JIM PARMENTER has called on the FA to have more referee assessors in the lower reaches of non-league football.

The Whites chairman will be meeting with his fellow board members tonight (Monday) to discuss an injury crisis at the club, with THREE key players crocked during the 1-1 FA Trophy draw against Dartford on Saturday.

Craig Cloke and Daniel Braithwaite will be out for at least two months, while Danny Chapman faces two to three weeks on the sidelines, after all three picked up injuries against the Darts.

Jim believes that referee Lee Venamore should have been clamping down on dangerous tackles from the start – and cannot believe that he did not issue even a yellow card following a wreckless challenge from behind on Braithwaite.

The Whites full-back dislocated his knee as a result – although it later clicked back into place – but it has emerged today that he has suffered serious ligament damage.

Jim said: “Dartford set out to do a job on us and were allowed to do so by the referee. Clokey could be out for the rest of the season, possibly back in two or three months at the earliest.

“Daniel is sure to be out for two months and Chapman is nursing a very sore knee. Thankfully, nothing has been broken with him.

“Chapman was the victim of yet another over-the-top tackle and again the ref didn’t even think about getting his card out.

“What was weird was the fact that he was keen to show cards for dissent but not for dangerous over-the-top tackles. The one on Braithwaite certainly was dangerous. Their guy has flown in from behind and gone straight through him.

“It’s about time referees were properly assessed at this level of the game because it seems to me they are not watched enough times. We’ve got loads of players out injured because teams have been allowed to get away with tackles that would be punished at a higher level.

“And the spin-off for us is that if referees don’t clamp down on dangerous tackles we’ll end up with no players left to put out on the park.”

The referee and his assistants appeared to miss a perfectly good goal when keeper Kevin Hudson dropped the ball into his net. They adjudged that Craig Wilkins fouled the ex-Dover No 1 but most people in the ground could see nothing wrong with the challenge.

Whites travel to play Dartford in the replay on Tuesday with a patched-up team, and Dave Clifford and Sam Vallance are two players that are set to be drafted into the squad.

At least, Clive Walker’s side should be boosted soon by the return of another injured player, Tommy Tyne.

Jim said: “Thank goodness we have a big squad. The likes of Buster Smissen, Chris Wright, Sam Vallance and Dave Clifford are here to compete for first-team places. I’ve every confidence that Clive will get the best out of these young players and we can still win matches.

“Obviously, we’ll be monitoring the situation closely and will act if we feel our promotion chances are suffering due to these players being out injured.”

WHITES are giving you a chance to sponsor our ladies’ players online this season for just £10.

Simply donate £10 into our PayPal fund (by clicking on the donate button on the home page) and you will be randomly allocated a player.

Your name will appear on the squad member’s online profile soon. It is hoped they will be up and available in the next day or two.

If you have a preferred choice, email us at [email protected] when sending your payment and we will do our best to allocate you that player.

However, it will be done on a first-come first-served basis. You are allowed to enter more than once. Each £10 counts as one entry. So £20 will give you two players, £30 three players, etc.

At the end of the season, you will also be allocated a raffle ticket number and be entered into a prize draw – and the winner will win a men’s first-team shirt, signed by the first team – along with a signed team photo. Or if you prefer, a ladies shirt – either on its own or signed by the team – along with a signed team photo of the girls.

Also you will get a photo taken with Clive Walker and the lads at the club’s last home match of the season, currently scheduled to be Whyteleafe on Saturday, April 24. If Whites win the division, you will have the added bonus of being pictured with the team and the Ryman One championship trophy. Again, if you prefer, you can get a picture with the Dover Ladies team.

A list of available players are listed below.

This is a fundraising effort to help Whites boost their coffers so please support this bit of fun.

If you are not able to pay through our PayPal facility, drop your £10 into the club shop before a home game and leave your name and contact details.

Come on Dover Ladies!!

STEVE: CAN YOU ADD THE PAYPAL BUTTON HERE AND AFTER THE SECOND PARAGRAPH TOO. LIKE ON THE EXSISTING LIVE ITEM ON THE html site. If not, somewhere else on the page will be fine.

Ali Turner
Ange McLoughlin
Anita Chidwick
Gemma Whitnall
Hannah Chambers
Hannah Stacey
Hayley Hollett
Jade Saunders
Jenna Kirkham
Kayleigh Weeding
Laura Hunter
Laura Whitnall
Louise Hughes
Megan Evans
Mel Lignum
Natalie Farbrace
Natalie Forrest-Holden
Natalie Kennett
Rachel Pettman
Rebecca Goodwin
Sam Sydenham
Sophie Howard
Steph Cornish
Toni Cox
Vikki Pawley – online sponsor: Justin Allen

JIM PARMENTER is delighted with Whites’ superb start to the season – but was feeling down on Sunday morning after our 100 per cent record came to a disappointing end at Tooting and Mitcham.

Boss Clive Walker has already admitted his side produced a poor performance in South London and deservedly lost 2-0 – ending a stunning run of seven wins on the bounce.

Whites have learned a lot from their opening matches in the fourth step of non-league football and it is clear that Clive’s men are going to face a physical battle against teams busting a gut to take their scalp.

When Jim took over as chairman in January, along with his fellow board members, the brief was simple:

Save Dover Athletic from closing down.

Tackle Whites’ crippling debts by putting a plan in place to clear them completely.

And restore Dover back to the top levels of non-league football by building a successful team.

Few can argue that the board are actively working hard on all three of these objectives and supporters are slowly coming back in large numbers to support the club after years of mismanagement.

The board, along with help from the Supporters Trust, have invested a staggering £180,000 into the club in only nine months to stabilise a critical situation, which would have seen the club fold without question.

Clive was reinstated and so nearly was successful in keeping Whites in the Premier Division last season against all the odds, despite at one stage being 15 points adrift of safety. But his assembled squad have so far amassed seven wins out of eight – and surely 100 per cent of Whites fans would have settled for that before a ball was kicked this season.

Jim jetted off to Chile on business Sunday night but will be back to watch Whites tackle Dartford in the FA Trophy on Saturday. But, before he went away, he spoke about the season so far and his views on how things are shaping up.

He said: “It’s so difficult to be positive after losing a match. We were poor yesterday and everyone at the club was disappointed with the performance and result – but you have to take defeats on the chin.

“Not so long ago, losing was something that happened every week. But this defeat at Tooting was our first dropped points of the season – and to have won seven out of eight is a superb achievement.

“A winning mentality has been restored at Dover Athletic, thanks to the efforts of Clive Walker and Steve Nolan – and not to mention the players, who have been grinding out wins every week.

“Like all other Dover fans, I was disappointed because it would’ve been nice to have seen these hard efforts deservedly rewarded with a place at the top of the table. That would’ve been a fantastic boost – but, as it is, we’re two points off the top, with a game in hand, so we’re in the driving seat still.

“We know that there are a lot of teams in this division who will want to beat us. We’re seen as the big fish in a small pond – with our gate figures reflecting that.

“But we’ve got to remain positive and not get too downbeat after one defeat. It doesn’t matter how good a team you are, defeats are always going to happen at some point – and it just happened to be at Tooting.”

The healthy attendance figures have been a boost for the club and Jim admitted that he was not sure how many fans would come back to support Whites this season following a third relegation in four seasons.

Gates are up 15 per cent on last season and Jim is hopeful that the club will soon be seeing regular crowds of more than 1,000 at Crabble – bringing back fond memories of our days in the Conference and Southern League Premier Division.

He said: “We just didn’t know what to expect. We averaged just over 700 last season and hoped that we could at least hold on to that amount of fans. So it is pleasing to have seen more supporters come through the turnstiles, some of them old faces which became disillusioned with the direction the club was taking.

“As a board, we’re 100 per cent committed to taking Dover Athletic forward again. We’re so determined to get the club back up the ladder because the town deserve a higher level of football.

“Unfortunately, we’re in Ryman League Division One and have to battle through the season to achieve promotion. It’s not always going to be pretty and that’s part and parcel of being at this level. But we’re confident that we can get ourselves back into the Premier Division – and build again from there.”

Jim is desperate to see the club’s CVA debt cleared this season. With £3,000 coming out of the club’s coffers each month, Whites have a huge financial noose around their neck. It was a lot tighter – but, thankfully, it is loosening with every passing day.

But the Whites chairman warned: “It’s vital fans, and ourselves, really have a big go at getting this CVA paid off this season. It will give the club a clean bill of health – and, hopefully with us back in the Premier Division, we’ll be in a strong position to mount a bid to get into Conference South.

“We’ve made some proposals to the Supporters Trust – and we’re waiting to hear their response. But we’re hopeful that the Trust can assist us in getting these debts cleared once and for all.”

The club are once again staging the town’s fireworks night next month – and Jim hopes that as many people as possible attend.

He admitted: “It will raise the club a significant sum and we’re confident it’s going to be a great spectacle for the public. We’ve really been promoting it strongly around the town and I ask all fans to tell all their friends, and get up to Crabble to support the event.”

There will be further details of the Bonfire Night event, posted on the website this week.

Meanwhile progress is being made with a view of possibly bringing a couple of fresh faces to Crabble.

Clive has held talks with a couple of targets but, because the club have spent their projected budget, cutbacks need to be made to free up funds to enable deals to go through.

Some squad members may have to be loaned out to give them first-team experience and save on wages.

Jim said: “We’re working on the situation of strengthening the squad. There may be some news next week after I return from Chile.”

But the clear message from the club in the aftermath of our first league defeat of the season to fans is: “Don’t lose the faith. We’ve got a lot to be proud of and Dover Athletic will bounce back.”

JIM PARMENTER is delighted with Whites’ superb start to the season – but was feeling down on Sunday morning after our 100 per cent record came to a disappointing end at Tooting and Mitcham.

Boss Clive Walker has already admitted his side produced a poor performance in South London and deservedly lost 2-0 – ending a stunning run of seven wins on the bounce.

Whites have learned a lot from their opening matches in the fourth step of non-league football and it is clear that Clive’s men are going to face a physical battle against teams busting a gut to take their scalp.

When Jim took over as chairman in January, along with his fellow board members, the brief was simple:

Save Dover Athletic from closing down.

Tackle Whites’ crippling debts by putting a plan in place to clear them completely.

And restore Dover back to the top levels of non-league football by building a successful team.

Few can argue that the board are actively working hard on all three of these objectives and supporters are slowly coming back in large numbers to support the club after years of mismanagement.

The board, along with help from the Supporters Trust, have invested a staggering £180,000 into the club in only nine months to stabilise a critical situation, which would have seen the club fold without question.

Clive was reinstated and so nearly was successful in keeping Whites in the Premier Division last season against all the odds, despite at one stage being 15 points adrift of safety. But his assembled squad have so far amassed seven wins out of eight – and surely 100 per cent of Whites fans would have settled for that before a ball was kicked this season.

Jim jetted off to Chile on business Sunday night but will be back to watch Whites tackle Dartford in the FA Trophy on Saturday. But, before he went away, he spoke about the season so far and his views on how things are shaping up.

He said: “It’s so difficult to be positive after losing a match. We were poor yesterday and everyone at the club was disappointed with the performance and result – but you have to take defeats on the chin.

“Not so long ago, losing was something that happened every week. But this defeat at Tooting was our first dropped points of the season – and to have won seven out of eight is a superb achievement.

“A winning mentality has been restored at Dover Athletic, thanks to the efforts of Clive Walker and Steve Nolan – and not to mention the players, who have been grinding out wins every week.

“Like all other Dover fans, I was disappointed because it would’ve been nice to have seen these hard efforts deservedly rewarded with a place at the top of the table. That would’ve been a fantastic boost – but, as it is, we’re two points off the top, with a game in hand, so we’re in the driving seat still.

“We know that there are a lot of teams in this division who will want to beat us. We’re seen as the big fish in a small pond – with our gate figures reflecting that.

“But we’ve got to remain positive and not get too downbeat after one defeat. It doesn’t matter how good a team you are, defeats are always going to happen at some point – and it just happened to be at Tooting.”

The healthy attendance figures have been a boost for the club and Jim admitted that he was not sure how many fans would come back to support Whites this season following a third relegation in four seasons.

Gates are up 15 per cent on last season and Jim is hopeful that the club will soon be seeing regular crowds of more than 1,000 at Crabble – bringing back fond memories of our days in the Conference and Southern League Premier Division.

He said: “We just didn’t know what to expect. We averaged just over 700 last season and hoped that we could at least hold on to that amount of fans. So it is pleasing to have seen more supporters come through the turnstiles, some of them old faces which became disillusioned with the direction the club was taking.

“As a board, we’re 100 per cent committed to taking Dover Athletic forward again. We’re so determined to get the club back up the ladder because the town deserve a higher level of football.

“Unfortunately, we’re in Ryman League Division One and have to battle through the season to achieve promotion. It’s not always going to be pretty and that’s part and parcel of being at this level. But we’re confident that we can get ourselves back into the Premier Division – and build again from there.”

Jim is desperate to see the club’s CVA debt cleared this season. With £3,000 coming out of the club’s coffers each month, Whites have a huge financial noose around their neck. It was a lot tighter – but, thankfully, it is loosening with every passing day.

But the Whites chairman warned: “It’s vital fans, and ourselves, really have a big go at getting this CVA paid off this season. It will give the club a clean bill of health – and, hopefully with us back in the Premier Division, we’ll be in a strong position to mount a bid to get into Conference South.

“We’ve made some proposals to the Supporters Trust – and we’re waiting to hear their response. But we’re hopeful that the Trust can assist us in getting these debts cleared once and for all.”

The club are once again staging the town’s fireworks night next month – and Jim hopes that as many people as possible attend.

He admitted: “It will raise the club a significant sum and we’re confident it’s going to be a great spectacle for the public. We’ve really been promoting it strongly around the town and I ask all fans to tell all their friends, and get up to Crabble to support the event.”

There will be further details of the Bonfire Night event, posted on the website this week.

Meanwhile progress is being made with a view of possibly bringing a couple of fresh faces to Crabble.

Clive has held talks with a couple of targets but, because the club have spent their projected budget, cutbacks need to be made to free up funds to enable deals to go through.

Some squad members may have to be loaned out to give them first-team experience and save on wages.

Jim said: “We’re working on the situation of strengthening the squad. There may be some news next week after I return from Chile.”

But the clear message from the club in the aftermath of our first league defeat of the season to fans is: “Don’t lose the faith. We’ve got a lot to be proud of and Dover Athletic will bounce back.”

WHITES boss Clive Walker is looking at his side making it eight wins on the bounce in Ryman One against Tooting and Mitcham.

Victory in South London on Saturday will put Dover top of the division for the first time this season.

It seems strange that, despite winning all SEVEN league matches this season, Whites are only fourth in the table.

Obviously, the club’s cup commitments and the postponed league match with Leatherhead have seen Clive’s men fall behind with their fixtures.

However, with none of the top three in action on Saturday, they have a perfect chance to grab top spot and build on their excellent start to the season.

But Clive knows that Tooting and Mitcham are going to present another tough challenge for his side – and believes Saturday’s opponents are one of the best sides in the division.

He said: “They will give us a game, that’s for sure. Tooting have been getting some good results and beating Fleet 4-0 away on Tuesday will see them riding high in confidence.

“Also, no doubt, we will be seen as a scalp for them. They will know that Dover Athletic are a big club at this level and that we’ve won every game. If that doesn’t motivate their side to try to put one over us, then I don’t know what will.

“It’s just going to get harder for us. Each match we win will make the next side we play more determined to beat us. Walton gave us a good game on Tuesday and we played well.

“But at least we go to Tooting with no further injury worries, so that is pleasing.”

Striker Tommy Tyne and midfielder Anthony Hogg are still on the treatment table – but, apart from that, the squad will be full-strength. With hitman Carl Rook added to the Dover squad, Clive has plenty of cover – although one or two more new players could be added in the coming weeks.

Defender Craig Cloke said: “Tooting, I’m told, have a nice ground, which will hopefully lift us a bit. We’re a bit spoilt, playing at an almost Football League-standard ground at Dover, and when we go away we have to get ourselves up for the game.

“At Crabble, it’s just automatic. How can you not be up for the game already at home? But we do get ourselves up for away games and we’re aiming to make it eight wins out of eight.”

Whites have played FIVE of their opening seven league matches at home – so many Ryman One observers are fascinated to see if Clive’s side can be as effective on the road. Dover have beaten Horsham and Bashley away in the league – but also defeated Bashley again and Lymington and New Milton in the FA Cup.

Clive added: “Our aim is simple. We’ve got to stay up towards the top of this league. The title is our aim.”

WHITES LIVE is planning to run a special programme from Tooting and Mitcham on Saturday.

Steve Parmenter and Tom Crawley will be bringing not only live commentary from the Ryman One fixture – but a series of interviews from players on the team bus travelling up to the game.

The coverage will begin around 2.40pm, with a 15-minute package of preview material, followed by the game.

Technical problems have now hopefully been ironed out, so you should enjoy a good quality service.

Don’t miss it!