*BS*An impressive eight-goal victory against Margate four weeks ago, which equalled the club’s biggest ever competitive win, meant Chris Kinnear had a happy outcome in his first match against the Kent rivals he joined the club from at the start of the year.*BF*

A hat-trick from striker Michael Bakare, in addition to a brace from Ashley Carew and goals from Nathan Elder and Barry Cogan – plus a John Beales own goal – saw the majority of the 243 leave Crabble delighted.

Whites entered the game knowing that a win would see them face the winner of the match between Erith & Belvedere and Gillingham, and it would have been easy to assume that a clash against the Priestfield side was likely.

However, where Whites succeeded in progressing, Gillingham failed – fielding a young side away from home, and with manager Martin Allen watching from the stands, they raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of Kayne Haysman and Nathan Nyalfi. A spirited comeback from the home side saw the match end level at the end of normal time, and a goal in the second half of extra time sent Erith & Belvedere through to the Second Round.

The Ryman North side – who won the Kent League last season – occupy 13th place in the league going into the match, but have picked up just four points from a possible 18 away from home. The side’s last victory away from the Park View Road ground they share with Welling United came on August 17th, a 1-0 win against Burnham Ramblers.

As with the First Round tie, Tuesday night’s match will give Chris Kinnear an opportunity to have a look at a number of players who have not featured a great deal in the current campaign, either through injury or due to the competition for places enjoyed in many areas. Michael Bakare is likely to be given a starting place and will aim to increase his Kent Senior Cup goal tally, whilst Moses Ademola, Ashley Carew and Liam Bellamy could also feature in the manager’s plans.

Midfielder Kevin Lott is the only current Erith & Belvedere squad member to have played for Dover.

Kick-off is at 7.45pm at Crabble and both sides will be hoping to progress to the Quarter Final stage, just two matches away from a Final which shall be held at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium as part of the competition’s 125th anniversary.

Dover Athletic have been drawn at home to AFC Rushden & Diamonds in the FA Cup 3rd qualifying round. Whites will face the United Counties League side on Saturday 12th October.

The side were formed in 2011 by supporters after Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the Football Conference.

The 2012/13 season saw the side finish second in the United Counties League Division One, bringing promotion to the Premier Division where they currently sit in 10th place – winning three and losing one of their four league games this season.

Entering the FA Cup at the Extra Preliminary Round, they have so far beaten London Colney (1-1, and 6-1 in the replay), Northwood (2-1), Cockfosters (2-2, 8-0 in the replay) and defeated Southern Premier Division side Cambridge City 3-2 at home on Saturday in the second qualifying round.

*BS*James Rogers shared his delight with Doverathletic.com at returning to his hometown club after a 3 year absence, having played for Kent rivals Margate and more recently Dartford.*BF*

‘I never wanted to leave Dover in the first place if I’m being honest’ was the first response from the talented midfielder having put pen to paper until the end of the season. ‘I wasn’t playing much at Dartford and Tony Burman gave me the option to talk to other clubs. Once I knew Dover were interested, I did not want to talk to anyone else and I don’t want to leave again. I want to help this club get back into the Conference!’

James’ arrival coincided nicely with whites putting a halt to their four match losing streak with a 2-0 victory away to Bath City in which he played a starring role in central midfield. ‘it was good to help the team win. I was a bit nervous to start with, but having a shot after ten minutes helped settle me down.’*Q1*

In his previous spell at Crabble, Rogers, now 28, played left back, left wing and centre midfield, however in his second spell, he has set his sights on one particular position. ‘I want to nail down centre midfield this season. You need pace to play out wide and I’m not the type of player to go past people anymore. I like to be calm, pass to feet and let the ball do the talking. I also still play with an aggressive side, which Chris has said he wants to see from me!’

Many have been surprised by Athletic’s poor start to the season and none more so than James. ‘I trained with the lads for the first time and I can’t believe how good they were. There have been comments of long ball, but I’ve never seen such a quality session of keep ball!’ James added ‘It is a new team and it can take time to gel. The players here do not match the current league position – it’s all a bit false at the moment.’

Despite ten points separating whites from current table toppers Eastleigh, Rogers is still confident of promotion for his home town club. ‘All teams will have a sticky patch this season. The Conference South is a tough league and there is no reason why we cannot go on a good run. I expect us to at least get the play offs at a minimum!’

Home form will be crucial to Dover’s chances of success this season and is probably the main culprit for their inability to make a return to the National Conference. In fact, perhaps by coincidence, James departure saw the decline of ‘fortress Crabble which was so prominent in much of his time here. James understands why this phenomenon has occurred and in recent seasons. ‘It can be a matter of self belief. Though it does not affect me anymore, I was such a confidence player when I was younger and used to get really nervous before games. The fans can be very demanding and rightly so! He also added ‘a lot of teams tend to come here and sit behind the ball. It is sometimes easier to play away on the counter, especially if you have lots of pacey players like we have now. ‘There is no excuse for Crabble to not become a fortress again and I’m sure once we get one or two results here, then the momentum will build.’*Lpic1*

James who lives in Elms Vale and is a keen West Ham fan, currently works as a fork-lift driver and his boss is none other than Jim Parmenter! ‘When I was here the first time, my job had me travelling all around the country and because I was tired all the time it was affecting me. So Jim fixed me up with this, which is great and really helps with my football.’

*BS*James Rogers shared his delight with Doverathletic.com at returning to his hometown club after a 3 year absence, having played for Kent rivals Margate and more recently Dartford.*BF*

‘I never wanted to leave Dover in the first place if I’m being honest’ was the first response from the talented midfielder having put pen to paper until the end of the season. ‘I wasn’t playing much at Dartford and Tony Burman gave me the option to talk to other clubs. Once I knew Dover were interested, I did not want to talk to anyone else and I don’t want to leave again. I want to help this club get back into the Conference!’

James’ arrival coincided nicely with whites putting a halt to their four match losing streak with a 2-0 victory away to Bath City in which he played a starring role in central midfield. ‘it was good to help the team win. I was a bit nervous to start with, but having a shot after ten minutes helped settle me down.’*Q1*

In his previous spell at Crabble, Rogers, now 28, played left back, left wing and centre midfield, however in his second spell, he has set his sights on one particular position. ‘I want to nail down centre midfield this season. You need pace to play out wide and I’m not the type of player to go past people anymore. I like to be calm, pass to feet and let the ball do the talking. I also still play with an aggressive side, which Chris has said he wants to see from me!’

Many have been surprised by Athletic’s poor start to the season and none more so than James. ‘I trained with the lads for the first time and I can’t believe how good they were. There have been comments of long ball, but I’ve never seen such a quality session of keep ball!’ James added ‘It is a new team and it can take time to gel. The players here do not match the current league position – it’s all a bit false at the moment.’

Despite ten points separating whites from current table toppers Eastleigh, Rogers is still confident of promotion for his home town club. ‘All teams will have a sticky patch this season. The Conference South is a tough league and there is no reason why we cannot go on a good run. I expect us to at least get the play offs at a minimum!’

Home form will be crucial to Dover’s chances of success this season and is probably the main culprit for their inability to make a return to the National Conference. In fact, perhaps by coincidence, James departure saw the decline of ‘fortress Crabble which was so prominent in much of his time here. James understands why this phenomenon has occurred and in recent seasons. ‘It can be a matter of self belief. Though it does not affect me anymore, I was such a confidence player when I was younger and used to get really nervous before games. The fans can be very demanding and rightly so! He also added ‘a lot of teams tend to come here and sit behind the ball. It is sometimes easier to play away on the counter, especially if you have lots of pacey players like we have now. ‘There is no excuse for Crabble to not become a fortress again and I’m sure once we get one or two results here, then the momentum will build.’*Lpic1*

James who lives in Elms Vale and is a keen West Ham fan, currently works as a fork-lift driver and his boss is none other than Jim Parmenter! ‘When I was here the first time, my job had me travelling all around the country and because I was tired all the time it was affecting me. So Jim fixed me up with this, which is great and really helps with my football.’

*BS*This season’s FA Cup campaign has seen a lot of talk off the field take place before a ball has even been kicked – when the draw was made nine days ago, the FA dubbed the game as ‘the English Channel derby’ and Whites faced the prospect of travelling nearly 200 miles for the match.*BF*

With the hosts sharing their Footes Lane Stadium with the island’s rugby club, however, the scheduled kick-off time of 1pm on Saturday could not be met and no agreement could be found between the two sides for a mutually convenient time to play the game at its planned location.

A new venue was found, and Whites now travel to Culver Road, the home ground of Sussex County League side Lancing FC for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.

Formed in 2011, Guernsey FC joined the Combined Counties Division One for the 2011/12 season and won 31 of their 34 league games in their debut season, scoring 138 goals in the process. The following season saw a second successive promotion, and with it elevation to the Isthmian League – this despite having 27 games postponed throughout the season, and having to play 23 games in 43 days and the last four matches of the season in four days.

Their biggest goal threat on Saturday is likely to come from striker Ross Allen, who scored 51 league goals in the 2011/12 season and followed this up with 53 goals in their last campaign, and netted a hat-trick in the side’s 3-2 first qualifying round win away at Hastings.

26-year-old Allen has now scored 120 goals in just 88 appearances for the side, and naturally has attracted interest from clubs higher in the pyramid – but Allen states he is not looking to move: “I had trials for years and it was something I wanted to do when I was a little bit younger. But I’m 26 now and some people would say that’s quite old in football terms. I’m not looking to move on.”

Whites enter the game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win away at Bath City last Saturday, which was much-needed after a run of four consecutive Skrill South defeats. The return of James Rogers to the side has brought balance to the squad and the left-sided player, who left Crabble in 2010 before his comeback last week, put a good shift in at Twerton Park. Nathan Elder also scored his first league goal of the season in the victory, which is likely to assure him of a starting position in this weekend’s match.

The signing of Elder, in addition to Terrell Forbes, adds vital experience to Chris Kinnear’s side as the club will realistically aim to make the First Round Proper for only the third time since the club’s formation.

Guernsey come into the match having won their last four league games (they beat Chipstead 1-0 on Wednesday night to continue this run), including a 5-1 win over Hythe Town last Saturday in which the aforementioned Allen claimed another hat-trick.

Since Dover’s famous Cup run in the 2010/11 season, which culminated in a Third Round trip to Huddersfield, home defeats to Bath City and Bromley have been disappointing and Kinnear’s men will be dreaming of a repeat of the club’s achievements from three seasons ago. On paper at least, with Whites forty places above their opponents at the time of writing, progression should be relatively comfortable however Guernsey will be fired up to cause a shock in their debut FA Cup season.

Prize money of £4,500 is on offer for the victors, and a replay – if required – would take place at Crabble on Tuesday 1st October with a 7.45pm kick-off.

*BS*This season’s FA Cup campaign has seen a lot of talk off the field take place before a ball has even been kicked – when the draw was made nine days ago, the FA dubbed the game as ‘the English Channel derby’ and Whites faced the prospect of travelling nearly 200 miles for the match.*BF*

With the hosts sharing their Footes Lane Stadium with the island’s rugby club, however, the scheduled kick-off time of 1pm on Saturday could not be met and no agreement could be found between the two sides for a mutually convenient time to play the game at its planned location.

A new venue was found, and Whites now travel to Culver Road, the home ground of Sussex County League side Lancing FC for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.

Formed in 2011, Guernsey FC joined the Combined Counties Division One for the 2011/12 season and won 31 of their 34 league games in their debut season, scoring 138 goals in the process. The following season saw a second successive promotion, and with it elevation to the Isthmian League – this despite having 27 games postponed throughout the season, and having to play 23 games in 43 days and the last four matches of the season in four days.

Their biggest goal threat on Saturday is likely to come from striker Ross Allen, who scored 51 league goals in the 2011/12 season and followed this up with 53 goals in their last campaign, and netted a hat-trick in the side’s 3-2 first qualifying round win away at Hastings.

26-year-old Allen has now scored 120 goals in just 88 appearances for the side, and naturally has attracted interest from clubs higher in the pyramid – but Allen states he is not looking to move: “I had trials for years and it was something I wanted to do when I was a little bit younger. But I’m 26 now and some people would say that’s quite old in football terms. I’m not looking to move on.”

Whites enter the game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win away at Bath City last Saturday, which was much-needed after a run of four consecutive Skrill South defeats. The return of James Rogers to the side has brought balance to the squad and the left-sided player, who left Crabble in 2010 before his comeback last week, put a good shift in at Twerton Park. Nathan Elder also scored his first league goal of the season in the victory, which is likely to assure him of a starting position in this weekend’s match.

The signing of Elder, in addition to Terrell Forbes, adds vital experience to Chris Kinnear’s side as the club will realistically aim to make the First Round Proper for only the third time since the club’s formation.

Guernsey come into the match having won their last four league games (they beat Chipstead 1-0 on Wednesday night to continue this run), including a 5-1 win over Hythe Town last Saturday in which the aforementioned Allen claimed another hat-trick.

Since Dover’s famous Cup run in the 2010/11 season, which culminated in a Third Round trip to Huddersfield, home defeats to Bath City and Bromley have been disappointing and Kinnear’s men will be dreaming of a repeat of the club’s achievements from three seasons ago. On paper at least, with Whites forty places above their opponents at the time of writing, progression should be relatively comfortable however Guernsey will be fired up to cause a shock in their debut FA Cup season.

Prize money of £4,500 is on offer for the victors, and a replay – if required – would take place at Crabble on Tuesday 1st October with a 7.45pm kick-off.

*BS*Book your seat on the Supporters Club coach going to Lancing on Saturday 28th September.

Adult Member £18 – Accompanied Child (U16) £5

Non-Member £25 – Accompanied Child (U16) £10

Departs Crabble @ 11:30am*BF*

All coaches are covered by insurance, if the game gets called off you get a refund.
(Supporters Club Members only)

*BS*Please call or text Bob on 07938 021916*BF*
(If possible in the evening, otherwise leave a message and he will get back to you.)

*BS*Bob will be in the Centre Spot before & after every home game*BF*

*BS*Please book early so we know what size of coach to book as the larger one if needed may not be available later in the week*BF*

*BS*RULES FOR THE COACH TRAVEL*BF*

*IS*All vehicles are NON SMOKING
No alcohol will be permitted on our vehicles at any time (which means not just drinking alcohol but also taking it on the coach).
Any damage caused will be charged to the Supporters Club.
Any abnormal or excessive cleaning will result in a £50 fine payable by the Supporters Club.
No excessively rowdy behaviour will be tolerated.

Bayliss runs a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY if any of the above restrictions are breached and any individual found to be flaunting the rules, they will be removed from the coach immediately, irrespective of the location of the vehicle.

It is obviously in everyone’s interest and to encourage people who are understandably wary about using the coach, that behaviour is kept within the bounds of common sense.

Supporters Coaches are operated by the Dover Athletic Supporters’ Club and are in no way organised by or the responsibility of Dover Athletic F.C.*IF*

*BS*Whites got back to winning ways on Saturday after goals in each half from Nathan Elder and Tom Murphy (above) rounded off an impressive performance at Bath City’s Twerton Park.*BF*

*Link1*

*Link2*

*BS*Book your seat on the Supporters Club coach going to Lancing on Saturday 28th September.

Adult Member £18 – Accompanied Child (U16) £5

Non-Member £25 – Accompanied Child (U16) £10

Departs Crabble @ 11:30am*BF*

All coaches are covered by insurance, if the game gets called off you get a refund.
(Supporters Club Members only)

*BS*Please call or text Bob on 07938 021916*BF*
(If possible in the evening, otherwise leave a message and he will get back to you.)

*BS*Bob will be in the Centre Spot before & after every home game*BF*

*BS*Please book early so we know what size of coach to book as the larger one if needed may not be available later in the week*BF*

*BS*RULES FOR THE COACH TRAVEL*BF*

*IS*All vehicles are NON SMOKING
No alcohol will be permitted on our vehicles at any time (which means not just drinking alcohol but also taking it on the coach).
Any damage caused will be charged to the Supporters Club.
Any abnormal or excessive cleaning will result in a £50 fine payable by the Supporters Club.
No excessively rowdy behaviour will be tolerated.

Bayliss runs a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY if any of the above restrictions are breached and any individual found to be flaunting the rules, they will be removed from the coach immediately, irrespective of the location of the vehicle.

It is obviously in everyone’s interest and to encourage people who are understandably wary about using the coach, that behaviour is kept within the bounds of common sense.

Supporters Coaches are operated by the Dover Athletic Supporters’ Club and are in no way organised by or the responsibility of Dover Athletic F.C.*IF*

*BS*Whites got back to winning ways on Saturday after goals in each half from Nathan Elder and Tom Murphy (above) rounded off an impressive performance at Bath City’s Twerton Park.*BF*

*Link1*

*Link2*