WHEN you watch the amount of games that I do during a season, both as a fan and as a “reporter”, you meet an awful lot of nice people as well as getting involved in clubs’ various battles.

The year 2005 has been slightly different purely and simply because its been so depressing.

The first half of the playing year saw nearly all Kent sides struggle, and ultimately saw four of them relegated. Fortunately as we get ready to go into 2006, on the field at least the county’s sides are in a great deal better position than even the most optimistic of supporter would have thought possible in August.

Off it however, we are collectively a good worse off after three tragic and untimely death’s during the year rocked the Kent football family! Just in the past month Doug Gillard, the Southern League Chairman, and former Ashford chairman passed away. Back in the early part of the year, the well liked and well loved Alan Lancaster sadly passed away. The former Ashford secretary was so respected that I know of at least one fellow secretary in the County who often spoke to Alan for advice.

Perhaps though the saddest of all our losses occurred on the field of play on Tuesday April 12th at Cheriton Road, when Paul Sykes suddenly died whilst playing for Folkestone against Margate (one of his former clubs, and ironically the club where he made his name). The out pouring of grief resulted in the KCFA deeming that last season’s final would be held in Paul’s memory. The only “problem” with that was that only the players on duty in the Final were able to pay their respects to one of their own.

Looking around Cheriton Road that day, there were so many players of sides not involved in the match in attendance that an idea was born which will finally come to fruition at the end of April 2006. Players that had played with and against Syko, expressed an interest in showing their own appreciation of an old friend. And what better way to do that than on a football field!

And so THE SYKO CHALLENGE was “born” and it is today that I’m pleased to announce that the game will be played on SUNDAY APRIL 30TH 2006 at HARTSDOWN PARK in Margate. The game will effectively be an “All Star” game, as the teams will be selected from a pool of players, one “coached” by CHRIS KINNEAR the current Margate boss, and the other by CLIVE WALKER the current Dover Athletic manager. There are plans for many other “events” including a prize draw on the day as well as an on line auction that will end with the final whistle of the game. And there will be surprises too…

The task of contacting players to play in the game is already underway and we hope that by the end of February we will be able to name “preliminary squads”.

All proceeds from the game will go to the Sykes family, and Paul’s widow Carly will be guest of honour on the day. Indeed at the launch on Boxing Day at Hartsdown Park (for the Ryman Premier League game between Margate and Folkestone), their young son Thomas was the mascot – decked out in a Margate kit and Folkestone hat and scarf.

Already the Kent County Football Association have donated all the balls to be used on the day, and the Folkestone Invicta FC Supporters Club have offered to supply the draw tickets that will be sold in advance and on the day!

There will be a lot of people giving up their time free of charge to remember “just” a footballer who always wore his heart on his sleeve; a really nice guy, but most of all a young husband and father.

JIM PARMENTER has dismissed talk of boss Clive Walker resigning or being sacked as crazy, stating that he is the man for the job and won’t be going anywhere.

Following Whites loss at Ashford on Monday, the Dover chairman revealed that he and his board of directors would be meeting Clive the following day to discuss the current situation.

This led to speculation amongst supporters that Walker’s job could be in doubt. However, Parmenter is backing the Dover boss to improve performances, starting at Dulwich’s Champion Hill stadium this Saturday.

Jim said: “Clive is going nowhere and it’s crazy to suggest otherwise, as we are 6th in the table with games in hand over the teams above us.

“Everyone is aware the performance at Ashford was not good enough. Application and commitment need to improve in some areas and Clive will be taking steps to sort that out.

“Now is the time for cool heads and sensible thinking. We have plenty of ability in the squad so bringing in more new players isn’t the answer. Successful clubs need continuity not knee-jerk reactions.”

Jim was happy with the outcome of the meeting between the board of director’s and Clive on Tuesday.

He said: “We talked about the Ashford game and the current situation at the club in general. We had a sensible discussion about what adjustments need to be made to get us back on track.

“Clive has identified the issues that need resolving and is determined to put them right in the coming weeks. This will become evident very soon.”

January looks set to be an important month for Whites, with the next four games all against top-half teams. Games against Horsham and Leatherhead will be crucial and wins would put Dover in a strong position.

Still one game away from being halfway through the season and with 69 points still to play for, Whites’ fortunes remain firmly in their own hands. Craig Cloke and Daniel Braithwaite should return this month, which will be a welcome boost to the squad.

Something Dover can always count on is excellent support, as they displayed at Ashford in numbers. Jim Parmenter urges them not to panic and to keep the faith.

Jim said: “The first half performance at Ashford was very disappointing and let down our supporters badly but we need to keep things in perspective. If we win our games in hand, only Tonbridge will have more points than us.

“Keep supporting the team and get behind the manager, and let’s move onwards and upwards.”

JIM PARMENTER has dismissed talk of boss Clive Walker resigning or being sacked as crazy, stating that he is the man for the job and won’t be going anywhere.

Following Whites loss at Ashford on Monday, the Dover chairman revealed that he and his board of directors would be meeting Clive the following day to discuss the current situation.

This led to speculation amongst supporters that Walker’s job could be in doubt. However, Parmenter is backing the Dover boss to improve performances, starting at Dulwich’s Champion Hill stadium this Saturday.

Jim said: “Clive is going nowhere and it’s crazy to suggest otherwise, as we are 6th in the table with games in hand over the teams above us.

“Everyone is aware the performance at Ashford was not good enough. Application and commitment need to improve in some areas and Clive will be taking steps to sort that out.

“Now is the time for cool heads and sensible thinking. We have plenty of ability in the squad so bringing in more new players isn’t the answer. Successful clubs need continuity not knee-jerk reactions.”

Jim was happy with the outcome of the meeting between the board of director’s and Clive on Tuesday.

He said: “We talked about the Ashford game and the current situation at the club in general. We had a sensible discussion about what adjustments need to be made to get us back on track.

“Clive has identified the issues that need resolving and is determined to put them right in the coming weeks. This will become evident very soon.”

January looks set to be an important month for Whites, with the next four games all against top-half teams. Games against Horsham and Leatherhead will be crucial and wins would put Dover in a strong position.

Still one game away from being halfway through the season and with 69 points still to play for, Whites’ fortunes remain firmly in their own hands. Craig Cloke and Daniel Braithwaite should return this month, which will be a welcome boost to the squad.

Something Dover can always count on is excellent support, as they displayed at Ashford in numbers. Jim Parmenter urges them not to panic and to keep the faith.

Jim said: “The first half performance at Ashford was very disappointing and let down our supporters badly but we need to keep things in perspective. If we win our games in hand, only Tonbridge will have more points than us.

“Keep supporting the team and get behind the manager, and let’s move onwards and upwards.”

PAUL HARRISON’S STATEMENT TO DOVER FANS.

On behalf of the Supporters Trust I would like to wish everybody a Happy New Year.

This has been a traumatic year for everybody involved with DAFC but we can go into the New Year with our heads held high, aiming for promotion and with your continued support we can get rid of the CVA once and for all.

The Trust want to be in a position to make a donation sufficient to help the club pay off the CVA as soon as possible. Please help make it happen.

Although we have received payment from 58 members for a 10 year membership, this has been tempered by the amount of people who have so far failed to renew their memberships at all.

At the moment, there are 50 people whose renewal was due during December and a further 25 for months prior to that.

Allowing for some of those paying a reduced rate, this number still equates to approximately £500.

Given the recent message by the club Chairman on this site, I would urge you to renew your membership as soon as possible.

PAUL HARRISON’S STATEMENT TO DOVER FANS.

On behalf of the Supporters Trust I would like to wish everybody a Happy New Year.

This has been a traumatic year for everybody involved with DAFC but we can go into the New Year with our heads held high, aiming for promotion and with your continued support we can get rid of the CVA once and for all.

The Trust want to be in a position to make a donation sufficient to help the club pay off the CVA as soon as possible. Please help make it happen.

Although we have received payment from 58 members for a 10 year membership, this has been tempered by the amount of people who have so far failed to renew their memberships at all.

At the moment, there are 50 people whose renewal was due during December and a further 25 for months prior to that.

Allowing for some of those paying a reduced rate, this number still equates to approximately £500.

Given the recent message by the club Chairman on this site, I would urge you to renew your membership as soon as possible.

JIM PARMENTER will raise a glass to the start of 2006 – hoping that the New Year will be an even better one for Dover Athletic.

The Whites chairman will next week celebrate one season in control of the club since becoming the majority shareholder when he led a rescue package last January.

One year on and he has not only been able to save Dover Athletic from closure, he has, along with help from the Supporters Trust and fellow board members, stabilised the overall financial situation.

But the club are still not completely out of the woods with around £30,000 still owing to clear the CVA debt. Plus the club are around £47,000 in the red with the bank – due to an old long-running overdraft – which is being serviced with no problems at the moment.

However, the fixtures computer has not been kind to the club at this time of year – with just one home game to look forward to in the space of four weeks. Also the club are already behind most teams on their fixtures and any further postponements will almost certainly see Clive Walker’s men playing three games a week to catch up.

The bottom line is though that if the club are to pay off the CVA one year early, directors and fans will need to lift themselves for one final push to get the wretched debt paid off finally.

Jim said: “It goes without saying that the cashflow situation isn’t good at the moment. The lack of home games means no money is coming in.

“Had the Ramsgate match been called off, it would’ve been very bad news indeed. It was a great gate for us – but really, it only recouped what we lost for the postponed Kingstonian match.

“The club is stronger than it was this time last year but to take it on to the next level, which we’re all desperate to do, it’s important to get this CVA paid off quickly.

“We know how hard the fans worked to keep this club alive during the last few years. The fans and community spirit surrounding Dover Athletic is the main reason why I stepped in last year.

“This is a big club and has potential to get into the Football League. However, we’ve got some tough seasons ahead of us. It’s a long road we’re on and we are fighting a double battle this year – to pay off the CVA and get promoted out of Ryman One.

“We’ve a great chance of achieving both – and I appeal to our fans to help us achieve this by getting behind fundraisers, volunteering help, thinking up and organising fundraisers and turning up to Crabble in large numbers.

“If this happens, the CVA will get paid off but, if it doesn’t, all the money being generated at the moment will simply just cover club costs.”

The potential fixture backlog is a concern and Jim does not want it to hinder our promotion prospects.

He said: “We could find ourselves in a situation where we’ve got to play a lot of matches in a short space of time and chasing points to win promotion.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we can get all our games played – and not have a hectic schedule at the end of the season.”

JIM PARMENTER will raise a glass to the start of 2006 – hoping that the New Year will be an even better one for Dover Athletic.

The Whites chairman will next week celebrate one season in control of the club since becoming the majority shareholder when he led a rescue package last January.

One year on and he has not only been able to save Dover Athletic from closure, he has, along with help from the Supporters Trust and fellow board members, stabilised the overall financial situation.

But the club are still not completely out of the woods with around £30,000 still owing to clear the CVA debt. Plus the club are around £47,000 in the red with the bank – due to an old long-running overdraft – which is being serviced with no problems at the moment.

However, the fixtures computer has not been kind to the club at this time of year – with just one home game to look forward to in the space of four weeks. Also the club are already behind most teams on their fixtures and any further postponements will almost certainly see Clive Walker’s men playing three games a week to catch up.

The bottom line is though that if the club are to pay off the CVA one year early, directors and fans will need to lift themselves for one final push to get the wretched debt paid off finally.

Jim said: “It goes without saying that the cashflow situation isn’t good at the moment. The lack of home games means no money is coming in.

“Had the Ramsgate match been called off, it would’ve been very bad news indeed. It was a great gate for us – but really, it only recouped what we lost for the postponed Kingstonian match.

“The club is stronger than it was this time last year but to take it on to the next level, which we’re all desperate to do, it’s important to get this CVA paid off quickly.

“We know how hard the fans worked to keep this club alive during the last few years. The fans and community spirit surrounding Dover Athletic is the main reason why I stepped in last year.

“This is a big club and has potential to get into the Football League. However, we’ve got some tough seasons ahead of us. It’s a long road we’re on and we are fighting a double battle this year – to pay off the CVA and get promoted out of Ryman One.

“We’ve a great chance of achieving both – and I appeal to our fans to help us achieve this by getting behind fundraisers, volunteering help, thinking up and organising fundraisers and turning up to Crabble in large numbers.

“If this happens, the CVA will get paid off but, if it doesn’t, all the money being generated at the moment will simply just cover club costs.”

The potential fixture backlog is a concern and Jim does not want it to hinder our promotion prospects.

He said: “We could find ourselves in a situation where we’ve got to play a lot of matches in a short space of time and chasing points to win promotion.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we can get all our games played – and not have a hectic schedule at the end of the season.”

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