By Matt Gerrard

Dover Boss Neville Southall is appealing to local businesses to support the club in gaining much needed revenue and has started by asking for a sponsor for some much needed training kit for the players:

"The club has no money, but I am going to turn the club around on and off the pitch so that they have a more professional outlook and it would be great to have some proper training kit in which to do so. So I am appealing to anybody out there if they can sponsor us for 20 training kits and 20 towels, it will only be a couple of hundred pounds but will make a great deal of difference to the players. This club has a great deal of potential and I am certain that with more sponsors coming on board in helping all aspects of the club I can fulfil that potential."

If anybody is interested in funding some new training kit for the players or any other sponsorship deals please contact Commercial Manager Bill Williams on 01304 822373 to discuss things further.

Neville Southall and his players will be watching the Conference results this Saturday very carefully. Because the Whites chose to bring forward their game originally scheduled for this weekend, they have no match, but all of the other clubs in the bottom eight, with the exception of Leigh RMI, are in action.

Dover will be hoping that their fellow strugglers drop points as although the Whites moved out of the bottom three with yesterday's derby victory at Margate, they have played more matches than the rest of the clubs in the bottom half of the table, which means their position isn't as strong as it might look at first glance.

Dover are not in action again until New Years Day when Margate visit Crabble, a match Dover must get something from to keep their survival bid on track. Perhaps the most interesting of the weekend games is Hayes' trip to second bottom Chester City. Meanwhile 20th placed Stalybridge Celtic, who have three games in hand on Athletic, visit Hereford who themselves are only two points above Dover. Woking travel North to Morecambe and bottom club Scarborough, already in danger of becoming marooned at the bottom following their points deduction, will have a difficult task when they entertain Barnet.

Dover midfielder Jimmy Strouts will miss the FA Trophy Third Round tie at Stevenage Borough due to suspension. Strouts' booking at Margate yesterday, added to his three previous yellows and one red, means he will serve a one match suspension, which will keep him out of the match on 12 January.

Dover Athletic Football Club today announced the appointment of Neville Southall as Club Manager. Former Everton and Wales goalkeeper Southall needs no introduction. His impressive career record includes 93 full international caps for Wales and nearly 1000 league appearances, mostly for Everton with whom he won the League championship, FA Cup and European Cup Winners Cup.

Southall's coaching experience includes two years as assistant manager of the Welsh national team and he has recently taken over as manager of the Welsh Under 19s side, whom he will continue to manage on a part-time basis.

Southall is currently based in North Wales but has signalled his intention to move to the Dover area as soon as is possible. He is still registered as a player and has been providing goalkeeping cover for Shrewsbury Town in recent weeks.

Clive Walker, who has been in charge of the first team on a caretaker basis since Gary Bellamy's departure will continue in his role as First Team Coach. General manager Bill Williams will take over the Commercial Manager's role whilst Dave Scoggins remains with the club on a part-time basis as Club Secretary.

The club are still seeking investment to secure the long-term future of football in Dover. The new manager will not have any money to spend on transfers in the short-term but it is anticipated that the appointment will boost the club's profile significantly. With regards to off-the-pitch developments, the club have been talking to an interested consortium for a couple of weeks and will be continuing discussions this week.

Clive Walker has strengthened his small squad by re-acquiring the services of Tony Browne on a non-contract basis. The attacking right-back was disappointed to have been released by former Dover manager Gary Bellamy in July. He was one of a number of non-contract players released by cash-strapped Folkestone Invicta on Thursday and he was at Crabble yesterday afternoon. Browne was a key part of Dover's high-flying Conference side of two seasons ago and made 68 first-team appearances for the club in his first spell. He was not included in the squad yesterday as he is recovering from injury. Browne's signing addresses Dover's lack of a regular right-back.

The Dover Athletic Supporters Society Ltd. has been officially registered under the Industrial And Provident Societies Acts 1965 - 1978 and the rules of the trust, as drawn up by Supporters Direct with input from the working party set-up to form the trust, have been made available. You can download a copy of the rules from this website (in PDF format). You will require a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document.

By Simon Harris

On Saturday, the launch of the Dover Athletic Supporters Trust will be marked by a presentation by local MP Gwyn Prosser on the pitch at Crabble.

The Trust has been born from supporters concern at the resignation of the board on Tuesday 30th October and a general reaction, not just of "What can we do?", but also of "How can we really get involved?".

Given that it was not possible to actually hold a meeting of supporters until Monday 12th November, the Trust has been born in record time. Of the 42 that have been previously set up through the offices of Supporters Direct, the quickest anyone had gone from first proposal to registered trust was Chesterfield in 35 days. The Dover Athletic Trust is due to have been registered on Wednesday 12th December, just 30 days after that initial meeting in the Centre Spot. This is in no small part due to the encouragement that has been received from nearly 300 people that have already signed up to indicate their interest, and due to the hard work of those that volunteered to be on the working party that was formed to set it up. Indeed, following the first working party meeting, Dave Boyle from Supporters Direct commented that it had been the most productive first meeting that he had ever attended.

So now the hard work can start. There is a real opportunity for the community of Dover to become part of its football club. The more people that join the Trust, the greater the strength of the Trust, and the more that it will be able to achieve. If at some time youve felt a warm glow of satisfaction that Dover has a football club that it can be proud of, then now is your opportunity to join a group that intends helping to build the club. Always remember - boards will come and go, directors will come and go, managers will come and go, players will come and go, even grounds can come and go, but the one consistent thing about a football club is the supporters. Its time to aim for another record with this trust - the largest trust relative to its fan base is Chesterfield, where the trust membership amounts to about 3,000 out of their average home gate of 3,500. The Dover Athletic Trust will therefore be aiming for a membership of 1,000. It can only be achieved through hard work, commitment, and the goodwill of the community as a whole.

With the advent of the Euro on 1st January, all those foreign coins that everybody has lying around at home waiting for the next time they cross the channel will be worthless. Help Dover Athletic by donating those coins to a special bucket collection at Saturday's game against Barnet.

Dover have been handed another tough cup draw, this time in the FA Trophy. The Whites must travel to Broadhall Way in the Third Round to face Stevenage Borough. The match will be played on Saturday 12 January 2002.

Dover Athletic's home Conference fixture against Southport has been brought forward to Saturday December 8. The match was originally scheduled for the end of March but has been moved as neither club has a fixture on December 8, the date of the FA Cup Second Round.

Dover Athletic supporters tonight voted unanimously in favour of setting up a Supporters Trust at a meeting in the Centre Spot. The meeting, organised by the Supporters Club and chaired by Supporters Club Joint Chairman Simon Harris, was attended by two representatives of Supporters Direct, Brian Lomax and Dave Boyle. They explained the benefits and aims of a Supporters Trust to the approx. 150-200 fans in attendance.

A Supporters Trust would be independent of the Supporters Club and would represent all fans. Membership would be by subscription and the cost would be set at a level that would allow all fans to participate. A Supporters Trust is a democratic, not-for-profit organisation. It is a legal entity and as such can own property and hold shares. Several clubs have already successfully created Supporters Trusts including Chesterfield, Northampton Town, Nuneaton Borough and Manchester United.

Supporters Direct is a government initiative. Supporters Direct provides support and assitance, including legal costs and start-up grants for supporters groups that wish to set up a trust.

There are currently 250,000 shares in Dover Athletic Football Club, owned by various individuals and companies, but the club has permission to offer a further 750,000 shares, which means there are plenty of shares available for a Supporters Trust to purchase. It is possible for a Supporters Trust to have a representative on the board of directors and this has happened at other clubs. In some cases the Supporters Trusts have even taken control of their football clubs.

The main purpose of a Supporters Trust is to secure representation for fans and strengthen links between the club and the community. If you would like to be involved in a Dover Athletic Supporters Trust or would like more information, contact Simon Harris.

On Saturday at Leigh Bill Williams was on the bench assisting caretaker manager Clive Walker.

Speaking on Sunday Williams (right) said:

"Clive asked me to assist him and of course I was delighted, in the short term, to be involved. It meant a reversal of our usual roles but the partnership quickly welded again and, although strange to be a number two for the first time in my career, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the day and the much needed result."

"Clive got off to a great start, he selected the correct team, was right tactically and changed the formation when it was required. We rode a bit of stormy water just after half-time but the team dug in and deserved to win."

"I need to reiterate that I have no desire to be involved in the sharp end of the team but will do all in my power to assist Clive in the short term. My job here at the club now is to make sure that we are able to raise the necessary funding so that the club continues to operate in the years ahead."

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy has left the club by mutual consent. First team coach Clive Walker will be in charge of the team for tomorrow's trip to Leigh. Bellamy (far right) took over in the summer and was in charge for 19 matches, of which Dover won 5, drew 1 and lost 13.

Walker (right) has been with Dover for five years, since joining as Bill Williams' assistant when Williams took over in 1996/97. He has previously managed Kettering Town in the Conference and holds UEFA's highest coaching qualification.

If ever there was a time when fans needed to attend a Supporters Club meeting it is next Monday night.

For many years the efforts of Simon Harris, John Farringdon, Chris Graves and many others have gone unrewarded by turnout for Supporters Club events. But this meeting is like no other. It's a meeting that could go a long way to helping solve our beloved club's problems.

Sure, the financial burdens won't be lifted by a big attendance at the Centre Spot on Monday evening alone, nor by the fantastic 1,300-plus gate and remarkable £1,792.12p bucket collection on Saturday for the Stevenage match.

No. The only way the club can be saved is for a sustained financial input into the club. Dover Athletic need money to be injected through businessmen - along with a healthy income from gate receipts, Striker returns, merchandising and commercial ventures. And kind donations from supporters. The attendance on Saturday and the many postings from fans on this website show that the town REALLY does care about its club.

Although this financial trouble has been hanging around the club's neck for some years now, the only true crisis Dover Athletic supporters can remember since the club's reformation in 1983 was the threat of relegation on the last day of the season in 1994/95 when we took on Kidderminster Harriers. That day the true spirit of Dover won through - the spirit of a town that has been battered for so many years by war, unemployment and immigration problems - when Whitfield's very own Matt Carruthers aptly hit the late winner.

People take pops at Dover. But one thing that can never be taken away from this famous town is its "salt of the earth" people. And it is those people, you guys, who are going to help save this football club.

Dover Athletic got into the Conference through a lot of hard work. Not just from the financial clout of local businessmen like John Husk, his brother Alan, Gordon Goodacre, as well as others, and the managerial brilliance of Chris Kinnear.

It also got there because the town got behind the club in a massive way. My biggest regret as a Dover fan was being unable to attend that record-breaking Bromsgrove Rovers match, when we attracted over 4,000 for the Beazer Homes League title decider, because I was peeling spuds in a Folkestone chip shop.

Margate may have knocked us off our perch this season as Kent's No.2 club, but even they could never enjoy the kind of support we are capable of getting when we're on a roll.

There's a big passion for football in Dover and that was proved in abundance on Saturday.

But what we need - especially now more than ever - is for the fans to get to Crabble like they did against Stevenage, like they did for that Kidderminster Harriers crunch-match in 94-95, like they did for the Bromsgrove epic and the heart-breaking FA Trophy semi-final against Cheltenham, and many other memorable matches, week in, week out.

Yes, we're second from bottom. Yes, we lost again on Saturday. But who gives a monkey's about results now? The single most important thing is saving Dover Athletic.

We have a team in the Conference, just one step away from the League, and are the envy of many clubs. Let's not let it all slip away without a fight. I have been unable to get to many matches since leaving the Dover Mercury because of my work commitments and can't make Monday night myself, but by writing this article I hope I can at least somehow help by sharing my passionate views with you all. And I am sure they are views all Dover supporters, many of you who I know well, will agree with.

I urge everyone who can, get to the Supporters' Club meeting on Monday night and get to the home matches in droves.

And in some years you can all think back with pride to the 2001-02 season when you helped play a big part in saving a wonderful football club.

Justin Allen
(Daily Star Sportsdesk)
justin.allen@dailystar.co.uk

There will undoubtedly be those that, reading some of the press comment last weekend, will believe that Dover Athletic Football Club is safe and has a wonderful future going forward - all we need now is to get the results on the pitch! So why on earth should anybody be interested now in coming to a meeting next Monday?

It did become apparent early in the week that the comments in the weekends National papers were, at best, presumptive but hopefully, by the time you read this, the future of the club will be more secure than it has been for some time. However, where have we heard that before?

At last Saturdays game, the supporters reaction to the plight of the club was fantastic. The number of people who paid rather than use passes or season tickets, the number of people that spent money in the Club Shop, the number of people that queued to buy food, and, most especially, the number of people that gave willingly to the bucket collections, which raised an amazing £1,792.15, can only have given encouragement to anybody who might be considering putting money into the club.

However, the complaint that is heard most often on the terraces is that supporters dont know what is going on at the club, and there is no reason to suppose that there will be any change in this.

We are, therefore, STILL asking that supporters come along on Monday 12th November at 8.00pm with a view to coming up with some concrete proposals as to how we, as supporters, can help with the long term future of the club, and we sincerely hope that representatives from the club will attend to give us their input.

Certainly, we want to hear any proposals that anyone might have, but we do have a suggestion ourselves to put forward for consideration. There are now in existence about 50 Supporters Trusts at clubs throughout the country ranging from Enfield Town to Manchester United and Celtic! Through the offices of Supporters Direct, a government funded initiative set up explicitly for this purpose, supporters are getting an involvement in their club and representatives of Supporters Direct will be attending the meeting next Monday to give the benefit of their experience. This not only works at various levels of the game, but also works at various levels of support. Certainly there are clubs, like Chesterfield and AFC Bournemouth, where the Supporters Trust is running the club. But there are other clubs where the Supporters Trust is the main fundraising arm of the football club.

Any money that went from a Supporters Trust to the club could be used on whatever the club wanted, including strengthening the team. The whole point is that rather than simply giving money to the club and the board saying thank you very much and shutting the door afterwards, a Supporters Trust is a legal entity entitled to raise funds and hold assets - assets including shares. There are enough shares in issue at this club, for them to be allotted to the Supporters Trust at no material cost to the club.

This is a long-term matter. A Supporters Trust would raise funds for the club over a length of time, but would give an opportunity to be a proper participant in club affairs.

If you want to try and help the club avoid this situation arising again in the future, be at Crabble on Monday 12th November at 8.00 pm - if theres too many for the Centre Spot (and Id love it if there was) then well go out and talk on the terraces. After all thats where supporters belong.

Simon Harris
Supporters Club Joint Chairman

Dover manager Gary Bellamy has told Nationwide's football site that he believes the club are "80 per cent certain to go into administration". He also commented that he was not confident of his long-term future at the club.

The collection organised by the Supporters Club to raise funds for the football club raised a total of £1,792.12 at yesterday's match at Crabble.

The Nationwide Conference match between Dover Athletic and Nuneaton Borough has been brought forward to Saturday 17 November. The game was to have originally been played on 29 December but has been brought forward as both clubs had no fixture on 17 November.

Finally some good news this week. Dover goalkeeper Phil Smith has been selected in the FA XI squad for the match against a Dr. Martens League Select XI on Tuesday 22 November at Crawley Town. The 21-year-old, signed from neighbours Folkestone Invicta, has made a good impression since joining the Whites in September despite only playing seven games for the club.

The Supporters Club have arranged a meeting to discuss how fans can help the club through this difficult period. The meeting will be in the Centre Spot at 8:00pm on Monday 12 November. Everybody is welcome, not just Supporters Club members.

DOVER ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED

On Tuesday 30 October 2001 Roger Malcolm Knight and James George (Jim) Gleeson announced their resignations as Directors of the above Company.

In resigning as Chairman of the above Company, Jim Gleeson indicates that a number of factors led him to his decision.

When he and another person agreed to support the Football Club in November 2000 it was on the understanding that the likely combined financial input was to be a maximum of £50,000. Many savings to assist the Club were considered possible e.g. closure of the Worthington Street shop and the Office relocated to the Crabble Ground. In the event the total indebtedness of the Club (which subsequently became apparent) resulted in the figure of £50,000 becoming almost £100,000 and the club still carries past debt.

Attempts to equalise shareholdings in the Club and resolve loan arrangements with the Club failed to result in a satisfactory outcome. Efforts to attract other investors to the Club failed having regard to loans on the Balance Sheet and the profile of the shareholdings in the Company.

Having personally injected into the Club in the order of £100,000 in money and time but with no effective control over events Jim, with considerable regret and upon advice, concluded he had no option but to sever links with the Club. This he has done by standing down as Chairman and resigning as a Director of the Company.

Only last week he endeavoured to resolve the issue of the loans and the structure of the Company responsible for the running of the Club but without success. Having been advised somebody else may be interested in running the Club Jim took the decision announced yesterday and his Co-Director (who has also injected considerable finance and time to the Club) confirmed his intention to resign at the same time.

Both men are willing to continue maintaining an interest in the Club Jim states that "difficult decisions will now have to be made by those who own the Company/Club. Hopefully, a new chairman will be able to reorganise the financial circumstances of the Company and its shareholdings". Roger confirms his willingness to continue production of the Club's Match Day Programmes subject to appropriate arrangements with the Club being concluded.

Jim, as a minority shareholder, feels he has borne a disproportionate share of the responsibility for the Club/Company finances. In the months he has devoted to the Club he has gained the perception that not only should the Chairman of the Company not be paid for his efforts but also he should finance, from his own pocket, any shortfall in revenue of the Company. This is neither acceptable nor appropriate.

Despite having expended so much time and money on the Club, Jim indicates "in the short term and in an effort to help the Footballl Club I am willing to continue the use of my Worthington Street Coffee House as the collecting point for the Striker. I am happy to allow the Club use of the catering trailers currently owned by Nuage. Further, Keith Scott can continue to use the car owned by Nuage while he is under contract. All other pieces of machinery and equipment provided by me or Nuage can be considered as donations".

No further comment will be made.

31^st October 2001

MEDIA RELEASE

Yesterday's decision by Jim Gleeson and Roger Knight came as a massive shock to everyone here at the Club.

Their reasons have been spelt out very clearly in the press release issued today and the seriousness of the present situation cannot be over-emphasised.

Survival is now the name of the game, both on and off the field.

At the moment there is myself, Dave Scoggins the Company Secretary and Team manager Gary Bellamy, we will manage the Club from today through to Saturday's game against Stevenage Borough.

This four day period will allow us to take stock, take the best advice available and set up meetings with the Club's shareholders in an attempt to get a clearer picture and some guidance as to what direction they wish the club to move in.

There is no doubt that the Club is in a serious financial state and that at this moment we cannot look beyond Saturday's game.

To all true supporters, the people and businesses of Dover, if you do not want to see the demise of your Football Club then please help in anyway. Now is the time to come forward and I would urge the Town not to abandon its Club.

End

Enquiries: Bill Williams

Date: 31/10/01

Meridian Teletext Page 475 - 30/10/2001

Dover Athletic chairman Jim Gleeson and director Roger Knight have resigned from their positions at the club. The decision follows the chairman's warning a couple of weeks ago that the club's financial situation was not good. Jim Gleeson took over as chairman one year ago and in that time has invested a significant amount of his own money in the club.

The club as yet have not made a statement about what will now happen but manager Gary Bellamy has criticised the people who complained about Jim Gleeson's running of the club.

Dover defender and fans favourite Lee Shearer has confirmed that he has been having transfer talks with local rivals Margate after being told that he would no longer be guaranteed first team football at Crabble. Shearer, who missed Saturday's game at Southport with a virus, has been told by Manager Gary Bellamy that he can leave if the club receive an acceptable offer.

"I need to be playing football and refocus on my career, Dagenham and Cheltenham were interested in me but they have pulled out. Cheltenham have no money and are interested in signing me on a Bosman at the end of the season but I can't really wait until then and I have had a couple of chats with Margate. They have some advantages as they are local so I don't have to move and I would say it is a good chance that I will be joining them".

Shearer, who has a cult following among the Crabble faithful, joined the club originally on loan from Leyton Orient in 1997 and has been the mainstay of the defence since then, but has struggled this season under the new regime of Gary Bellamy, whom he originally knew from his Orient days, and has been relegated to the bench in the last few games. The departure of Shearer would be a big blow to the supporters in seeing him move to the club's bitter rivals but with the signing of experienced Darren Carr he believes he needs to play first team football.

"It would be a wrench to leave because everybody has been superb to me since I have been at the club, especially the fans, but it has been taken out of my hands, this decision, and I can not afford not to play football and this move may kick-start my career, which has faltered recently for various reasons and maybe a fresh change may do me good. I have asked Gary not to consider me this weekend as I do not really want to get cup-tied as this may put off clubs and I would have thought that a move may go ahead before the weekend's games".

Dover Athletic defender Lee Shearer will be allowed to leave Crabble if the club receive the right offer, Dover manager Gary Bellamy told the Dover Express. Shearer has lost his place in the side recently and has had off-the-pitch problems. He is widely regarded as one of the best centre-halves in the Conference and has made nearly 200 appearances for the Whites and scored 19 goals in his four years with the club. Meanwhile, Athletic have signed 33-year-old Darren Carr, who made his debut at Southport on Saturday, until the end of the season whilst Darren Davies, who has been playing on non-contract terms, is expected to sign a two-year deal this week.

Dover winger Chris Allen will be fit for Dover's FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie against Hereford on Saturday. The news is a big boost to Whites boss Gary Bellamy who will be without the services of three players. Forward Tommy Tyne is serving the second match of a two game ban whilst loan players Chris Dorrian and Gareth Risbridger will play no part as their clubs do not want them to become cup-tied. Midfielder Jimmy Strouts will be available despite an earlier report on this site that stated he would be suspended.

Dover Athletic are tipped to beat Hereford United in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup this Saturday. Ladbrokes in Worthington Street, Dover have the Whites priced at 5/4 to finally break their FA Cup jinx whilst Hereford United are slightly longer odds at 6/4. The draw is 5/2.

Ladbrokes are also offering odds on the possible margin of a Dover victory. 1-0 and 2-1 are both priced at 7/1 with a 2-0 win at 9/1.

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy will be without winger Chris Allen for the match at Southport today. The former Nottingham Forest winger is suffering from a thigh injury that he sustained at Scarborough last weekend. Meanwhile forward Tommy Tyne is starting a two match suspension following his dismissal at Woking. These absences could mean a start for John Elliott but the Whites boss also has two new faces in his squad. Experienced defender Darren Carr, 33, has linked up with Athletic after having been released by Second Division Brighton. He is joined by former Altrincham winger Soner Zumrutel who until recently was playing in the Turkish league.

The Whites will be looking to build on last week's result at Scarborough, their first away point of the season, and move off the bottom of the table before turning their attentions to the FA Cup next Saturday.

Midfielder Niall Inman (right) has been released by Dover Athletic. The player, signed from Peterborough United in the summer on a one-year contract, has left Crabble after failing to force his way into the first team this season.

Dover Athletic will be at home against fellow Conference club Hereford United in the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. The Whites, who have never reached the First Round, played the Bulls away last month and lost 3-0. They will be hoping for a better result in their first home draw in the FA Cup since 1996. The game will be played on Saturday 27th October.

Former Dover Athletic manager Bill Williams, who left the club in the summer to take over at Kingstonian, has returned to Crabble as General Manager. Williams resigned from Kingstonian last week. He was Dover's most successful manager at Conference level in his four and a half years in charge but in his new role he will not be responsible for team affairs, manager Gary Bellamy retains full control. He will instead be in charge of off-the-field activities.

Dover Athletic have appointed current Under 18s manager/coach Richard Langley as their new Reserve Team manager following the departure of Steve Nolan. Nolan left the club last week to become Mark Beeney's assistant manager at Dr. Martens League club Sittingbourne. The new boss' first game in charge is this Saturday when the Reserves take on Deal Town at Crabble.

Dover Athletic chairman Jim Gleeson today confirmed that winger Chris Allen, who has impressed playing for Dover on non-contract terms in recent matches, has signed a two year contract with the club. The former Nottingham Forest player put pen to paper this weekend.

Gary Bellamy yesterday moved to strengthen Dover's leaky defence by signing young Southend United defender Gareth Risbridger on a one month loan. Risbridger previously played in the Conference with Yeovil Town and moved to Roots Hall in the summer. He has yet to make a first team appearance for Southend. He is expected to be in the squad for this afternoon's clash with Northwich Victoria at Crabble.

Dover Athletic will reduce drink prices in the Centre Spot to £1.50 a pint between the final whistle of Dover's match against Northwich and the final whistle of England's World Cup Qualifier against Greece this afternoon, which will be screened in the Centre Spot following the Conference game.

Ahead of this afternoon's vital Conference match against Northwich Victoria at Crabble, Gary Bellamy's side are 5/2 on to be relegated this season, second favourites behind Stalybridge Celtic. Meanwhile the Whites are quoted at 500/1 against to win the title this season.

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy has strengthened his squad by making two new signings this week. Left-back Darren Davies has signed from Scottish club Morton. Meanwhile 29-year-old winger Chris Allen, formerly with Nottingham Forest, Oxford United and Stockport County, has also joined.

The Nationwide Conference match between Dover Athletic and Northwich Victoria on Saturday 6 October has been brough forward to kick-off at 1:00pm so that fans can watch the match without missing England's vital final World Cup qualifier against Greece. The England game, which kicks-off at 3:00pm, will be screened live in the Centre Spot so that supporters can watch both matches at Crabble.

The Football Association yesterday vetoed the Football Conference's proposal to decide promotion by way of a five-team play-off. The FA made this statement on their website today:

The Council of The Football Association yesterday considered the application by The Football Conference to amend its Rules regarding the single promotion place from the Football Conference to the Football League (to be decided by play offs). The F.A. Sanctions and Registrations Committee had decided on July 23rd to reject the proposal.

Under the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association, the Football Conference required from the F.A. Council, consent to the proposed change. This position is also reflected in the Football Conference’s own Rules.

The Council decided that it had to determine the matter in the best interests of the game as a whole, and the Council’s attention was drawn to the detail of the Football Conference proposal.

The Council placed great weight on the principle that the champion of a league should be the club that is promoted if there is only one place available.

The matter was put to the vote, with 5 voting for the Conference proposal and 79 against.

The Football Conference’s proposal was therefore rejected.

In the debate, The F.A. Council expressed its support for greater promotion places from the Football Conference to the Football League, and also expressed its support for a place for the Football Conference on the F.A. Council.

Gary Bellamy yesterday completed the signing of Folkestone Invicta goalkeeper Phil Smith. 21-year-old Smith joined Invicta in the summer and is highly rated. He will be in the Dover squad for tonight's game at Farnborough.

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy is likely to keep faith with the side that beat Boston on Tuesday evening for Saturday's visit of Stalybridge Celtic. The only player who there are doubts over is Matt Carruthers who missed training this week because of illness. Carruthers was a second half substitute in Tuesday's victory. Jimmy Strouts, who scored against Stalybridge on their last visit to Crabble three years ago, will make his last appearance before serving a suspension for his dismissal against Hayes last week. The likely Dover line-up is Paul Hyde, Chris Dorrian, Steve Norman, Jake Leberl, Lee Shearer, Colin Vowden, Jamie Day, Jimmy Strouts, Keith Scott, Tommy Tyne and Neil Le Bihan.

All matches in the Nationwide Conference this weekend, including Dover's home match against Stalybridge will be preceeded by a minute's silence as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in the United States on Tuesday.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Dover Athletic midfielder Jimmy Strouts will not be following Danny Hockton to Dr Martens Premier Division side Chelmsford City. The Essex club, formerly managed by Dover boss Gary Bellamy, made an approach for Strouts but the versatile midfielder turned them down because he wants to stay at Crabble. Strouts, who has made well over 200 appearances for the Whites, is prepared to fight for his place in Gary Bellamy's new-look side.

Winger Lee McRobert has signed for his former club Hastings Town. McRobert was unable to establish himself as a first team regular at Crabble following his signing from Ashford Town 15 months ago, despite being one of the most talented players to play for the Whites.

McRobert made 55 appearances for Dover, including 10 on loan in 1997, and scored nine goals, many of which were spectacular.

Dover Athletic midfielder Neil Le Bihan (right) helped Great Britain to a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory in the final game at the World Student Games in China. Having lost their penultimate match 3-0 against Brazil on Tuesday, Britain faced a play-off for the seventh and eigth places in the 16-team tournament. Their opponents were Morocco.

Having gone behind in the 38th minute, ex-Woking midfielder Steve Perkins equalised for Britain five minutes later and the score remained 1-1 at full-time. The British team were 2-0 down in the penalty shoot-out when Le Bihan reduced the defecit to 2-1 and Britain went on to win the shoot-out 4-3 and claim seventh place in the final standings.

Le Bihan will return to the UK this week and should be available for Dover's trip to Hereford next Saturday.

Matt Carruthers (right), who has not played for the Whites this season, will be back in action this Saturday playing for the Reserve Team against Hastings Town at Crabble. The versatile forward could be on the bench for the first team on Monday against Hayes if all goes well.

Experienced midfielder Jimmy Strouts (right) is doubtful for Saturday's visit to Doncaster Rovers in the Nationwide Conference after withdrawing from the squad for today's game against Forest Green Rovers. Strouts had been named among Dover's five substitutes but pulled a muscle in the warm-up before the match and was forced to pull-out. Better news for manager Gary Bellamy is the imminent return of versatile forward Matt Carruthers. Carruthers was involved in the warm-up before today's game and should be fit enough to play some part at the weekend. Meanwhile defender James Campbell is still out of action because of the injury he picked up in pre-season.

Dover Athletic midfielder Neil Le Bihan will not be returning from the World Student Games in China with a medal after the British team lost 8-7 in a penalty shoot-out against Japan following a 1-1 draw. Britain have two games left and now cannot finish higher than 5th in the 16-team competion.

Ex-Millwall forward Tommy Tyne will make his Whites debut in the Conference game against Forest Green Rovers at Crabble this afternoon. The 20-year-old forward missed the first three games of the season through suspension but is available again and will start up front alongside Keith Scott. Tyne is likely to take the place of either Niall Inman or Jimmy Strouts.

Gary Bellamy has options if he decides to make other changes to the side that lost at Nuneaton on Saturday. Lee McRobert and/or Steve Norman could return to the starting eleven, though apart from the introduction of Tyne, Bellamy is likely to keep faith with the players that played on Saturday, which means loan signing David Parsons will make his home debut. Matt Carruthers is still unavailable through injury but is expected to be back in contention in time for the trip to Doncaster at the weekend. Neil Le Bihan will miss another three matches before he returns from the World Student Games in China.

The British team at the World Student Games, of which Dover midfielder Neil Le Bihan is a part, have won their final group game 6-1 to clinch second place in Group One and progress into the 8-team play-off for the medals. Ex-Woking midfielder Steve Perkins netted twice as Britain comfortably beat Nigeria. China's victory over Mexico guaranteed Britain second place.

The British team now play Group 4 winners Japan in their next match, on Monday. The other teams in contention are China, Korea, Ukraine, Morocco, Brazil and the Czech Republic.

Dover forward Danny Hockton has been sold to Gary Bellamy's former club, Chelmsford City, for £7,500. Hockton joined the Whites at the end of November 2000 from Stevenage Borough, for the same fee. Following the signings of Keith Scott and Tommy Tyne, Hockton was no longer a first team regular. He will be remembered by the Crabble supporters for his prolific goalscoring at the start of his Crabble career, netting ten times in his first twelve games. In total he made 22 appearances for the Whites, scoring 12 times.

Great Britain play their final Group One game in the 2001 World Student Games today and Dover Athletic midfielder Neil Le Bihan will be involved. The Whites star scored the goal that gave the British team a 1-0 victory in their opening match against Mexico on Tuesday. Britain then lost 2-0 to China, the host nation, on Thursday and play Nigeria, who are as yet without a win, in Beijing today, whilst China meet Mexico at the same time.

There are 16 teams in total in the competition, divided into four groups of four. The top two teams in each group progress to a knockout competition for the medals whilst the other eight sides play-off for 9th-16th place.

Gary Bellamy has reacted to Dover's poor start to the Conference campaign by moving Jake Leberl to left-back and reshuffling his midfield. Leberl, who has started the first two games of the season in central midfield, will replace Steve Norman (right) for Saturday's trip to Nuneaton. New loan signing David Parsons will partner Jamie Day in midfield. Jimmy Strouts is likely to be back on the bench with Lee McRobert returning to the starting line-up after his impressive substitute performance on Tuesday.

Talking to the Dover Mercury, Bellamy also revealed that his first choice front pairing are Keith Scott and Tommy Tyne. Tyne will miss the Nuneaton game through suspension but will be in the side for Monday's clash with Forest Green Rovers at Crabble.

19-year-old Leyton Orient midfielder David Parsons has joined Dover Athletic on a month's loan, with a view to a longer term deal. The former Arsenal apprentice was at Highbury at the same time as Athletic midfielder Jamie Day and the pair will be reunited in the centre of the park this Saturday at Nuneaton.

16-year-old Craig Cloke has joined Athletic's first team squad on non-contract terms and was on the bench for today's Conference encounter with Telford. Cloke has been involved with Dover Athletic for a number of years and used to play Saturday morning MiniSoccer at Crabble. He played for the Whites youth teams up to Under 14s level before moving to Crystal Palace. He returned to Crabble last season and played for the Under 16s.

Cloke joins 17-year-old Dean Frost, who was also on the bench this afternoon, as Gary Bellamy looks to give youth a chance. He is also looking at a couple of the club's other young stars.

The Dover Athletic FC Official Website now has its own .com address in addition to the original .co.uk URL. You can now reach the Whites website at www.doverathletic.com. The original address (www.dover-athletic.co.uk) will continue to function and all DAFC WebMail accounts will continue to use that domain.

Gary Bellamy has three players unavailable for his first competetive match in charge of the Whites. Matt Carruthers is still recovering from the ligament injury he sustained against Millwall a couple of weeks ago whilst midfielder Neil Le Bihan is in Hong Kong with the British Universities squad, preparing for the World Student Games in China, which start this week. Dover's latest signing, Tommy Tyne, is supsended for the first three matches of the season for being sent-off whilst on trial at Margate. Trialist James Campbell faces a fitness test.

The starting line-up is therefore likely to be the same as the XI that started against Tottenham last Saturday. That means Danny Hockton and Jimmy Strouts will remain on the bench despite impressive substitute appearances recently and Lee McRobert will partner Keith Scott in attack. The probable XI is Paul Hyde, Chris Dorrian, Steve Norman, Jake Leberl, Lee Shearer, Colin Vowden, John Elliot, Jamie Day, Keith Scott, Lee McRobert and Niall Inman. Strouts and Hockton will most likely be joined on the bench by Dean Frost, Jason Moore and Kevin Hudson.

The Supporters Club will not be forming the Travel Club this season because enough people did not sign-up before last Saturday's deadline. Those people who did sign-up will be given preferential treatment for all Supporters Club away travel this season.

Former Millwall forward Tommy Tyne, who had been on trial at Margate has signed a two year contract with Dover Athletic. Tyne played in Athletic's first pre-season friendly, at Sittingbourne and looked a good prospect. He has scored regulary for Margate in their friendlies. The signing gives Gary Bellamy more options in attack as Tyne is a different type of striker to Keith Scott and Danny Hockton. Tyne will be suspended for the first three matches of the season following a dismissal whilst playing for Margate.

Reserve and youth player Dean Frost has joined the first team squad on non-contract terms and two more youth players are expected to do likewise in the next week.

Midfielders Sammy Okafor and Craig Etherington have left Dover Athletic after manager Gary Bellamy decided not to retain them for the start of the new season following their trials at Crabble. Okafor (left) first linked up with with Dover at the end of last season on loan from Colchester United and made four appearances in the Conference. Etherington arrived on trial in the summer having been released by West Ham United.

Meanwhile Gary Bellamy is still considering whether to retain defenders James Campbell and Jason Moore. It is possible that one or both of them could be offered non-contract terms.

Dover Athletic have secured the services of Leyton Orient defender Chris Dorrian for three months on loan. The player was in the starting line-up for tonight's game against Folkestone and looked good. If things go well for him at Crabble his stay could be extended.

Dover Athletic Supporters Club are keeping their membership fees at the same level for yet another year. It costs just £3.50 to join the Supporters Club, but if you were a member last season and renew your membership before 31 October it will cost you just £2.50.

Members of the Supporters Club are able to take advantage of Supporters Club travel to away matches, which includes insurance so that if the game is called of you will get your money back. In addition Supporters Club members are covered by personal injury insurance at any game they attend in England or Wales and are entitled to 5% discount in the newly refurbished Dover Athletic Club Shop and 10% discount in the Supporters Club shop. All members receive a membership card and free newsletters.

If you would like to join the Supporters Club download the Membership Application Form, print it out, fill it in and hand it in at the Supporters Club hut at the ground or send it to the address on the form.

Dover Athletic yesterday completed the signing of experienced forward Keith Scott on a free transfer. 34-year-old Scott made his debut in the 3-2 victory over Purfleet last night. He has played around 250 games in the Premiership and Football League with Swindon Town, Reading, Wycombe Wanderers and Norwich City and in his career has generated nearly £900,000 in transfer fees. He has signed a two-year contract with the Whites.

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy hopes to announce the signing of a new striker this week. The identity of the player, who has Football League experience, is not being made public yet but he is described as a player who can hold the ball up. If all goes to plan he could be in the squad for Tuesday's friendly at Purfleet.

Defender Ian Cousins will not be joining Dover Athletic even though manager Gary Bellamy had been lead to believe otherwise. The player, who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, has changed his mind about a move to Crabble and will instead complete his recuperation at Chelmsford City.

In conjunction with CD Smith Coaches, Dover Athletic Supporters Club will again be trying to form a new Travel Club for the 2001/2002 season.

The season’s membership will cost £147, which will provide you with a seat on a coach to every away league game. If coaches had run to every game in the 2000/2001 league season, the travel costs would have exceeded £300.

Once the travel club is in existence, it won’t matter if only one person wants to travel to some far-flung part of the country on a cold, wet Tuesday evening - there’ll be a coach running.

Although this offer applies to league games only, Travel Club members will get preferential treatment, and substantially reduced prices, for any away cup games.

Payments must be in place by the last pre-season friendly against a Tottenham Hotspur XI on Saturday 11th August, but we will accept payment by instalments between now and then, and will also accept payment by credit card.

Clearly membership of this club will be limited to a first come, first served basis. Even if you can’t pay until 11th August, let us know that you want to join now, so you won’t be disappointed.

For more information, or to book your membership, either phone John Farringdon on 01304 827257 or call into the Supporters Club hut at Crabble on matchdays.

Please note that for insurance purposes Travel Club members will also need to belong to the Supporters Club.

Dover Athletic have signed Scottish forward John Elliot on a two year deal after the player impressed in the Whites' early pre-season friendlies. Elliot, who was capped by his country at Under 18s level, has played previously for Dundee United, Airdrieonians and Celtic. He can play both in midfield and up front.

Dover Athletic midfielder Neil Le Bihan (right) has accepted the invitation to represent Great Britain in the World Student Games in China. Gary Bellamy has accepted the player's decision even though it means he will miss the first six matches of the season. Meanwhile Conference rivals Woking have sacked three players who have also gone to China as part of the same squad.

Dover Athletic have secured the services of highly rated Peterborough midfielder Niall Inman for the forthcoming season. Peterborough boss Barry Fry has allowed Inman to become a Whites player for a year on the understanding that he will return to the Division Two club at the end of the season.

The 23-year-old, who has Conference experience from loan spells at Stevenage Borough and more recently Kettering Town, is expected to make his debut against Gillingham on Saturday.

Gary Bellamy included six triallists in his starting eleven as the Whites opened their pre-season campaign at Sittingbourne's central park. Former Welling United trainee Craig Etherington, who was released by West Ham at the end of last season, played the full 90 minutes of the 5-0 victory, half in central midfield and half at right-back. Defender James Campbell, formerly with Peterborough, and 20-year-old ex-Millwall forward Tommy Tyne were both involved for 45 minutes, as was wide midfielder Jon Allman, scorer of Dover's second. Ex-Scotland Under 18s forward and former Dundee, Airdrieonians and Celtic player John Elliot played the full match and scored the fifth goal. Sammy Okafor also featured, and scored Dover's third. He is on trial with Dover following his loan spell at Crabble at the end of last season.

Former West Ham United and Folkestone Invicta right-back Jason Moore, who was released by Athletic last season has returned to Crabble on trial and was at Sittingbourne tonight but was not part of the squad.

Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy has returned to his former club, Chelmsford City, to sign highly rated young full-back Ian Cousins. Cousins had attracted interest from clubs in the Football League before sustaining a serious knee injury. He is still recovering and will be unable to play until at least September, but Bellamy believes the deal struck suits both clubs.

Cousins, who was valued at £25,000 by Chelmsford, has joined the Whites for free but, should he recover fully and fulfill his potential, Chelmsford will be entitled to 50% of any fee Athletic may receive for him.

Dover Athletic are unlikely to win the Conference this season according to bookmakers. The Whites are 33-1 to win promotion to the Football League with Blue Square. Kent neighbours Margate are also 33-1 with only Forest Green Rovers, Nuneaton Borough, Stalybridge Celtic, Northwich Victoria and Hayes at longer odds. Boston United, who like Dover finished in the bottom half last season, are the early season favourites to lift the title at 7/2. Last season's runners-up Yeovil Town are joint second favourites, with Doncaster Rovers and Stevenage Borough, at 6-1.

Dover Athletic midfielder Neil Le Bihan has been selected to play for Britain in the World Student Games. However Dover manager Gary Bellamy is not keen on his player travelling to China for the tournament as it would mean he would miss the first eight Conference matches of the season. Bellamy has left the decision up to Le Bihan but has warned him to consider the implications which could include him finding himself surplus to requirements when he returns. Le Bihan, who has recently completed a course at the University of Kent, played in the 1999 Games in Spain. On that occassion he returned to Crabble injured and missed the first month of the season.

Dover Athletic striker Joff Vansittart today signed for Conference rivals Farnborough Town. Dover Athletic have not yet revealed the details of the deal but Vansittart had made it clear to new manager Gary Bellamy that he wanted to move on. He signed for the Whites in 1998 from Sutton United and scored 42 first team goals in 112 appearances for Dover, finishing as the club's top scorer in the last two seasons. The departure reduces the Whites' already diminshed squad even further, but Gary Bellamy is hopeful that he will have a full squad of 18 contracted players by the start of the season. To this end he is currently looking at a number of triallists. Midfielder Craig Etherington, who played for West Ham United's reserve team last season is one of the players on trial, along with Sammy Okafor who was on loan at Crabble at the end of last season. Others being looked at are defender James Campbell, who has been released by Peterborough, and Craig Edwards who was previously at Southend. As far as a replacement for Vansittart is concerned, Dover have already offered terms to a proven Conference marksman.

A large number of supporters turned up at Crabble this evening to welcome new manager Gary Bellamy at his first Meet The Manager evening. Chairman Jim Gleeson and Commercial Manager Dave Scoggins were also present and the trio answered questions for an hour and a half.

The new manager reiterated his intention to play attractive passing football and offered his opinions on various footballing topics. He intends to play a 4-4-2 formation but is still looking for five players to increase the size of his first team squad to 18. There will be several triallists on view when the Whites report for pre-season training on Saturday at Crabble. Most of the players that are being considered are in the 19-23 age range and have just been released by League clubs. The Athletic boss mentioned that one was a former England Under 18s right-back. He is also hoping to sign a young striker who is currently training with Queens Park Rangers.

Bellamy would not reveal who his captain would be, when asked, but stated that it would not be the goalkeeper, therefore ruling out current club captain Paul Hyde. He revealed that he is looking for a different type of striker to complement Joff Vansittart and Danny Hockton and that within the next twelve months the club would be looking to sign another goalkeeper.

When questioned on discipline, the new boss announced that players would be fined if they are booked or sent off for dissent or violent conduct.

With regards the recent speculation about full-time status, it was clarified that all players at the club are still semi-professional but that players who have been awarded new contracts recently are now paid 52 weeks a year rather than just in the football season. The squad will be training twice a week, on Mondays at the new training ground at the Borstal site and on Wednesdays at Chatham Army Barracks.

Dave Scoggins and Jim Gleeson answered some questions about off the field activities. The club will be improving the Match Day Magazine for the coming season with most of it now being in colour. There are also initiatives to raise the profile of the club in the town and to attract more supporters. The club also aim to increase revenues generated by the Striker lottery. The chairman explained that drinks were more expensive in the Centre Spot than in some local pubs because the club needs to generate income from the Centre Spot to contribute to the running costs of the football club.

At the end of the evening the supporters were left feeling positive about the new season and confident that Gary Bellamy is the right man for the job.

Gary Bellamy today announced that Tony Browne (left) and Colin Pluck have been released by Dover Athletic following the expiration of their contracts. Browne signed for Dover in the summer of 1999 and made 68 first team appearances for the Whites. Pluck joined in December 2000 and made 15 first team appearances last season. The departures leave Dover with just 13 contracted players for the start of pre-season training on Saturday but the squad will be joined by several triallists as the new manager intends to make five further signings before the start of the season. Some of the club's leading youth players will also be training with the first team.

The fixtures for the 2001/2002 Conference campaign were announced today. Dover Athletic start with a home game against Telford United on 18 August followed by trips to Barnet the following Tuesday and Nuneaton Borough the next weekend. The much anticipated derbies against Margate will take place over the Christmas period as expected with the Whites travelling to Hartsdown on Boxing Day with the return fixture at Crabble on New Year's Day. The league programme will finish in April this season to allow for the new end-of-season play-offs. Supporters should note that Dover will be playing the majority of their midweek home games on Monday this season rather than Tuesday as in previous seasons.

Dover boss Gary Bellamy has made his second signing since taking over at Crabble three weeks ago. 22-year-old Bournemouth midfielder Jamie Day has signed for the Whites on a free transfer as the new manager looks to strengthen his midfield following the departures of Dave Clarke and Danny Chapman. Day is a graduate of the FA School of Excellence and has represented England at Under 16, Under 17 and Under 18 level. He signed for Bournemouth two years ago from Premiership Arsenal for a fee of £20,000 and played against the Whites in their epic LDV Trophy tie at Dean Court in December. The club made the following statement last night:

Dover Athletic today announced that they have signed Jamie Day, aged 22, former Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth central midfield player.

Chairman Jim Gleeson stated that it is a most important signing for the club and further shows the intention of Gary Bellamy to gain promotion to the Football League as soon as possible.

Jamie was impressed with the definite approach of the Manager and Chairman to play attractive passing football and decided to plump for Dover rather than Margate.

Jamie was part of the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall and played in teams with Michael Owen and Wes Brown.

Manager Gary Bellamy sees Jamie as the linch-pin of the midfield and a player that brings others into the game.

Day is Bellamy's second high-profile signing following the capture of experienced defender Colin Vowden last week. The Dover boss will decide on the futures of defenders Tony Browne and Colin Pluck when he returns from holiday on July 5th.

Dover Athletic will have ten youth teams next season following the decision to run the club's youngest ever sides, at Under 8 and Under 9 levels. The move reflects Dover Athletic's commitment to football in the community and provides more opportunities for local youngsters to play for the Whites and receive first class coaching. The move follows the successful introduction of an Under 11s side this season. There are now Dover sides at under 8s, 9s, 11s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s, 18s and 19s with many of the club's young players also involved in the Reserve Team in the Bass Brewers Kent League.

Dover Athletic have unveiled three new initiatives for next season, for the benefit of younger supporters. The club will be offering parents the opportunity to have their child's birthday party at Crabble. The package includes catering, a tour of the ground and a MiniSoccer competition.

The club will also be running Children's Matchday Specials for home games on a Saturday. These cost £15 and include five hours of entertainment including football coaching, a tour of the stadium, a chance to meet the players, a meal and a seat in the Family Stand to watch the match.

Also new for the new season is the Junior Whites scheme. Membership costs just £10 for the season and includes a membership card and welcome pack, a team photograph and a photo of your favourite player, free access to the Family Stand, discounts in the club shop and at Football Fun Weeks, and the chance to meet the players. Members will also be entered into a draw to be a mascot.

For full details of these schemes, visit the commercial page. For more information phone Dave Scoggins on 01304 822373.

New Dover Athletic manager Gary Bellamy has made his first signing, 29-year-old centre-back Colin Vowden who has joined on a free from Kettering Town. The player rejected moves to Conference rivals Stevenage Borough, Dagenham & Rebridge and Woking and fills the gap left by the departures of Simon Beard and Stuart Munday.

The proposal to increase promotion and relegation between the Nationwide Football Conference and the Nationwide Football League has been rejected at the Football League's AGM today. In order for the proposal to be implemented 50% of the 72 League club chairmen, including at least half of the First Division chairmen, had to vote in favour. Conference clubs have long argued that only one promotion place is unfair and is damaging to non-league football. The League clubs were concerned over the financial implications for clubs relegated from the Third Division.

Out-of-favour midfielder Dave Clarke has signed for Kingstonian for an undisclosed five-figure fee. The former Harrow Borough player was placed on the transfer list in December after stating that he did not want to play for the club. Clarke, who signed for Athletic in February 1998 for a £5,000 fee, made 96 appearances for the Whites and scored 3 goals.

Dover Athletic today announced the appointment of Gary Bellamy as Club Manager. Bellamy, a former Wolverhampton Wanderers player, has spent the last five seasons as manager of Southern League side Chelmsford City. Assistant Manager Clive Walker will be staying at Crabble. Chairman Jim Gleeson has stated that there is some money available for the new manager to spend on squad strengthening.

Defender Stuart Munday has spoken to the DAFC official website about his reasons for leaving Crabble. The former Brighton player who made 166 appearances for the Whites said:

"Sadly it is true, I am leaving Dover. I have been in a very difficult position. With Bill leaving and me being out of contract I have been in limbo, not really knowing what to do. I had a couple of good offers from a couple of clubs but wanted to wait to see what was happening down at Dover as I love the club and have had 5 great years there but I had to make a few decisions and didn't want to be left with nothing as the new manager might not have wanted me, but that's football for you, all about opinions. Jim Gleeson did speak to me but he would obviously have to go with the new manager as Jim does not pick the team. He has got a lot of unjustified stick on the forum as I have always found him to be a good man. He is new to the football world and has made some mistakes but I honestly feel his heart is in Dover and he is learning what a ruthless game football can be."

Stuart also wished to thank all of Dover's fans for the support they have given him over the last 5 years and for supporting him at his testimonial earlier this year.

Dover Athletic hope to be able to announce the appointment of a new manager tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest. Despite reports to the contrary, the new man has not yet signed.

At the Football Conference AGM it was announced that the Bob Lord Trophy would not be contested in 2001/2002. The competition, which has had several name changes in recent years, most recently being known as the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy, had suffered from poor attendances and a lack of interest, with many clubs fielding weakened sides. The news will not be a blow to the Whites who have not won a game in the competition since 1995.

STUART MUNDAY has departed Crabble and followed Bill Williams to Kingstonian. The out of contract Whites defender opted to drop down to the Ryman League out of loyalty to his manager.

Munday said on Sunday afternoon:
"Kingstonian are an ambitious club. Bill is a great manager to work for and I believe he'll guide them straight back to the Conference. I had a good time at Dover but the time probably came for a change. Bill asked if I wanted to sign for his new club and I had no hesitation."

Dover Athletic are close to appointing a successor to Bill Williams but the identity of the new boss will not be revealed until the begining of next week. Ten people have been interviewed.

The first task of the manager will be to assess his squad and decide the futures of a number of first team players who are out of contract. Forward Steve Brown has already parted company with the club but there are other players waiting to find out if they will be required next season. Defender Stuart Munday has been linked with a number of other clubs but so far has waited to see if his future lies at Crabble. Colin Pluck who was signed on a short term deal last season is also out of contract and midfielder Sammy Okafor who spent the end of the season on loan from Colchester is also awaiting a decision on his future. The signing of released Welling player Lew Watts has also been on hold since Williams' departure.

The departures of a number of players since the end of the season will need to be addressed by the new manager who has been assured by chairman Jim Gleeson that there will be funds available to strengthen the squad.

Today two more of the candidates for Dover Athletic's vacant manager's position were revealed.

Chelmsford City announced that they had given their manager, Gary Bellamy, permission to talk to the Whites. Bellamy guided the Essex side to second spot in the Dr. Martens League Eastern Division this season, winning promotion to the Premier Division in the process.

The board are hopeful of being in a position to announce their new manager tomorrow but will delay their decision if they need more time to secure the best man for the job.

Dover Athletic hope to be able to announce their new manager on Friday of this week but chairman Jim Gleeson says he won't be hurried into making a decision. Mr. Gleeson is aware that a delay in making an appointment could cause unsettled players to move on (former manager Bill Williams has expressed an interest in one or more of Dover's squad for his new team, Kingstonian) but two new applications have been received from candidates who are "definitely worth interviewing" and the board are keen to make sure they get the best man for the job.

Mr. Gleeson's comment to the Dover Mercury that some of the applications have come from people "you wouldn’t expect to be interested" hints at the possibility of a high profile appointment. The only applicants to have been identified so far are current assistant manager Clive Walker and former Fisher Athletic boss Alan Walker.

Defender Simon Beard has signed for local rivals Margate on a free transfer. The ex-Sittingbourne and Hastings Town player had been offered a one year extension to his current deal by recently departed Whites boss Bill Williams but instead chose to move up the coast to join the Conference new boys. Beard signed for Dover in January 1999 and made 100 first team appearances for the Whites and scored three goals. He has been a regular in the Athletic side in the last two seasons and was named Club Player Of The Year by the players and staff this season but has often found himself third choice centre-back behind Lee Shearer and Jake Leberl.

Beard joins left-back James Virgo who has also made a summer switch to Hartsdown after failing to regain a first team place at Crabble following heart surgery at the end of last season. The club also confirmed earlier this week that Jason Moore, Anthony Hogg and Roy Godden would not be retained for next season after the trio spent most of this season on loan at lower league clubs. Hogg has signed for Folkestone Invicta.

Dover Athletic have received eight "good applications" for the vacant manager's position. Most of the candidates remain unknown but Dover chairman Jim Gleeson has revealed that assistant manager Clive Walker (right) is one of the applicants and has stated that he has as good a chance as any of being the next manager of Dover Athletic. Walker has previously managed in the Conference with Kettering Town and holds the highest coaching qualification available in European football, the UEFA 'A' Grading.

Another man called Walker is also in the running. Former Sittingbourne and Fisher Athletic manager Alan Walker has revealed that he has applied for the vacant position at Crabble. The other candidates remain a closely guarded secret but it seems more than likely that one is Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley who has done a good job on a tight budget at Cheriton Road. Former Deal Town and Ashford Town boss Tommy Sampson has ruled himself out. Ex-Whites boss Chris Kinnear was being considered for a possible return to Crabble but Margate have refused Dover permission to approach their manager.

The chairman is hopeful that the new manager will be announced by the end of next week following interviews with all of the short-listed applicants.

Dover Athletic will be inviting applications for the vacant manager's position at the club. Commercial Manager Dave Scoggins told the official website:
"We are to advertise the post of Team Manager and expect a healthy list of applicants. The players have been spoken to and the ones with contract offers from us, and those in consideration, have been asked to be patient for the next week so the right man can be appointed. It is only right that the new manager has the best possible options and that he makes the final decisions with regards the squad for next year."

Mr. Scoggins went on to reveal details of other changes planned for the coming months:
"With regards the other issues within the club, changes do occur and the business plan is laid out to bring success to Dover Athletic FC. We will have some improvements made over the summer to the Centre Spot and the relocated Club Shop, as well as applying for planning permission for a new Executive Lounge in a similar fashion to the Directors Box."

The club are appealing for supporters to back them during this period of change:
"We are asking for patience with regards the manager's post and trust you understand that all of the changes will settle down and show an improvement to the club. We hope the supporters will understand it is right to do it properly and that we hope they have patience with the club to do it right and for the best intentions of achieving success for the club. After all the club is nothing without its supporters."

Dover Athletic Football Club have announced that they have accepted the resignation of manager Bill Williams following an approach from Kingstonian FC regarding the position of Director of Football at Kingsmeadow. Bill Williams was Dover's most successful manager in Conference football. In his four and a half years at the helm, he and assistant Clive Walker have taken the Whites from being perennial relegation candidates to being a well established Conference side, finishing in the top half in two of the last three seasons including a club best finish of 6th in 1999/2000. Dover Athletic have not yet made any announcement concerning Bill Williams' successor.

Dover Athletic supporters can purchase a season ticket for next season at this season's prices if they buy before 15 June. Adult season tickets for the terraces are currently priced at £130 but will cost £145 from 1 July. Supporters who are unable to purchase their tickets before 15 June but do buy by 30 June will receive a £5 discount. The club are now able to accept credit card payments for season tickets.

The club have increased the cost of admission for adults from £7.50 to £8.00 for next season, but this is the only increase, senior, youth and junior prices remain unchanged at £5.00, £3.00 and £1.00 respectively. The club have also introudced a new Family Ticket (for two adults and two children) which will cost £16.00.

As in previous seasons, supporters can purchase Dover Athletic Money Saver Tickets (seven matches for the price of six), these will be priced at £48 for adults, £30 for seniors and £18 for youths.

Any enquiries should be made to the DAFC club office at Crabble (telephone 01304 822373).

Dover Athletic have announced the first details of their pre-season campaign. They have arranged a friendly against Nationwide League Division One side Gillingham at Crabble on Saturday 28 July, kick-off at 3:00pm. Gillingham visited Crabble for a friendly back in August and brought a strong team with them, eventually winning 3-0 after a decent display by the Whites.

Dover Athletic will be announcing the list of players they will be retaining at the beginning of next week. One player almost certain to be missing from the list is forward Steve Brown who is out of contract and has been talking to a number of other clubs. James Virgo and Anthony Hogg who have both spent the last couple of months on loan at Folkestone Invicta could move to Cheriton Road permanently although Conference newcomers Margate are reportedly also interested in signing Virgo. There have also been rumours surrounding the futures of other Whites players including Simon Beard and Colin Pluck. The list of retained players will appear on this site when it is announced. It is also possible that there could be some news of new signings next week. Watch this space.

Dover Athletic have reduced admission prices for the Kent Senior Cup Final on Bank Holiday Monday. The Whites take on holders Gravesend & Northfleet as they look to secure their first silverware for eight years. Admission for adults will be £6.00 with senior citizens priced at £4.00, unders 16s £2.00 and under 11s £1.00.

Goalkeeper, captain and coach Paul Hyde (far right) has won the Dover Athletic Supporters' Player Of The Year Trophy for the second successive season. Lee Shearer was named Dover Express Player Of The Year and Simon Beard was named Club Player Of The Year (voted for by the players, staff and directors). Matt Carruthers (right) was Supporters Club Away Player Of The Year and also picked up the Dover Mercury's Player Of The Year and Player Of The Month for April awards. Joff Vansittart was presented with a watch by Simmonds Jewellers for being the club's leading scorer this season.

Voting for the DAFC Website Player Of The Season will begin after the Kent Senior Cup Final on Monday.

Morecambe's defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge last night guarantees that Dover will finish at least fifteenth in the Conference this season as they are now five points clear of the Lancashire side with just one game left to play. Dover could still claim fourteenth place if they beat Stevenage Borough at Crabble tomorrow and Nuneaton Borough lose their game (Borough have a better goal difference though so a narrow win might not be enough for Athletic). Boston United can still be matched on points, but with a twelve goal advantage on goal difference they will almost certainly stay ahead of the Whites.

According to this week's local papers, newly-promoted Margate are planning to try to lure some of Dover's star players to Hartsdown. Ex-Whites manager Chris Kinnear is reportedly interested in defensive duo Lee Shearer and Jake Leberl. Dover boss Bill Williams has stated that neither are for sale as both are under contract. Forward Steve Brown (right), who was approached by Margate earlier in the season, could be on his way up the East Kent coast as he seems certain to leave Crabble in the summer. The Hartsdown club will face stiff competition for his signature with FA Trophy finalists Canvey Island and at least one Football League side among six clubs interested in the former Lincoln and Macclesfield player. Midfielder Dave Clarke is also likely to have moved on by the start of next season. Meanwhile, Bill Williams has secured the services of one new player and is confident of agreeing deals for two more.