Craig Wilkins popped up with a late winner to maintain Dover’s 100 per cent league record.

Wilkins had fired Whites ahead after five minutes before Greg Ball pegged them back from the spot.

Craig Cloke missed a penalty and Dover had to fight hard for the three points. Highlights and post-match interviews to come on DAFCtv.

CRAIG CLOKE had a sleepless night after missing his second penalty of the season.

The Whites spot-kick specialist saw his 33rd-minute penalty saved not long after he had conceded one down the other end against Walton Casuals.

Greg Ball duly dispatched that one to cancel out Craig Wilkins’ fifth-minute opener for Whites.

However, despite Wilko snatching a winner in the final minute after a superb run and cross by Walid Matata, Clokey was feeling down after the match.

He said: “I couldn’t get to sleep. It bugged me that much. It’s the second penalty I’ve missed this season, after failing to score one down at Bashley.

“Also I’ve not scored this season – after grabbing four in pre-season. It feels almost as though I’ve used up all my goals in the summer – so I’m a bit gutted from that point of view.

“But, at least, we managed to get the winner at the end, which made me feel better. In all honesty, we should’ve beaten Walton 5-1 on the amount of chances we had.

“They weren’t a bad side and made it difficult for us. A lot of teams are coming here and looking at getting everyone behind the ball – and it is hard to break teams down, even if they’re not that great.

“Last night, there was a bit of pressure on the defence – because the strikers weren’t scoring. That puts an extra burden on us defenders not to concede.

“However, we managed to get our noses in front before the final whistle and we’ve maintained our 100 per cent record. Winning is the most important thing.”

Cloke is frustrated that he was adjudged to have fouled a Walton striker, which resulted in the visitors being awarded a penalty.

He said: “I can’t criticise the ref because I’ll get into trouble – but manager Clive Walker has always told me to stand up to players running into the box. I took the ball from him and passed it out to Tony Browne. The next thing I know, the ref has given a penalty.

“I thought the guy just ran into me and took a dive – but I guess these things happen in football. At least, it proved not to cost us – otherwise I’d have been feeling 10 times worse.”

Clive said: “Craig’s such an enthusiastic lad and he cares a lot about his football. It was a harsh penalty and he’s missed one the other end – but we won the game and Craig’s been playing very well for us, so I’ve no complaints.

“I thought Walton were half-decent and we put a lot of pressure on them during the second half. We were just hoping that it was going to be our night and thankfully Wilko has got the winner for us.

“Walid did very well coming on. The run and cross was very good and it was one of his best performances. The lad has got to challenge himself to produce that kind of performance week-in, week-out. If he does that, then he’ll be a good player.

“He’s certainly looking a good player – coming off the bench.”

Craig Wilkins popped up with a late winner to maintain Dover’s 100 per cent league record.

Wilkins had fired Whites ahead after five minutes before Greg Ball pegged them back from the spot.

Craig Cloke missed a penalty and Dover had to fight hard for the three points. Highlights and post-match interviews to come on DAFCtv.

CRAIG CLOKE had a sleepless night after missing his second penalty of the season.

The Whites spot-kick specialist saw his 33rd-minute penalty saved not long after he had conceded one down the other end against Walton Casuals.

Greg Ball duly dispatched that one to cancel out Craig Wilkins’ fifth-minute opener for Whites.

However, despite Wilko snatching a winner in the final minute after a superb run and cross by Walid Matata, Clokey was feeling down after the match.

He said: “I couldn’t get to sleep. It bugged me that much. It’s the second penalty I’ve missed this season, after failing to score one down at Bashley.

“Also I’ve not scored this season – after grabbing four in pre-season. It feels almost as though I’ve used up all my goals in the summer – so I’m a bit gutted from that point of view.

“But, at least, we managed to get the winner at the end, which made me feel better. In all honesty, we should’ve beaten Walton 5-1 on the amount of chances we had.

“They weren’t a bad side and made it difficult for us. A lot of teams are coming here and looking at getting everyone behind the ball – and it is hard to break teams down, even if they’re not that great.

“Last night, there was a bit of pressure on the defence – because the strikers weren’t scoring. That puts an extra burden on us defenders not to concede.

“However, we managed to get our noses in front before the final whistle and we’ve maintained our 100 per cent record. Winning is the most important thing.”

Cloke is frustrated that he was adjudged to have fouled a Walton striker, which resulted in the visitors being awarded a penalty.

He said: “I can’t criticise the ref because I’ll get into trouble – but manager Clive Walker has always told me to stand up to players running into the box. I took the ball from him and passed it out to Tony Browne. The next thing I know, the ref has given a penalty.

“I thought the guy just ran into me and took a dive – but I guess these things happen in football. At least, it proved not to cost us – otherwise I’d have been feeling 10 times worse.”

Clive said: “Craig’s such an enthusiastic lad and he cares a lot about his football. It was a harsh penalty and he’s missed one the other end – but we won the game and Craig’s been playing very well for us, so I’ve no complaints.

“I thought Walton were half-decent and we put a lot of pressure on them during the second half. We were just hoping that it was going to be our night and thankfully Wilko has got the winner for us.

“Walid did very well coming on. The run and cross was very good and it was one of his best performances. The lad has got to challenge himself to produce that kind of performance week-in, week-out. If he does that, then he’ll be a good player.

“He’s certainly looking a good player – coming off the bench.”

DON’T miss out on Super Sundays at the Centre Spot.

Crabble will be open every Sunday throughout October from 12.30pm until 6.30pm to enable the Dover Athletic community to meet up for a beer, a spot of lunch and watch Sky’s live Premiership coverage in the newly-refurbished Centre Spot bar.

And we’ve slashed the price of beer to just £2 a pint and there will be a host of food available too.

List of matches:

Oct 16 Man City v West Ham
Oct 23 Everton v Chelsea
Oct 30 West Brom V Newcastle

Also there is a Trust Quiz this Friday night (October 7) at the Centre Spot, starting 8pm.

£2 per person with teams of up to 8. Bar and food available.

DON’T miss out on Super Sundays at the Centre Spot.

Crabble will be open every Sunday throughout October from 12.30pm until 6.30pm to enable the Dover Athletic community to meet up for a beer, a spot of lunch and watch Sky’s live Premiership coverage in the newly-refurbished Centre Spot bar.

And we’ve slashed the price of beer to just £2 a pint and there will be a host of food available too.

List of matches:

Oct 16 Man City v West Ham
Oct 23 Everton v Chelsea
Oct 30 West Brom V Newcastle

Also there is a Trust Quiz this Friday night (October 7) at the Centre Spot, starting 8pm.

£2 per person with teams of up to 8. Bar and food available.

WHITES take on Walton Casuals Tuesday night – with boss Clive Walker warning that his side cannot afford to be casual themselves.

The Surrey visitors are unbeaten in their last five matches and hammered our Saturday opponents Newport (Isle of Wight) 5-2 a couple of weeks back.

Clive said: “They’ve been getting some decent results. We’ll have to work hard to break them down and make sure we finish the game with our noses in front.”

Craig Wilkins (twisted ankle) and Craig Cloke (bruised knee) are both carrying knocks but should be fit to play – while Anthony Hogg and Tommy Tyne remain on the treatment table for at least a couple of weeks.

Victory will mean that Whites will have won all seven of their opening Ryman League Division One matches – but Clive is quick to point out that his men have achieved nothing yet.

He said: “We’ve got to keep winning to remain towards the top of the table. We’re four points off the top, with two games in hand, but I’d rather we had the points on the board.

“It’s important that we keep the pressure on by winning every week and then we can take advantage of any slip-ups elsewhere. The weather is about to change for the worst and results start becoming unpredictable.

“Teams that are doing well now may start to struggle in the winter conditions. We’ve got to make sure that we don’t and keep our good form going.”

Carl Rook’s goalscoring debut – alongside a dominant Dover performance – was a huge plus points to take out of Saturday’s 1-0 win against Newport IoW. It was just the display Clive was looking for after a terrible performance at Chelmsford in the FA Cup a week earlier.

Striker Rook, snapped up from Hastings to bolster the squad after Tommy Tyne injured his hamstring, looks as though he is going to be a great asset for Whites.

Clive also believes that Tommy’s injury is not as bad as first feared and the popular hitman could be back in action within a couple of weeks.

Will that create a problem for Clive – if Rook and Wilkins continue to look good together up front?

“Not really,” says Clive.

“The good thing about Tommy is he can play in a number of different positions. If we’ve got Rooky and Wilko scoring goals for us, I won’t want to change that. Tommy can play in midfield or on the flank – so when he is fit again, we’ll be looking at the situation.

“It all depends on players’ form. Everyone is in competition for places and it’s healthy for the squad.”

Clive and chairman Jim Parmenter have made approaches for a number of players in the past few days – and hope to hold talks later this week with their wishlist of targets.

Jim explained: “We’ve put some seven-day approaches in for certain players. We’ve got a list of players we’d like to bring to Crabble and are just putting irons in the fire at the moment.

“We don’t know if we’ll be able to bring anyone in until we’ve spoken to the players concerned. But we are actively looking at strengthening the squad with next season in mind.

“It’s our target to get two successive promotions – so we’ve got to keep one eye on next season too. Although, it goes without saying that the main priority is getting out of Ryman League Division One.”

Clive admits that this division is much more difficult than some people give it credit for. Although he understands how most teams play, Clive does not spend too much time assessing other sides’ strengths.

He said: “Most teams, as we’ve seen, are going to defend at the edge of their 18-yard box when they play us – and we’ve got to break them down.

“I’ve had a few teams watched but there’s little point spending too much time looking at all the sides, because, at this level, things change quickly.

“Players are constantly moving about in the Ryman League and, by the time you play these sides, they’ve changed many of their players from when you’ve watched them before.

“It’s much better to concentrate on what we do at this level. Obviously, when we get to a higher level, other teams are more settled and we’ll take more time looking at them.”

Don’t miss tomorrow night’s game. Our average gate is up significantly from last season and the club would love all its old fans to come back to support the Whites.

Jim added: “There’s a superb atmosphere at the club now. We’ve taken great strides forward on and off-the-field since taking control in January – and we welcome back all our fans with open arms.

“It’s been great to see a lot of the old faces coming back and we see that as a vote of confidence in what we’re trying to achieve at Dover Athletic.”

Kick-off is 7.45pm – everyone is welcome.

WHITES take on Walton Casuals Tuesday night – with boss Clive Walker warning that his side cannot afford to be casual themselves.

The Surrey visitors are unbeaten in their last five matches and hammered our Saturday opponents Newport (Isle of Wight) 5-2 a couple of weeks back.

Clive said: “They’ve been getting some decent results. We’ll have to work hard to break them down and make sure we finish the game with our noses in front.”

Craig Wilkins (twisted ankle) and Craig Cloke (bruised knee) are both carrying knocks but should be fit to play – while Anthony Hogg and Tommy Tyne remain on the treatment table for at least a couple of weeks.

Victory will mean that Whites will have won all seven of their opening Ryman League Division One matches – but Clive is quick to point out that his men have achieved nothing yet.

He said: “We’ve got to keep winning to remain towards the top of the table. We’re four points off the top, with two games in hand, but I’d rather we had the points on the board.

“It’s important that we keep the pressure on by winning every week and then we can take advantage of any slip-ups elsewhere. The weather is about to change for the worst and results start becoming unpredictable.

“Teams that are doing well now may start to struggle in the winter conditions. We’ve got to make sure that we don’t and keep our good form going.”

Carl Rook’s goalscoring debut – alongside a dominant Dover performance – was a huge plus points to take out of Saturday’s 1-0 win against Newport IoW. It was just the display Clive was looking for after a terrible performance at Chelmsford in the FA Cup a week earlier.

Striker Rook, snapped up from Hastings to bolster the squad after Tommy Tyne injured his hamstring, looks as though he is going to be a great asset for Whites.

Clive also believes that Tommy’s injury is not as bad as first feared and the popular hitman could be back in action within a couple of weeks.

Will that create a problem for Clive – if Rook and Wilkins continue to look good together up front?

“Not really,” says Clive.

“The good thing about Tommy is he can play in a number of different positions. If we’ve got Rooky and Wilko scoring goals for us, I won’t want to change that. Tommy can play in midfield or on the flank – so when he is fit again, we’ll be looking at the situation.

“It all depends on players’ form. Everyone is in competition for places and it’s healthy for the squad.”

Clive and chairman Jim Parmenter have made approaches for a number of players in the past few days – and hope to hold talks later this week with their wishlist of targets.

Jim explained: “We’ve put some seven-day approaches in for certain players. We’ve got a list of players we’d like to bring to Crabble and are just putting irons in the fire at the moment.

“We don’t know if we’ll be able to bring anyone in until we’ve spoken to the players concerned. But we are actively looking at strengthening the squad with next season in mind.

“It’s our target to get two successive promotions – so we’ve got to keep one eye on next season too. Although, it goes without saying that the main priority is getting out of Ryman League Division One.”

Clive admits that this division is much more difficult than some people give it credit for. Although he understands how most teams play, Clive does not spend too much time assessing other sides’ strengths.

He said: “Most teams, as we’ve seen, are going to defend at the edge of their 18-yard box when they play us – and we’ve got to break them down.

“I’ve had a few teams watched but there’s little point spending too much time looking at all the sides, because, at this level, things change quickly.

“Players are constantly moving about in the Ryman League and, by the time you play these sides, they’ve changed many of their players from when you’ve watched them before.

“It’s much better to concentrate on what we do at this level. Obviously, when we get to a higher level, other teams are more settled and we’ll take more time looking at them.”

Don’t miss tomorrow night’s game. Our average gate is up significantly from last season and the club would love all its old fans to come back to support the Whites.

Jim added: “There’s a superb atmosphere at the club now. We’ve taken great strides forward on and off-the-field since taking control in January – and we welcome back all our fans with open arms.

“It’s been great to see a lot of the old faces coming back and we see that as a vote of confidence in what we’re trying to achieve at Dover Athletic.”

Kick-off is 7.45pm – everyone is welcome.

CARL ROOK was spot on as Whites overcame a determined Newport IoW side at Crabble.

The striker, making his debut following his signing from Hastings this week, netted with 18 minutes left after James Dunk handled a Nicky Humphrey shot in the box.

Dunk was sent off and Rook made no mistake from the spot to maintain Whites’ 100 per cent record in Ryman League Division One.

Whites dominated much of the game and thoroughly deserved maximum points.

Another good crowd of 804 were at Crabble to watch it – and now Clive Walker’s men will be looking for a bigger gate to cheer them on for another home game against Walton Casuals on Tuesday night (7.45pm kick-off).

Full report to come.

STARTING LINE-UP: Paul Hyde, Tony Browne, Daniel Braithwaite, Danny Chapman, Craig Cloke, Nick Humphrey, Shane Hamshare, Lee Spiller (c), Craig Wilkins, Carl Rook, James Rogers. Subs: Dale Skelton, Walid Matata, Dean Readings, Sam Vallance, Darren Smith.