frustrating for me. I’ve not been able to walk for seven weeks – and just to be able to get back on my feet is great.

“I’d like to thank Terry very much for his efforts. He’s done a good job in very difficult circumstances.

“It is very hard for someone to come in to be a caretaker manager without knowing the players very well.

“The club had to get someone in because the job is just too big for one person.”

*Q1*It’s been a traumatic time for Clive.

He said: “I was told there was a chance I could become paralyzed if I didn’t have the operation. That scared me and I had to have it done.

“I am walking again with a stick – and it’s just a case of building the strength up in my legs again. I should be completely fit in a couple of weeks.”

*BS*Full free audio interview with Jim to follow.

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*BS*CHAIRMAN Jim Parmenter is expecting a crowd of more than 2,000 for the battle between two Kent clubs back on the up.

*BF*Whites and our old friends from Maidstone have had to endure troubled times – but both towns once again have senior teams that are challenging for honours.

The season Dover were promoted to the Conference in 1993, Maidstone, along with Dartford, went bust in a well-documented sucker blow to Kent football.

Dover have managed to survive huge problems of their own in recent seasons – although that has come at a cost: three relegations have seen the River End faithful have to adjust from watching the likes of Rushden, Woking and Yeovil to enduring life in Ryman One South.

But, ironically, it is Whites, Dartford and Maidstone who are at the top of the table battling it out for two of the available promotion places.

And Maidstone coming to the East Kent coast has already got the town buzzing.

Jim said: “This is a massive game for both clubs and the kind of game we love to stage at Crabble.

“The Stones have excellent support and will bring down a huge number of fans. It should make for an excellent atmosphere and we’re expecting a crowd of around 2,000 for this one.

“Hopefully, the fans will see a good match – but with the three points staying in Dover. However, it’s a tough game – and one that Maidstone will be every bit as desperate to win too.

“At the end of the season, the points up for grabs on Saturday could prove crucial with things so tight at the top of the table.”

Jim was quick to pay tribute to Stones chairman Paul Bowden-Brown for his plans to go it alone with plans to build a new stadium in Maidstone after backers pulled out.

He said: “The stadium might not be as flash as first hoped but Paul deserves enormous credit for going ahead with getting the Stones back to Maidstone.

“He is clearly ambitious and wants to get that club back up the ladder – and this is another step in that journey.”

Jim described Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat at Tooting and Mitcham as “unacceptable” and will, like all Dover fans, expect a positive response at Crabble.

He said: “The form has pretty much been the same throughout the season. Terry White has maintained the kind of form we were on before Clive Walker had to take sick leave.

“We are still in a strong position – top of the table – and it’s up to the team to keep us there. Hopefully, we’ll still be there at 4.45 on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, Jim has confirmed the game will *BS*NOT *BF*be segregated.

He said: “There are no safety concerns and relations between the two sets of fans is good.”

*BS*TERRY WHITE has warned his Dover players that some of them may be among the anticipated 2,000 fans at Crabble.

*BF*The Whites caretaker-boss admitted his blood is still boiling after his team were hammered 4-1 at Tooting and Mitcham.

True, the hosts did not deserve to win the game by such a margin – but the manner of Dover’s performance got his alarm bells ringing.

He said: “Frankly, it was not good enough. After 10 minutes, I was happy with the way things were going and was telling Steve Nolan that if we get the first goal we could end up winning comfortably.

“But then after 30 minutes, we were 3-0 down. The way we collapsed was alarming. Some of the players were not pulling their weight and I’ve been in the game long enough to know when someone is pretending to put in a shift, when in fact they are not.

“I won’t put up with that and players will learn that when they’re not in the team. I’m not afraid to make changes – and I’ll be making changes for the Maidstone game.

“We train tonight (Thursday) and I will make my mind up on the team line-up afterwards.

“I want to see a reaction to that defeat on Tuesday. As well as Tooting played, we should not have been beaten by that scoreline. The overall performance was poor.”

Big Tel took some stick for cautious tactics that reaped a goalless stalemate at Leatherhead a week earlier. In hindsight, he wish he had applied the same tactics for the Tooting game.

He said: “We took a lot of stick for not being attack-minded enough at Leatherhead – but sometimes you have to play that way in games. We didn’t go to Leatherhead looking for a point. We went there with the intention of keeping it tight and trying to nick a win – or at the very least get a point.

“At Tooting we tried to be a bit more expansive and look what happened. But that’s not an excuse for the performance, which simply was not up to the standard expected by Dover Athletic.”

*Q1*Managers up and down the country all have one thing in common. They are the best thing since sliced bread after a win – and questioned after a defeat. Terry is no different.

But one comment did make him chuckle this week.

He said: “I don’t go on these Internet forums because I’ve never been very good with computers. But one of my mates is well into it and he was looking at some comments from fans.

“There was a call for me to bring back Danny Chapman and John Keister into the team. Only a couple of weeks ago, I was saluted for apparently dropping them!

“I do want us to play entertaining football and to attack. It’s probably too late in the season to completely overhaul the way we play because a style has already been instilled into the players.

“What we could do is mix it up a bit and be more creative. We certainly need to pass the ball a lot better – otherwise we’ll struggle to open teams up in the final third. That is something we can improve now.”

Big Tel has also told his players they are playing for their futures at the club too and if he is still in charge of first-team affairs, juicy contracts will not be handed out to under-performing players.

He said: “Sadly, there are a few players who are not hungry and seem content with their contracts. That’s not a dig at experienced players here – I am talking about players of all age groups.

“If I am in charge in the summer, we won’t be handing out super-duper deals to these kind of players. I want hungry players here who want to play at the level we’re at and a division higher.”

*Lpic1*Terry has recently held talks with former Manchester City, Leyton Orient and Luton striker Carl Griffiths.

The experienced Welsh frontman – like other targets – opted not to join due to travelling.

Big Tel said: “It is a bit of an handicap when trying to attract players here.

“Lewes have offered us a couple of players but their manager doubts whether they will want to travel to Dover to play for us. But I can assure our fans that no-one is working harder than me to try to bring fresh players to the club.”

Terry is aware of the dangers Maidstone will present Dover and has had them watched a couple of times.

He said: “I’ve got a good idea how they are going to set their team up against us and we’re going to need to produce a good performance if we’re to beat them.”