Saturday’s National League game at FC Halifax Town has been postponed following a pitch inspection at The Shay Stadium on Friday morning.
Snow and sub-zero temperatures in West Yorkshire in recent days have left the pitch frozen and unplayable.
We will bring you details for a new date as soon as they are confirmed.
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Everybody will be aware that Dover Athletic, along with many clubs, agreed to start this season back in October 2020 only if grant funding was made available.
It was agreed that this would be provided by the government for the first three months until December, with the clear understanding that if crowds did not return the funding would continue until such time as the situation returned to near normal.
As has been well publicised, that has turned out not to be the case. Sport England are now being given responsibility for offering funding to clubs, mainly in the form of loans, with grants available only in very exceptional circumstances.
I have always made it clear that I would not commit the club to a substantial loan that would impact the club for years to come, it would be irresponsible to burden a small club like Dover in this way and certainly does not make business sense to do so.
We have applied for a grant from Sport England, but I am not confident that it will be forthcoming and certainly not soon.
I continue to maintain that what is being offered by Sport England does not comply with the league’s own rules regarding clubs taking loans.
The league has for twenty years mandated clubs to live within their means and punished clubs if they did not, as a result, statutory tax debt was reduced to virtually nothing and insolvency events have become extremely rare, which has brought great credit to the league.
I am really concerned that the current direction of travel will force clubs to take financial risks they would not otherwise take, and I am determined that Dover Athletic will not be one of those clubs.
We play football for our fans and our community and in their absence, I can see no logic in burdening the club with hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt to complete a meaningless season.
Funding ended six weeks ago now and without any form of significant income stream I have had to continue to fund the club – this cannot continue and if action is not taken the club will become insolvent.
I have (as promised) run the club without debt for 15 years and I do not intend to change that now.
I firmly believe that the survival and future wellbeing of the club, its staff, supporters, and the wider community must come first. Taking the right action now will ensure that we can survive and start again next season (assuming our normal revenue streams are available by then).
Therefore, unless the situation changes in the next couple of days, I will have no option but to furlough all staff, cut all possible expenditure and cease football operations.
The current situation has taught me one thing; with the costs of surviving in the National league rising exponentially and our income is not, the club needs more backing than I can offer alone. It is my intention to open the door to interested parties who wish to invest in Dover Athletic either partially or in its entirety.
I continue to do everything I can to help the club navigate this greatly challenging time and hope that together we can get through this and come back stronger.
Our National League fixture against Maidenhead United at Crabble on Tuesday has been postponed due to the weather.
The decision was made on Monday morning after heavy snowfall over the past 24 hours covered the pitch and with the forecast showing no signs of conditions improving, the game was postponed.
A new date for the game will be advised.
Dover Chairman, Jim Parmenter has today resigned as a Director of the National League.
In a letter sent to National League Chairman, Brian Barwick and members of the board, Mr Parmenter said: “I can no longer support the direction of travel that the board is taking and I’m afraid I can no longer be seen to be a party to actions which I absolutely disagree with.
“I accept that the board is a collective and whilst as a member, it is a prerequisite that, in public, the board and its Chairman are supported. I have therefore chosen to resign, in order to say what I really believe publicly.
“The lack of grant funding should have been properly addressed in late December or at least very early January. As it stands it is likely to be two months with no funds for clubs before any sort of resolution is forthcoming.
“I am in particular disagreement that the executive appears to be encouraging clubs to take large loans to complete the season, as I have said twice at board meetings I believe that the competition rules are being broken by allowing the proposed loans, let alone encouraging them. (Page 155 Appendices 08 of the rule book).
“The league has for ten years insisted that clubs manage their financial affairs prudently and has had great success and received much praise for the results, now that is all to be thrown to the dogs and for what?
“I understand why the bigger, richer clubs with chances of promotion are pushing hard to continue, but in a sense they are asking smaller clubs with no crowds or income who are playing for no reason to take large loans and probably overstretch themselves with dire consequences, to subsidise the larger clubs ambitions. I do not agree with that position.
“The board has very little credibility as an organisation within our clubs and I believe the decision to send letters to clubs who find it difficult to play, threatening sanctions was ill-conceived and will do nothing to unite the competition in what continues to be a very divisive time. Even if the vote is to continue I do not believe that the league will be able to continue in any credible form or with integrity for another five months.
“There are some very good people on the board and I do not seek to criticise individuals, but as a body, I do not believe we have shown strong, relevant leadership. Our governance has descended into chaos and some decisions made by the board seem to change when interpreted by the executive.”
Dover Athletic’s National League fixture against Hartlepool United at Crabble on Saturday has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
A pitch inspection this morning rendered the pitch unplayable and the decision was taken to call the game off.
The two clubs will now arrange a new date for the game.
Whites are back in action on Saturday as they travel to fellow National League strugglers Yeovil Town.
Andy Hessenthaler’s men will look to continue on from their 3-1 victory against Barnet on Tuesday night. Will De Havilland scored twice in three minutes to put Dover 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, before a brilliant volley from Ahkeem Rose put Whites three up at the break.
Barnet did get one back midway through the second half, however Whites kept the visitors at bay in wet and muddy conditions as they picked up only their third win of the season to move off the bottom of the National League.
With that win, Whites now sit 22nd in the National League table, however still have games in hand over every team in the league due to COVID-19 postponements.
Meanwhile, our hosts only sit two places above us in the league table having only won four of their 16 games.
A win against Yeovil will see Dover remain in 22nd, however they will close the gap on their opponents and on Weymouth if they fail to beat Notts County. However a defeat for Whites could see them drop down to bottom of the league if Barnet defeat league current league leaders Torquay.
A win for The Glovers could see them move up one place above King’s Lynn Town, however a Dover victory would see the hosts move into the relegation zone if Weymouth beat Notts County.
Despite this being the first meeting in the league this season, both teams have already played each other in the FA Cup this season.
On that day, The Glovers came away with a penalty shootout victory to move onto the First Round after Dover had twice come from behind to force spot kicks. Yeovil would make it to the Second Round of this year’s tournament before losing 3-2 to fellow National League side Stockport.
Saturday’s game could see former Glover Oscar Gobern return to Huish Park. The midfielder spent the 2017-18 season there, playing 11 league games for the club.
Yeovil’s Player to Watch
Joe Quigley has had a good season for The Glovers so far, having scored five in 14 games. The forward also has experience of playing in the National League, totaling up over 100 games for eight sides before his move to Yeovil.
Coverage
This game will be played behind closed doors, however, you can watch the game for £9.99 on The Glovers streaming service ‘YTFC Live’.
Details on how to buy your match pass can be found here.
We will also have live updates on Twitter – @DAFCLiveText – Follow us and get all the news as it happens.
Saturday’s National League Fixtures
Barnet Vs Torquay United
Boreham Wood Vs Eastleigh
Bromley Vs Aldershot Town (5.20pm)
Dagenham & Redbridge Vs Chesterfield
FC Halifax Town Vs Maidenhead United
Hartlepool United Vs Sutton United
King’s Lynn Town Vs Wrexham
Solihull Moors Vs Wealdstone
Weymouth Vs Notts County
Woking Vs Stockport County
Defender Will De Havilland shares his thoughts on Dover’s 3-1 win against Barnet.
Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler gives his view on Whites’ 3-1 home win against Barnet.
Whites moved off the bottom of the National League on Tuesday night after a convincing win over relegation rivals Barnet.
In wet and muddy conditions, Andy Hessenthaler’s men were 3-0 up at the break thanks to Will De Havilland’s early double and Ahkeem Rose’s fine volley.
Substitute Michael Petrasso pulled a goal back on the hour mark for The Bees, but the hosts held on for their first win of 2021 as they leapfrogged their hosts in the table.
Both sides had early chances, with ex-White Alfie Pavey seeing his early effort tipped wide by Dover keeper Oliver Webber, before Rose dragged his shot narrowly wide at the other end.
It was the home side who struck first when Ryan Hanson’s floated free-kick was inadvertently flicked into path of the lying-in-wait De Havilland, with the defender making no mistake from close range.
Centre-back De Havilland doubled his tally for the game and the season two minutes later, firing in after Sam Wood’s corner was played into a dangerous area.
Whites then added a third with 10 minutes of the half remaining when Rose gave visiting stopper Scott Loach no chance with an accurate volley from the edge of the penalty area.
Petrasso pulled a goal back for The Bees on the hour mark, bundling the ball in the net after connecting to a cross, however Whites held firm as the conditions worsened, almost adding a fourth on two occasions in the final 10 minutes.
First Rose tried to chip Loach from distance, but the Barnet keeper, already out of the penalty area, was able to head the ball away, before Ade Azeez’s shot was deflected onto the post from Barnet’s number one.
The win moves Whites to within seven points of safety ahead of their next league match, a crunch clash away to Yeovil Town, who sit one place above the relegation zone.
Hessenthaler made four changes to the side that lost against Solihull three days earlier, with Wood, Travis Gregory, Marvel Ekpiteta and Azeez coming in for TJ Bramble, Marshall Wratten, Jack Munns and Bayli Spencer-Adams, with the latter returning to parent club Watford earlier in the week.
