Dover Athletic Football Club are proud to announce that Academy graduates Essa Jadama, Tristan Holden, and Jake McCarthy have signed first-team terms ahead of the new season.

All three players will continue their development under the club’s guidance while gaining valuable senior football experience through dual registrations. Essa and Tristan will link up with Whitstable Town, while Jake will join Sutton Athletic for regular first-team football. Alongside this, all three players will train regularly with Dover and remain available for cup fixtures throughout the campaign.

Essa is a composed, left-footed centre-back. Jake is a dynamic left-back, and Tristan brings energy and strength in the defensive midfield role. Each of them has impressed during their time in the Academy and continued to progress during pre-season.

This is another clear example of the strength of the club’s Academy pathway and Dover’s commitment to promoting young talent into the first team. We’re looking forward to seeing how all three develop over the coming months.

Academy Manager and First Team Assistant Manager Mike Sandmann has said:

I couldn’t be prouder to see another three players graduate from our Academy into the first-team set-up.

These lads have trained with us regularly over the past season and throughout pre-season. They each have huge potential, but more importantly, they’ve shown the attitude and character needed to continue progressing with us.

Stepping up a division makes it even harder for young players to break through as first-team regulars, so it’s important they gain regular senior football experience while continuing to train and develop with us. We’re pleased to have secured dual registrations for them to ensure they get the best possible opportunities for their development.

We’re looking forward to seeing how they progress with their dual-registration clubs, and when the time is right, we’ll have no hesitation in bringing them into the first-team squad.

Once again, this highlights the strength of our youth system and reinforces our commitment to developing and promoting young players. Last season, with an average squad age of just 22, we showed how important and impressive young talent can be.