Category: First Team News

RETAINED LIST 2023/24

Our retained list for the 2023/24 campaign. 

We now look ahead to another season in the Vanarama National League South. Things have been progressing behind the scenes as we build a new look team, ready to compete on the pitch at Crabble. The Gaffer has been busy trying to find the right pieces of the jigsaw and we will update you as and when we have news on new players coming through the door. Our retained list consists of:

  • Luke Baptiste
  • George Wilkinson
  • Geroge Nikaj
  • Freddie Oliver

 

Luke Baptiste skipping by a couple of challenges

With the U19’s winning the National League South last week, the manager will looking to add to his squad further with some of the young talent available. All other players are now out of contract and have left the club although we have spoken to a couple of which we wait a reply. We would like to thank all of our 2022/23 squad for its efforts and we wish you all well in the future, wherever that may be.

COYW.

SEASON TICKETS

DOVER ATHLETIC PRESENTS – OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Take advantage of our Early Bird prices.

Mitch Brundle’s Whites head into the 2023/24 Vanarama National South campaign and they want you to join them. Don’t miss a kick next season by grabbing yourself a season ticket and if purchased by the June cut off date, can net yourself a nifty saving. Season ticket prices have been frozen again this year so don’t delay, grab yours now. An Early Bird ticket means you can watch the Whites for as little as £10.86 per match and includes free seating in the respective areas.

Following Covid and the need to stabilise the football club in the last two seasons, we feel that now we can start to build again and we want you to be a part of that. We asked what it meant to still have a football club.


Below are the prices for the coming campaign and we hope that with you behind the team, we can kick on again. Thank you for your continued support during these tough times, we really do appreciate it.

COYW

Early Bird Prices:

Adult – £250

Concessions – Over 60’s – £214

Under 18’s – £50

After July 1st:

Adult – £331

Concessions – Over 60’s – £290

Under 18’s – £50

Pay on the Gate:

Adult – £17

Concessions – Over 60’s – £15

Under 18’s – £9

Under 11’s FREE with a paying adult.

All season tickets can be purchased by the following options:

  • Call the club office on 01304 822373 (option 2) to pay by card
  • Head up to the club office at Crabble between 9am-5pm (Monday-Friday) or on matchdays

 

DOVER ATHLETIC 0 WEYMOUTH 2

Its a bitter-sweet end to the 2022/23 campaign.

The sun was beating down at the Megger Community Stadium as the two sides preparing to play out a relegation showdown took to the stage. Dover Athletic, having not won at home in their previous six attempts, hosted Weymouth who were the form horse of the two.

It was the team from down on the Solent who started the brightest, most notably with skipper Tom Bearwish who headed straight into the arms of Stuart Nelson after 5 minutes. Moments later and again Nelson was watching an Akheem Rose effort go narrowly wide of his upright.

Dover tried to get into the game but the home sides passing radars were slightly off as the Whites failed to string a series of passes together. Brad Ash for Weymouth was occupying both Dover centre halves and was keeping them honest.

It was the impressive Ash who opened the scoring for the Terras after good work down the right hand side was rewarded with the forward lashing the ball past the helpless Nelson after a neat cut back by the dead ball line.

Dover had a mountain to climb with Weymouth now leapfrogging them in the table and it got even worse for the hosts in the 30th minute when a free header by Rose managed to squirm under the body of Nelson, with the Whites unable to clear from a corner. Luke Wanadio struck the crossbar with on the brink of half-time but it was going to be a tough team talk for Mitch Brundle.

The Whites looked to get back into the game and exerted plenty of pressure on Weymouth but the visiting defence was not in the mood to throw away any goals. It was the story of Dover’s campaign. Plenty of action but nothing to back it up with despite dominating large parts of the game. In South London, Chippenham Town were leading at Dulwich Hamlet, which in the end proved costly for the Hamlet who slid into the drop zone on goal difference.

With moments to go, both sets of fans were singing ‘We are staying up’, but it was done the hard way for the Whites who reclaimed National League status once again. ‘I’m disappointed with the performance and the situation but I’m delighted we have stayed in the division,’ said Brundle post match.

COYW.

Dover Athletic: Nelson, Judd, Paxman, Sterling, Janjeva, Higgs, Martin, Oliver, Wanadio, Baptiste, Nikaj

Weymouth: Weymouth  Benfield, Howe, Carlyle, Wilson, Sesay, Bearwish, Hemings, Blair, O’Connell, Rose, Ash

Attendance: 1509

 

MITCH BRUNDLE – AN OPEN LETTER

An open letter from the Gaffer.

My Dover family,The home support in recent weeks has been amazing myself, the staff and players really appreciate it. You’ve been amazing from when I first came to the football club and its been ever better since I got the job. This weekend we are going to need you more than ever, I hope you can be the 12th man for us. It’s not been the season anyone wanted. We are in the situation we are in, going down to the final game of the season to keep this amazing football club in the division. I have been doing everything possible at my disposal through the whole season to fight for the club and I will continue to do so. We need you now more than ever to be positive and get behind the lads and I look forward to seeing as many of you who can possibly make the game Saturday. Up the whites, let’s get the Crabble rocking.

Brunds.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART 2

Your Club Needs You

We head into the final game of the Vanarama National South campaign with our destiny in our own hands. I think its fair to say that the 2022/23 season hasn’t gone exactly as planned but sometimes thats football and thats how it works out. You need a little bit of luck at times and as the old saying goes, the rub of the green. The club haven’t had that in a while, either on or off the pitch, but we want to look forwards and not backwards and while we still have points on the board advantage, we have hope. We have one more game at home, one final push and we want you to be there to help drag us over the line.

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Hungerford Town and Cheshunt had their fates decided on Tuesday night, losing to Bath City and Worthing respectively. Our hosts Weymouth have find a little form in the run-in, including an impressive 3-1 win away at Taunton Town on Tuesday evening, to set up this all or nothing encounter. A win for the Whites and its plain sailing into the Vanarama South 2023/24 campaign. Concord also fell through the trap door last night, falling 4-3 to Havant in a thrilling tie at Canvey Island. It now means that if Dover lose, Dulwich will need to only a point to send us down so it all depends on ourself to dig us out of a hole.

Whatever the outcome, we need to make sure that we are sensible in the stands.

It’s the biggest game of the season.

It’s a big game for the players and a big game for me.

Gaffer Mitch Brundle spoke to Kent Online Sport in the build-up to the match. ‘It’s a very stressful week for me. It’s the biggest game of the season. It’s a big game for the players and a big game for me. From where we were, 14th or 15th, we’re now about where our budget is. Everyone else has invested in their squad. I have watched their games against Slough and Hampton. We have managed to get that video footage of them. But we haven’t performed against certain teams around us in certain games and then we beat someone like Braintree and you just think ‘How?’. But we’ll just try and be positive, going into the last game.’

 

Form Guide:

Head to Head:

The Whites have had the better of the visitors, winning three of the last five encounters including a 2-0 victory back in September.

TICKET INFORMATION

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – WEYMOUTH

Your club needs you.

This weekends sees the conclusion of the 2022/23 Vanarama National South campaign and it doesn’t get much tighter at the bottom with teams fighting for survival. We welcome Weymouth to Crabble in what will be a must win game now to secure our status as a National League club. The Terras will be heading to Kent desperate for the three points themselves, having beaten Slough on Saturday to move off the foot of the table.

Although we have a five point advantage over Cheshunt, the clubs in the bottom four all picked up points and have games in hand to be played during the week. We have our destiny in our own hands. Win and our league standing remains, but if we fail to pick up three points, then all of a sudden we are reliant on results going our way.

Dulwich Hamlet – Dulwich face Concord midweek which means that someone will drop points and then face an in form Chippenham on Saturday.

Cheshunt – A midweek home tie against play-off chasing Worthing and then a trip to Tonbridge to face the Angels.

Concord Rangers – The form horse of the bottom teams. Three games remaining including a six pointer against Dulwich. They finish the campaign with Havant & Waterlooville at home and then a trip to Eastbourne to face Boro.

Weymouth – Before heading to us Weymouth must head to Taunton Town.

Hungerford – The only team that cannot mathematically catch us. They face Bath City and league champions Ebbsfleet on the final day.

As a football club we appreciate your support from far and wide and we need you to come in numbers on Saturday to cheer the boys over the line. Bring a friend and one of their friends. It hasn’t been the season that we all anticipated after we dropped out of the National League last year but behind the scenes there has been a lot of hard work going on to ensure that we even still have a football club. Be loud and lets give the Gaffer and the lads some noise to get the win that we all need. We all need to stick together, support, and the good times will come back. Keep the Faith.

Form Guide:

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Head to Head:

The Whites have had the better of the visitors, winning three of the last five encounters including a 2-0 victory back in September.

TICKET INFORMATION

Admission for this match is by turnstile only. We accept both card and cash on the gate.

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.

UP NEXT – FARNBOROUGH

We hit the road for the final time this season.

The Whites head to the Cherrywood road stadium to take on Farnborough on the penultimate weekend of the 2022/23 season. Mitch Brundle and the boys will be looking to bring home three points following defeat last time out on the road. Concord Rangers proved to be a tough nut to crack despite creating numerous chances. Boro themselves will be looking to gain momentum with a last gasp hope of a play-off place.

Form Guide:

Images courtesy of Flashscore.co.uk

Head to Head: 

Boro have had the upper hand over the Whites in recent years but the lads will be looking to change that this weekend.

DASC Coach Travel:

There are still spaces available for the coach but these are limited as they are filling up fast.

TICKET INFORMATION: 

Adult – £12

Concession – £10

16-21 – £6

Directions: 

Easy As HGV Stadium

Farnborough Football Club

Cherrywood Road

Farnborough

Hampshire

GU14 8UD

 

TIME TO FIGHT – MANAGER REACTION

The Gaffer looks back on the weeks football. 

It certainly wasn’t an ideal week for the Whites with defeats coming from teams at opposite ends of the table. Relegation is mathematically possible but we hold an eight point advantage on our rivals, with Cheshunt and Hungerford both having face tough opposition on the penultimate weekend of the campaign. Farnborough will be a tough challenge with the hosts still mathematically able to make the play-offs, although it looks like they may need snookers.

Speaking to Kent Online Sport, Mitch Brundle was both disappointed and showing desire in getting the boys over the line. ‘I think they took their foot off the gas. They stopped doing the things that got them there. We were just careless in possession.’ When speaking about the heavy 5-1 home defeat to Oxford City. ‘Most of the goals came from us actually being in control of the ball and moving it, trying to open up spaces and giving away sloppy passes. They counter well. They have got players who score and had the desire, and they ran past a couple of players in our team which is not acceptable.

We’re going to need every player to roll their sleeves up now and go “Right, we need to fight for a massive result.”

Some of the goals we conceded came from us being in possession. We’ve looked into all the goals and the work-rate to actually defend the goal with their lives wasn’t good enough. We kept letting them get in with easy chances. The desire to stop people from scoring just wasn’t there. You can’t have that at this level, especially against a team fighting for the play-offs. I put myself on up top to just try and put myself in a position where we could actually get up the pitch and stop conceding. It didn’t seem to work that way. We were missing the experienced boys.

But Will and Andi have done well in certain games. It’s just a lack of leadership, really. They’re still young kids but they have got to grow up quickly. You’re in the men’s team, you have earned the right to get there, and you have got to step up to the plate now. You have got to demand from the experienced boys. You’ve got to be really dominant and aggressive as a centre-half. That’s what centre-halves do.’

Defeat to basement club Concord Rangers was not in the script either but it isn’t all doom and gloom just yet. ‘I said that from eight or nine games ago. You’re never safe until those teams, mathematically, can’t get to you. There’s always these things in football where something extraordinary happens so we can’t afford to switch off. ‘We’re going to need the experience, we’re going to need the energy, we’re going to need the athleticism and the desire. We’re going to need every player to roll their sleeves up now and go “Right, we need to fight for a massive result.”

Keep the Faith.

COYW

CONCORD RANGERS 1 DOVER ATHLETIC 0

Dover fall to Concord sucker punch.

It was a half that started so brightly for the visitors. Dover dominated the early parts and looked the more likely to open the scoring, notably through Jordan Higgs.

The Whites midfielder fired a low effort into the hands of Beeney on 13 minutes and 10 minutes later fired a volley over the crossbar from a quick free-kick whipped in by Myles Judd.

In the 26th minute, Dover looked like they had made the breakthrough when a free-kick taken short by Martin was curled towards the back post by Wanadio, only for Beeney to get a fingertip to the ball. It was a fantastic save by the home stopper.

Jordan Higgs then had a further two chances, glancing a header over then firing the ball over via a deflection, but all of a sudden you’re starting to think it’s going to be one of those nights.

The home side grew into the game inside the last five minutes of the half and on the stroke of half-time as the referee signalled one additional minute, Nelson, a freezing cold bystander, was picking the ball of out of his net.

Concord broke down their left hand side, delivered a lovely cross to Manor who unmarked, headed the cross back where it had come from and the hosts lead at the interval.

The second half mirrored the first with Dover sweeping forward, pinning back Concord who were quite frankly just looking to get out of their own half at times. The Whites huffed and puffed but the impressive Beeney was equal to everything that was thrown at him.

Andi Janjeva looked to take matters into his own hands midway through the second period when he picked up the ball on the half way line, strode forward about ten yards and unleashed a fizzing drive that went narrowly past the post. It was Janjeva again moments later, this time from a corner which was nodded down into the path of the young centre back, who drove his shot back with pace but Beeney was not to be beaten, tipping it around the post.

The Story of Dover’s night

The home side rallied in the final moments with Dover pushing to get an equaliser and began to find gaps in the Whites back line but the referee blew for full time and it was another body blow and just one of them nights. Teams below Dover need to win all their games to ensure a squeaky bum time end of the season but we still have our fate in our own hands as we head to Farnborough this Saturday.

COYW.

Dover Athletic: Nelson, Judd, Paxman, Sterling, Janjeva, Higgs, Oliver, Martin, Wanadio, Baptiste, Carney

Subs: Wilkinson, Nikaj, Brundle, Boateng, Pierrick

Concord Rangers: Beeney, Popo, Thomas, Pollock, Beckett, Monville, Hernandez, Kyei, Steward, Hudson, Manor

Subs: Ramsay, Bettamer, Munns, Day, Modeste

Attendance: Unknown – no announcement

UP NEXT – CONCORD RANGERS

The Whites head to Essex in search of a vital win.

Mitch Brundle and his players will be looking to secure another season in the Vanarama National South tomorrow night as the Whites head to Essex to face Concord Rangers. The bottom club will also be desperate for the points in a bid to commit the great escape, hopefully not at the expense of ourselves. It was a tough day last time out so the players will need to erase that fixture from the memory banks in a bid to get three points on the road.

Concord were impressive during their 3-0 victory over us back in October but their season has since taken a downward spiral, something that we look to take full advantage of at the business end of the campaign. With only three more games remaining, an eight point gap looks like it could be enough but you cannot be too sure.

Form Guide:

Information taken from Flashscores.co.uk

Head to Head: It’s even steven over the last four matches with both sides winning twice. Concord won with ease the last time the two sides met but haven’t managed to keep up that momentum.

TICKET INFORMATION: 

Ticket type Price
Adult £16.50
Concession * £11
Her Game Too *** £11
Next-Gen (18-21) £8
Junior (U18s) £6
Junior (U12s) ** FREE
Family ticket *** £18/£30

Under 12 tickets are only free of charge when purchased with an over 18 ticket – otherwise under 18 prices will apply.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. COYW.