Category: Match Preview

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.

AND THE WINNER IS – AWARDS NIGHT

We look ahead to our season finale both on and off the pitch.

The Whites face Weymouth on Saturday, looking to complete the 2022/23 season with a win. Mitch Brundle and the players will be looking to put on a show one final time before the summer break and we hope that you can join us at Crabble.

Dover Athletic Youth Section:

All the players from the Dover Athletic Youth Section have been invited to attend the match and will be doing a lap of honour at half-time to show our appreciation for their efforts in representing the club at various ages.

Charlton Primary School:

We welcome the children from Charlton Primary School to the game as they will be the mascots for the match. It will be a great experience for the children and further engages us into the community, something that will be at the forefront from next season with the new community officer in place.

Dover Athletic Supporters Club:

Following the completion of the match, the supporters club will be holding its annual awards in the Centre Spot. It is open to anyone and we would encourage you to stay behind after the game and watch the awards. There will also be a buffet kindly provided by the Supporters Club.

The awards up for nomination are:

  • Golden Boot
  • The Andy Fisher Shield for Away Supporters Player of the Season
  • The Simon Harris Shield for Supporters Player of the Season.

The winner of the Simon Harris award will nominate a charity for a £200 payment to be made by DASC.

We hope that we can get as many of you there as possible to finish the season on a high.

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

 

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.

 

UP NEXT – OXFORD CITY

Oxford City head to Crabble.

The Whites face the Hoops in our penultimate home match of the 2022/23 campaign, looking to avenge the 3-1 defeat earlier on in the season. City will be looking to cement a place in the play-off spots with Ebbsfleet already guaranteed one promotion place following their league title claim from last weekend.

Mitch Brundle’s side will be looking to keep one step ahead of the relegation rivals, something the boss has been keen to speak about on numerous occasions. ‘I won’t really be happy until i see four teams with R next to their name so we will keep going,’ said the Gaffer.

Tyrone Sterling completed his ban so is now available for selection which could give the boss a selection dilemma with a fully fit squad at his disposal. Speaking to Kent Online Sport, Brundle said ‘That’s the best thing at the minute because it’s getting towards the end of the season and everyone is fit. Everyone’s trying to fight for their contracts for next year. We’ve had a full-strength squad.’

Opposition boss Ross Jenkins has placed the emphasis on remembering the performance last time out against the Whites. Speaking to his clubs website he said ‘It’s important we replicate our performance in the reverse fixture at their place. It’s a long journey but we’ve got to get on with it and we’ll prepare as normal and get ready for a good game of football. There’s no fear on their behalf. However, it’s important that we don’t focus on that. They’ll do what they can do and we’ll try and do what we’re best at and what we’ve been doing all season and try and get a result there.’

Oxford City Form Guide:

Head to Head: 

The two sides have met twice in the last ten years with both claiming a win each. Dover advanced to the next round of the FA Cup back in 2013 courtesy of a 3-0 win here at Crabble. The Hoops won more recently, at the start of this campaign with an impressive 3-1 victory.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for this game can be purchased at the turnstile only.

Prices are as follows:

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 – DARTFORD

We head to Princes Park for a dose of Easter football. 

The Whites kicked off the Bank Holiday Easter weekend with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Welling United yesterday. It was a performance that summed our campaign up so far with us having dominated the ball but yet couldn’t put it in the onion bag. Welling hardly posed any real threat and looked content to play for a point but it could have been more had the referee spotted a potential penalty for Welling for a handball incident that eventually saw Wings Gaffer Warren Feeney sent off.

Dover manager Mitch Brundle was left frustrated by lack of three points but there were positives to take from the game. ‘I’m starting to sound like a broken record,’ said the Gaffer after the match. ‘We had some good moments but lacked the threat in the final third but that has been our season really. I was pleased with the defensive side of things as we never really looked like conceding. It’s another point and a clean sheet so we can take that away with us.’

The Whites dominated the first half, forcing Kai McKenzie into a handful of decent sides but were unable to bypass the Welling stopper. That game is now in the history books and with the Easter weekend raining fixtures on us, we move quickly onto Monday and a trip to North Kent. With Ebbslfeet wrapping up the title yesterday, Dartford now have the lottery of the play-offs to contend with if they want to advance back into the National League.

Dover will be looking to avenge a 3-1 hammering at Crabble earlier in the season but the form over the last five fixtures favours the home side heavily with the Whites only once in the last five, a 6-1 drubbing back in 2015. Despite the league table and formbook, we upset the odds last weekend away to Braintree so it’s not an impossible job. We hope to see as many of you as we can, to get behind the lads in what could be a crucial point in the season.

If you are thinking of travelling to the game the supporters club has a coach running.

Ticket Information

Adult £15

Concessions (Over 65) £10

Youth 13-17 £5

Junior £2

 

UP NEXT – WELLING UNITED

The Wings head to Crabble to kick-off the Easter Weekend.

Warren Feeney’s Welling United head to Crabble on Good Friday with both teams looking to steer clear from the bottom four. Our visitors sit one point and one place below us in the table in 17th position and will be looking to go one better than the point against the Whites back in September when two late goals from Manny Parry and Chike Kandi ensured that both teams took a point apiece.

Dover hold an impressive record over the Wings, winning four of the last five encounters, including a 5-0 thumping in a preseason friendly back in 2017. The Gaffer will be looking for another full blooded performance from his charges after some heroic defending last time out. As well as heaping plenty of praise on his players, Mitch Brundle had admiration for the travelling support last weekend who despite witnessing a less than favourable run of late, still got behind the team.

‘I cannot thank them enough,’ said the manager. ‘They have been fantastic since I came in and even with the down turn of form over those four games, still travelled to Braintree and got behind the team. Hopefully we can get some through the gate to kick off the bank holiday and we look forward to hopefully getting another three points.’

There are still spaces available in the VIP suite where you can relax and watch the game with the best view of the house, including a delicious three course meal. Details can be found on the website.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for this game can be purchased at the turnstile only.

Prices are as follows:

Adults – £16

Over 60 – £14

Under 18 – £8

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

UP NEXT – BRAINTREE TOWN

The Whites head to Essex to take on Braintree.

Mitch Brundle takes his Dover side to Essex this weekend in a bid to stop a run of five consecutive defeats after only losing once in the previous eight matches prior to the 3-0 loss at home to Cheshunt.

The Whites romped to a 3-1 victory over the Iron in October and hold a pretty decent record over the hosts, winning four of the last five meetings, including a 6-1 drubbing courtesy of four Ricky Miller goals back in 2016.

Braintree are chasing a play off birth and despite their shock defeat to Taunton last time out, will be formidable opponents. Tyrone Sterling and Myles Judd could miss out through suspension but skipper Lee Martin and Jordan Higgs will return from their two match bans. Speaking to Kent Online Sport the Gaffer said ‘Martin and Higgs strengthen our midfield and you’re going to lose players but, hopefully, people stand up. Once you bring players into the first-team, including from the Academy, it’s only right that you use them. Some of the boys step up, like Freddie Oliver has done. Sometimes, you find little gems underneath your noses that you didn’t know about.’

The boss had his eyes firmly set on the fixture in hand amidst calls of a return of Alfie Pavey to haunt the Whites but unfortunately the forward misses out through suspension. ‘People might not know but me and Pavey have been friends for a very long time. He’s a fantastic player. When you play to his strengths, his goalscoring record speaks for itself. He would have wanted to play against his old team. Personally, I’m not going back there as a player, I’m going back as a manager. I loved it there, it’s where I broke through, really, but we’ll try to earn three points.’

Ticket Information:

Seat/Ground – Adults £15

Seat/Ground – Concessions £10

Ground Only – U18 £5

Getting to the Dunmow Group Stadium:

Leave the M25 at junction 27 and head north on the M11. Leave the M11 at junction 8 and head east on the A120. Follow the A120 for 16 miles until you reach Galleys Corner roundabout. Take the first exit into Cressing Road. Entry to the ground is approximately three-quarters of a mile on your left (Clockhouse Way) and is sign posted.

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

UP NEXT – ST ALBANS CITY

The Whites travel to St Albans looking to get back to winning ways.

We head to the Mozzarella Fellas Stadium, Clarence Park, for our next Vanarama National South outing. The lads will be looking to turn around our fortunes following a hat-trick of defeats. This weekend also sees the return of Non League Day, which promises to bring an added buzz around the place with the pre attendance figures already quoted as having beaten the previous record attendance between the two clubs which stands at just over 800.

St Albans City socials had been advertising a good ticket deal for the match and interest was very high in the reduced tickets.

Entry to the Mozzarella Fellas Stadium at Clarence Park for the 2022/2023 season is subject to the following admission prices:

Match tickets

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.

Club members may purchase match tickets with a 10% discount (except for the proper rounds of the FA Cup).

Matchday tickets, hospitality options, season tickets, and club memberships can be obtained from our online ticketing site. Tickets can be pre-purchased or purchased from the turnstiles (card payments only).

  • Seniors aged 65 and over
  • Unemployed (JSA recipients)
  • Personal Indépendence Payments recipients
  • NHS and Blue Light Services staff members
  • Serving Members of the Armed Forces
  • Students in full-time education (aged over 21 years old)
  • Season Ticket Holders of Watford, Luton Town, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, and West Ham United

** Must attend with another ticket holder aged 16 or over
*** A pre-purchased family ticket will include 1 x Adult plus 1 x Youth (Under 18) for £18 or 2 x Adults plus 2 x Youth (Under 18s) for £30.

**** Her Game Too initiative – special admission price for season ticket holders of any women’s football club

Ways to buy a match ticket
Online via our FanZone website subject to availability.

In-person at Clarence Park on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10 am and 1 pm (card payments only)

All supporters are asked to respect our neighbours and park with consideration. A large car park is available at St Albans City Station and costs are modest for evening or Saturday parking.