The Whites make their first long away trip of the campaign.

Dover make their first trip to the west country this Saturday when the Whites head to high flying Bath City to renew old rivalries. For fans of an older persuasion, you will no doubt remember the 1989-90 season when we were stripped of promotion due to Crabble seemingly not up to standard, only for Bath to take our place in the then GM Vauxhall Conference, following an exhilarating title between the two clubs. Just two years later and the Whites made amends, joining City in the fifth tier of English football.

Mitch Brundle takes his side to Twerton Park looking to add more points on the board but will find a City side that is absolutely flying at the summit of the National League South. To add fuel to the fire, Bath are holding a ‘Pay what you like’, Community Day, with punters asked to pay a minimum £2 on the gate. This will no doubt ensure that the crowd will be bolstered with such a good deal in place to add to an already carnival atmosphere.

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Ticket Information:

A Pay What You Like, Community Day Match. You can select standard ticket prices or enter the amount you want to donate per person in the Pay What You Like box (£2 minimum to cover transaction charges and administration. You can pay any amount on the gate).

Adult £15

Senior £12

Student U18 £7

Under 16 £2

Whites head into FA Cup action. 

This week sees the welcome distraction from league duty as we head into FA Cup action with Hastings United coming to town. There have been some memorable FA Cup matches over the years with the likes of Oxford United, Aldershot Town, Peterborough United, MK Dons, Cheltenham Town, Huddersfield Town and most fondly remembered would be the televised Third Round tie against Crystal Palace.

Some results have been euphoric where has some have been not so easy on the eye. There have been many upsets with the Whites being on both sides of the coin but I’m sure you can all remember that sweet, sweet day at Priestfield when we turned over Gillingham in their own backyard. Then there was the late winner from Ruel Sotiriou against Southend United. I mean I could go on and on.

Is it a massive game? Yes, of course. I want to have a cup run.

The FA Cup has always excited me as a player and, as a kid, I watched it.’ – Mitch Brundle

While it’s always nice to take a trip down memory lane, football is played in the here and now and Mitch Brundle will be desperate to get his FA Cup maiden voyage as boss off to a flyer. He will have to do it without the outward departing Chevron McLean and Mike Olarewaju, who left the club this week by mutual consent. We wish them well in the future and thank them for their efforts in a white shirt.

Henry Young put pen to paper on a deal following his 18th birthday. Congratulations, Youngy. Over to you now lads, lets make sure we are in the hat for the next round.

COYW!

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Ticket Information: – All Must Pay

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

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

Whites find out 2nd round opponents

Dover Athletic will travel to Beckenham Town in the 2nd Round of the Kent Senior Cup. The date for the fixture will be confirmed once we have received it, with the tie needing to be completed by the end of November.

 

We face off against the Terras. 

Another Saturday, another home game. This time we face off against Weymouth in a game that already both teams will be looking forward to hopefully getting some more much needed points on the board. Both ourselves and todays opponents dropped three points mid-week with neither team scoring a goal so today will see a game where a win will be vital.

It’s down to having someone who puts the ball in the back of the net. Whether you’re 17 or you’re 29, if you’re in front of the goal, you’ve got to score – Mitch Brundle

The last time the two sides met was of course on the final game of the 2022/23 campaign in which the Whites needed a point or more to secure National League South status and relegate the Terras, but it was the visiting team who celebrated on the pitch with their fans as a 2-0 win ensured survival. Dover needed a helping hand from Chippenham Town but both sides stayed up, nevertheless.

Mitch Brundle will be hoping that his team can put in another Chippenham style performance, adding goals into the mix. While the results seem to be going against the Whites, the team is not a million miles away from where it needs to be. A penalty miss against Tonbridge, unable to find a second against Chippenham and even a handball goal disallowed (it wasn’t), have potentially cost us an additional couple of points, but that’s football. Decisions tend to even themselves out over the course of the campaign.

Lets get behind the boys and push them to securing a vital three points.

COYW!

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We still have players available to sponsor, an updated list will be in Saturdays match day programme. If you are interested click HERE

Ticket Information:

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

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

 

The Whites hit the road for some midweek action. 

Having played host to Chippenham Town just 48 hours ago, Dover get on the road as Mitch Brundle and his side look to bring home three points from Clarence Park. It was a stormy encounter the last time the two sides met back in March with the Whites ending the match with only nine men and on the end of a 1-0 score line that went in the favour of the home side who eventually crept into the play-offs.

 

St Albans have only one win for their efforts so far this season, coming on the opening day against Havant & Waterlooville, so it will be an interesting match up with both teams desperate for the points at this early stage. Our only win has also come on the road so the lads will be looking to add to that as we try and navigate our way up the National League South table. Dover have fallen into the bottom four and while it is certainly too early for panic stations, the emphasis like every game, will be to go out on the front foot and try to get a positive result.

 

Form Guide: 

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Ticket Information:

Adult – £16.50

Concession – £11.00

Her Game Too STH – £11.00

18-23 – £8

12-17 – £6

Child U12 – Free

The Whites look to get back to winning ways. 

With back to back defeats over the Bank Holiday weekend, Mitch Brundle will be keen to get back to winning ways at home to Chippenham Town this coming Saturday. The Bluebirds will head to the Megger Community Stadium in decent form having beaten Slough Town 2-1 on Monday to continue their good start to the campaign.

The two teams met twice last season for the first time in the clubs history and the Bluebirds had the upper hand over us with four points out of a possible six. Those who travelled to Chippenham last season will remember the fantastic goal scored by Myles Judd from a Lee Martin Corner, which was probably the highlight of the two games for the Whites who will be hoping to take the upper hand this time around.

This week saw two departures from the club as the manager looked to free up space in his squad with both Olu Durojaiye and Imran Kayani both heading out the Crabble exit door. Olu had yet to play a single minute while Kayani had only showed glimpses in a couple of substitute appearances. Speaking to Kent Online Sport on the decision to release the players Brundle said ‘It’s the harsh reality of football. It’s horrible to do but I’ve chosen to do it because you never know what will become available. Certain top Premier League clubs don’t let players go until a certain time or a certain date when their window shuts. We’ll be looking at that market’

We wish both lads all the best moving forward with their careers.

The players will be in the Centre Spot until 6pm after the match for anyone wishing to meet them.

Form Guide:

 

Head to Head:

Ticket Information:

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

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

COYW!

 

We look forward to a Bank Holiday weekend double header.

This weekend sees the Whites head into battle on two fronts with the games coming thick and fast as we host Worthing FC on the Saturday before making the relatively short trip north to Dartford. Mitch Brundle will be looking at getting more points on the board as he continues his positive start to the campaign.

There’s a feel-good factor everywhere. The fans have been fantastic. – Mitch Brundle.

 

Saturday 26th August – Worthing (H)

First up we look at high flying Worthing who again are looking to push hard for a play-off place come what April after finishing fourth in the 2022/23 campaign. The Mackerel Men were one of the most impressive outfits when they visited Crabble last season and the Gaffer knows his team are going to have to be on their ‘A’ game. Worthing lost to high flying Avely last time out but Brundle knows that teams at this level will always have a blip and then come back strong. ‘They won’t go away from their philosophy,’ said Brundle, when quizzed by Kent Online Sport. ‘We’ll watch their games. We won’t just watch that game they’ve lost, we’ll watch the games that they played well in. They had started the season very well. They’ll have a lot of possession but we’ll, hopefully, find a way that can hurt them in transitions.’

 

Form Guide:

 

Head to Head:

Ticket Information:

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

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

• Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
• Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

 

Monday 28th August – Dartford (A)

On Bank Holiday Monday we make the trip to Princes Park, Dartford, for our second Kent derby of the season. Mitch Brundle will be hoping for a better performance than the last time the two teams faced each other back in April when a 2-1 defeat meant that the Whites were fighting for their National South lives. The Darts have been struggling to gain all three points from their opening four matches with draws hampering their play-off push for this campaign.

 

 

Form Guide:

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Ticket Information:

Adults – £16

Concessions – £11

Youth 13-17 (Must be with an adult) – £5

Junior (Must be with an adult) – £2

Grassbanks, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1RT

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

COYW!

The Iron head to Crabble for our latest test.

We now look forward to the visit of Braintree Town to the Megger Community Stadium this coming Saturday, following the disappointing result against Tonbridge Angels. Mitch Brundle will be looking to see what kind of characters he has in his squad as they look to bounce back with three points at Crabble. ‘Every single one is willing to take advice and criticism on board. That’s good because I’m always ruthless, said Brundle when quizzed by Kent Online Sport. ‘Once you accept one bad performance, they think it’s okay to have another one. But people have written them off and it’s got a fire in their bellies.’

It’s a good learning curve for some of the lads and also a good wake up call. We had a training session yesterday and then it’s back to Saturday with the games coming around thick and fast – Mitch Brundle

The Iron had excelled themselves last season with many people expecting them to struggle, finishing in the play-off spots before eventually losing out to Worthing 2-1. The Whites will fancy their chances at getting back to winning ways with the head to head leaning favourably towards the home side but anything can happen on the day.

 

Form Guide:

Head to Head:

Ticket Information:

We are also offering a five game ticket. These can only be used by one individual per match and not in groups.

• Adult – £75 (£10 saving)
• Concession – £65 (£10 saving)

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

Adults – £17

Over 60 – £15

Under 18 – £9

Under 11s continue to be free with paying adult

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

COYW.

 

Baptiste strikes late to win it for the Whites.

A 94th minute winner from Luke Baptiste sent the dover faithful home with smiles on their faces after a winner at the death sealed three points for the Whites on their travels.

Dover headed to Slough for the first away trip of the campaign with both teams tipped to be propping up the table, this already seemed to be a fixture that neither team wanted to lose. Gaffer Mitch Brundle made only one change to the starting eleven that came back to draw against Torquay United, with Bello coming in to replace the injured Allen on the left flank. That was of course until the warm up when Josh Anifowose turned his ankle on the 4G pitch, giving youngster Henry Young his debut.

It was a fairly even start to the game with both sides sizing each other up. Billy Terrell made a fantastic stop midway through the first half to keep the scores level, palming away a header from a corner when it looked like the Rebels would take the lead. Dover built up confidence and the in form Zidan Sutherland struck low to put the Whites 1-0 to the good and take his tally to two from two. It was a decent half for the visitors, who by the referee’s half time whistle, had complete control of the match.

Scott Davies made a double substitution at the break, desperate to upset Athletics flow. Slough had played most of their attacking intent down Dover’s right but the impressive John Oyenuga was having none of it, snubbing out wave after wave of attack. His opposite number George was hooked at half time and Slough switched flanks in a bid to get back into the match.

Unfortunately for the Whites it was a set piece that was their undoing as a free header from Minhas brought the teams level. Slough looked the more likely to get the win as they pressed Dover further and further back, forcing Terrell into action again but the young stopper was equal to it. As the clock ticked into injury time it looked like both sides were going to settle for a point. Dover cleared their lines with the ball bouncing into the path of the energetic Bello. The forward took a couple of touches, dragging two defenders with him before sliding a pass down the side to Luke Baptiste. Baptiste looked to shoot on his right but the path to goal was blocked before switching to his left foot and slamming the ball home with barely seconds left on the clock.

The travelling fans behind the goal went wild and showed the players their appreciation at the final whistle. Thank you for your support, the lads really appreciate it.

Onto Tonbridge Tuesday night to face the Angels.

COYW!

Dover Athletic: Terrell, Oyenuga, McLean, Naylor, Olarewaju, Charles-Cook, Bello, Young, Dunne, Nikaj, Sutherland

Subs: Ojemen, Olu, Baptiste, Kayani, Dembele

Slough Town: Graczyk, Dandy, Prosper, Minhas, Goddard, Parillon, Alexander, Davies, George, Dice, Sundire

Subs: Giles, Ogbonna, Louis, Spicer, McElroy