Football is the game, Money is how we keep score.

Lowestoft Town FC
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November

Lowestoft vs Forest Green
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A great result against one of the teams performing above expectations who find themselves towards the top end of the table. Our inside forwards both score sublime finishes to give us two goals and a well needed 3 points which goes a long way.

Lowestoft vs Shrewsbury
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So it's back to the FA Cup against Sky Bet League 1 outfit Shrewsbury. We played out of our skin but the sheer difference in quality between the two teams was the difference in the end. That marks the end of our FA Cup journey.

Lowestoft vs Bromley
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This was a great opportunity to get a result against one of our relegation rivals but alas we couldn't put in a solid enough performance. It was a fairly level game so the scoreline doesn't really reflect that, we should of scored one or two goals but Bromley certainly deserved the same, so it came down to quality of finishing.

Gateshead vs Lowestoft
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Again, another opportunity to get a result over one of the bottom sides of the table, at least this time it's a draw despite Jake Reed's best efforts in front of goals. We had plenty of chances (whats new eh?) but we couldn't make the most of them. Gateshead had a few chances themselves so i suppose a draw is a fair result.

Kidderminister vs Lowestoft
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It's not often you get 3 relegation candidates in a row, but this time we made the most of it and got 3 goals and 3 points, which certainly helps our goal difference along with the all important points total. Jake Reed hit the back of the net yet again along with Inside Forward Callum Brittain.

Lowestoft vs Aldershot
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Okay... 3 relegation candidates in a row was bad enough but 4? Aldershot are the worst team in the league so far, sitting rock bottom and are in search of a new manager but it's safe to say i won't be applying for that job with them at the bottom of the division. This was a shocking performance from everyone in the team especially our defence. We had a few chances to score but nothing clear cut. On the other hand Aldershot made the most of their chances.

Mansfield vs Lowestoft
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What a result considering the performance. Mansfield are sitting at the top of the league so to get a point from them at their home ground is something special. A nice way to finish the month. It's been a mixed month but we're starting to pick up some consistent points here and there so hopefully we can build on this. After this month we've slipped back into the relegation zone but with a bit of a gap ahead of the teams below us and only a point separating a few teams.

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You might be asking yourselves..." Why aren't Lowecroft light blue ? " well... i didn't get sacked but i did get a interview at Dover, and went to see how i could get on and they decided to offer me the job with a nice pay rise. I'm not up to £500 a week and more importantly, i'm in a team in the top of the table who have a real chance at pushing for the playoffs!
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Just out of curiousity..

How would you like me to proceed with updates?
Monthly/Seasonably?
Anything else you would like to see? I could post International and European cup events.
 
Dover Athletic FC
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December
Lowestoft vs Dover
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Well what a way to start my career at Dover, by facing up against my former employers and i sure showed them what they would be missing. This was actually my first day as manager of Dover aswell so it would be the first time i'd see the squad. I was really impressed by their sheer quality in front of goal with Ricky Miller scoring 4 times!

Dover vs Bromley
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Next up was an FA trophy tie against Bromley, and it sure was another entertaining fixture. I wasn't too concerned about this fixture, i'm not really big into domestic cups unless its the real FA Cup so i'm not too disheartened by the result because the performance was pretty good. We took an early lead but quickly found ourselves on the back foot as they scored 2 early goals of their own. We managed to equalize just before the break through Ricky Miller and then Stefan Payne put us in the lead early in the second half but we couldn't hold onto it.

Bromley vs Dover
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What a game. We were so good but just couldn't score! We had a shed load of chances but their keeper kept them in it. We lost our number one through injury in the first half which could've cost us the game as we eventually went to penalties and were knocked out after our second string keeper buckled while taking the last penalty.

Woking vs Dover
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My first loss as Dover manager and it was a deserved one as we played absolutely rubbish. That's all i can say really, Woking were by far the better team and deserved the win. You might want to see their first goal though... i still don't know how it went in, handball?
<font size="3"><span style="font-family:century gothic;">[video=youtube;C_5CanNUp0g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_5CanNUp0g[/video]

Dover vs FC Halifax
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A big game against fellow playoff candidates FC Halifax and a positive result. I'm really annoyed at the fact we conceded in injury time, but with that being said Halifax deserved at least the draw. A positive performance.

Bath vs Dover
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Back to winning ways in style. What a performance from everyone and especially Stefan Payne who is banging them in for us along with Ricky Miller. Miller actually had 2 goals to his name before i joined now he has 7, so hes playing well under me. The scoreline was very kind towards us, Bath definitely didn't deserve to lose by that many.

Dover vs Barrow
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Our final game of the month and year came up against league strugglers Barrow and we did Lowestoft a favour here by smashing them. A fairly even game to be fair but with Payne up front it looks like any chance he has in front of their sticks could be a goal. Great way to finish 2016.

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So after a good first month in charge of Dover I find myself just inside the playoff spots. A good decision to move? I think so, look at poor Lowestoft. We're playing well but we don't exactly have a healthy looking goal difference, but i don't care as long as we score more than the opponent.

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Ricky Miller wins goal of the month with this cracker
<font size="3"><span style="font-family:century gothic;">[video=youtube;Ua-5_MyLe3s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-5_MyLe3s[/video]

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Anthony Georgiou also wins young player of the month.

​
 
Dover Athletic
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January
Forest Green vs Dover
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Not the best way to start the month. Extremely frustrating game to watch. Stefan Payne was out injured for this one with a small knock so we had to make do without him but ultimately couldn't score without our frontman. Forest Green made the most of their chances and got the win.

Dover vs Kidderminister
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Back to winning ways in style with Stefan Payne making a return with a hattrick against league strugglers Kidderminister. Overall a pleasing performance. Winger Tom Murphy added to Stefan Paynes goals to give us a rather convincing win, which is exactly what we needed after faltering against Forest Green.

Dover vs Gateshead
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Another fantastic win and another fantastic victory against another team struggling at the bottom of the league which no doubt will help Lowestoft when it comes to goal difference. Stefan Payne scoring again, but it was Inside Forward Georgiou who was the hero today with a lovely hat-trick.

Bromley vs Dover
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Bromley prove to be a difficult team to beat after my third attempt. They took the lead just before half time but we equalized in the second half and really looked like we could of scored one or two more but Bromley held out. Stefan Payne was taken off in the last minute of the 90 after clashing with Pablo Mills, who was also taken off and will be out for a few weeks.

Aldershot vs Dover
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This was a game i was looking to score quite a few goals against rock bottom Aldershot but they proved to be a difficult team to break down and actually dominated the game and they will feel hurt after conceding and late goal through a corner. A bit of luck but i'll take it!

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After a decent month we find ourselves in 6th position in the league, just a point outside the playoffs and only 3 points between 3rd and 6th so the play-offs are wide open.
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Dover Athletic
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February
Dover vs Macclesfield
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Great start to the month against a decent side. It was a well fought win with goals coming from midfield maestro Charlie Allen , Target Man Michael Ngoo and Inside Forward Georgiou.

Dovers vs Mansfield
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A difficult game against table toppers Mansfield and we really proved that we had a shot at getting promoted this season. Tom Murphy missed out on a hattrick after missing a penalty, which was a shame but all that matters is the 3 points.

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So a short month see's us climb into 4th in the league. After beating Mansfield, we're only 7 points from the top now so automatic promotion isn't out of our reach yet.

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Poor Lowestoft have only managed to pick up 4 points since my departure and have failed to win a single game, and i'm sure they'll drop down a division this season.
​
 
Any feedback and comments are welcome and very much appreciated.
 
Just read the thing from the start and you are doing well mate. Dover are local to me so shall be interesting to see how you get on with them :)
 
Still Enjoying how you're doing it! If it's a bit too much for you, go season by season or maybe just every few months. But I think it's good how it is! Good luck with promotion.
 
Dover Athletic
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March

Grimsby vs Dover
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What a game! A ding-dong battle at Grimsby. Some horrific defending from both sides but some lovely football all the same. A hattrick for Tom Murphy along with a goal for Georgiou and Stefan Payne summed up our goal scorers. We looked to finish the game on top but Grimsby knocked in a late goal to give them a share of the spoils.

Dover vs Braintree
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Another draw, very frustrating! We had a two goal lead but couldn't hold onto it. It's a big slip up as Braintree are up in the playoff spots aswell so 3 points against them would been a big help! Another 2 goals from Murphy sees him score 5 in the last 2 games.

Lincoln vs Dover
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This is getting ridiculous, 3 draws in a row while losing leads. What makes it even more frustrating is that Lincoln are a down in the bottom half of the league table so we really should be beating them easy enough if we want to get promoted. Target Man Michael Ngoo scores two goals but alas, it's never enough.

Dover vs Hednesford
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Who would of guessed... another draw. This time against relegation battlers Hednesford. Teams seem to be hitting us back almost immediately it's something i definitely have to look into in the next few games. A poor month overall

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A poor month sees us slip out of the play off spots and pretty much rules out automatic promotion unless torquay and mansfield ****** it up. It's going to be a tough final few games.

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I did get a new contract and a £100 payrise!​
 
Dover Athletic
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APRIL

Torquay vs Dover
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Big game at the top of the table. Torquay are leading at the minute but Mansfield are hot on their heels. Took an early lead but we lost that in the second half but we managed to get another in the latter stages. Well needed 3 points against a good team, and finally stops the run of draws.

Ebbsfleet vs Dover
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There was me thinking that was the end of the draws.. What a game to be fair. Conceded another late goal which is extremely frustrating. I'm going to refresh the entire team in the summer, getting rid of any deadwood and a complete overall of the tactic because regardless of what i do the smaller teams always find a weakness.

Bristol Rovers vs Dover
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A very dodgey performance but we got the result in the end. We aren't creating as many chances as we used to, whether thats down to teams adapting a lot quicker or whether it's just tiredness, because i have been playing the same 11 since i took over due to lack of depth.

Dover vs Boreham Wood
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A vital win in the race for the playoffs. Boreham Wood and Dover are neck and neck in terms of points but Boreham are the in form team so to get 3 points against them is fantastic. Michael Ngoo is in decent form scoring a few goals, makes up for Stefan Payne's lack of goals recently.

Wrexham vs Dover
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So annoyed at this result. We need points and can't afford to be slipping up against teams like Wrexham. We're not hitting the net and we're very poor at general play, hopefully i can plug the leak before we it's too late. Still, a point is better than 0, Stefan Payne also missed a penalty and i'm starting to think the poor lad is low on confidence.

Dover vs Cheltenham
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It all came down to this game. we were occupying the final playoff spot before this match with Boreham Wood ahead of us on Goal Difference and Braintree just below us on goal difference, so it was a must win for me and i needed one of them to slip up. We did our part... just about, with a Charlie Harris screamer.

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Luck was on our side, both Boreham and Braintree had lost, with Grimsby beating Boreham and claiming their spot. So Braintree and Boreham Wood lose out while Dover and Grimsby make the playoffs. So we take on FC Halifax while Grimsby take on Mansfield.



​
 
Dover Athletic
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END OF SEASON PLAYOFFS
Before i get into the matches against FC Halifax i want to talk a little bit about tactics. Looking over the last month or two of the normal season, we can see that we conceded a lot of goals, but we also scored alot of goals. Now, coming into the playoffs i wanted to limit the amount of chances that we concede and i'm happy enough to sacrifice some of our own attacking prowess to achieve this. So i decided to change the formation completely, not only to create a more structured shape, but because of injuries. Our first choice left back Aswad Thomas, our First choice right winger Tom Murphy, and a number of our defenders were our injured, so this is what i came up with and felt it would make us hard to break down.
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Now lets have a look at the playoffs.

Dover vs FC Halifax
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Fantastic result and a good performance to go along with it. We shut out FC Halifax for the majority of the match. Charlie Allen, scored another screamer of a goal to give us the lead and we built on that with Stefan Payne scoring is 30th goal of the season and 29th in the league. FC Halifax number one Jonathan Flatt made a mistake and flapped in a cross into his own net.

FC Halifax vs Docer
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Another good performance and we did just about enough to get through to the final where we face Mansfield. Michael NGoo score his 20th goal of the season to give us the lead but Halifax hit us back immediately and quickly took the lead. It was shakey towards the end of the match but we kept them out.

Dover vs Mansfield
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We did it! We're going to the Sky Bet League 2! Despite conceding an early goal through a corner. After a passionate team-talk the team went out with guns blazing. Michael Ngoo scoring immediately after the break and then again 18 minutes later to give us the lead. The game quietened down then with not much happening until Charlie Harris picked up the ball outside the area and belted a shot into the top right corner to ensure we won the final!

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Another pay rise for me! Edging closer to that glorious £1000 mark.

Here's a look at our end of season reviews. I'll post back with Pre-Season , Transfers and Season Pre-View. ​
 
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Congrats on Promotion and the pay-rise! Your double my wage already...god **** you.
 
Dover Athletic
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Pre-Season
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Seeing as this will be both Dover's and my own first venture into the Sky Bet League 2, i wanted a busy pre-season to work on our fitness and overall teamwork, so i got a few big teams in to play us. As well as that, we turned professional and had to extend our stadium, so finances were looking a little bleak so i tried my best to get some income in from the friendlies and we did relatively well securing a big profit. The performances were pretty pleasing as well, except for the Swansea and Spurs games. We look in good shape.

Transfers:
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So lets have a look at the transfers at the club. Out of all the departures there are only really 3 players who featured for Dover under my management. Ricky Miller, Will Evans and Deverdics, they weren't good enough for this league and i felt the wages couldve be spent elsewhere on better players. So i got a lot of players in and most of them will be going straight into the team Some may notice Vidal. I signed him at Lowestoft and he's a great prospect so i couldn't resist when i saw that he was available on a free. I set up a link with Bristol City so i got two of their best talents in on loan to bolster the squad and offer options. I'm not going to show all their profiles 'cause that'll take a while and i dont have much time so i'll just show the top 3.

Olamide Shodipo
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Not your typical Irish name but Shodipo looks a tidy player! A natural winger who i'll be training as an AMR in my latest 4-4-2.

Tom Gardiner
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Tom Gardiner will go straight into my back four. He looks like a decent centre back and will hopefully help out our leaky defence.

Jamie Stephens
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I needed a goalkeeper and Jamie Stephens will fill the spot between the sticks nicely. He's injured at the moment and will miss the start of the season but hopefully i can keep him fit for the rest.

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A very busy start to life in League 2 , with 2 cup competitions to play along with the league we'll have 8 games in the first month. Up first are Barnet who will be struggling along with us at the bottom end of the table so hopefully i can get a result straight away.
​
 
Dover Athletic
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August

Dover vs Barnet
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Not the best of starts to life in the Football League, but then again it's not the worst either. Barnet are one of the teams tipped to fight relegation along with Dover so it was a tough test. We played decently and had a decent foothold in the game but struggled to create any real goal scoring chances, but we defended well and were unfortunate to concede a late goal.

MK Dons vs Dover
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This is a lot better. A great performance against a far superior team in the league cup. We looked to score every time we got into the box and gave MK Dons a good run for their money but unfortunately luck wasn't on our side during the penalty shootouts.

Newport County vs Dover
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I didn't expect to get my first win this early and in this fashion. What a game! Again we were very clinical, looking like scoring with every chance. It looked shakey for a long time in the second half Newport always threatening so i didn't think we'd hold onto the lead but the red card definitely helped our cause as we held onto our narrow lead.

Dover vs Blackpool
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And we make it two wins in a row! Fantastic! Against a very big team aswell, really Blackpool shouldn't be down this far should they? A great performance creating plenty of chances, only this time we weren't as clinical. We're controlling games fairly well, keeping a tight shape at the back which is really something i was worried about during pre-season.

Plymouth vs Dover
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We got off to good start but Plymouth were just too strong. I'm not too disappointed with this result because the performance was great. Playing some nice football and carving some decent chances, but Plymouths defence were on point and we couldn't do much about it,

Hartlepool vs Dover
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Another great performance but disappointing result. We controlled the game nicely and create plenty of chances but a lack of finishing didn't help. Hartlepool were very dangerous on the break and carved us open a few times but the result all came down to set pieces with Hartlepool scoring from two corners.

Dover vs Northampton
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Some great news and some horrible news. Good news is we're through to the next round of the Paint Trophy but the bad news is Michael Ngoo is going to be out for a long time...With Stefan Payne and Andre Brown both injured also i had to throw Tom Murphy up front and it paid off with him scoring a brace to hand us the win!

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A decent start to the season see's us sitting 14th after 5 games so i'm delighted with that. As you can see Michael Ngoo has done his achilles tendon so hopefully he can come back without any setbacks. He's a really important player and looks like he could turn into a great player with a valuation of 250K.
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Thought you'd like to have a look at the summer transfer window. The biggest move being Barbosa going to Arsenal!
​
 
Any and all comments are welcomed along with feedback or any questions!
 
Dover Athletic
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September

Dover vs AFC Wimbledon
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A tough game against the Dons but we held our ground fairly well despite the result. We dominated the possession controlling the game but a lack of that "final-ball" eluded us and limited our chances. Wimbledon scored through a corner, something which i don't think i've ever done at Dover, but we've shipped a few goals through set-pieces recently so i'll have to look into that.

Torquay vs Dover
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Another big game against the team that came up with us from the National League and i was eager to get the win and the team delivered. Despite Torquay having the greater number of shots on goal we were by far the biggest danger. The possession based tactic that i wanted to bring this season is starting to click together nicely.

Dover vs Port Vale
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Another big game against one of the teams within our reach, but this time it didn't go to plan at all. Despite dominating the game and being the better team Port Vale left with all 3 points which is disappointing. They didn't deserve any of the goals, it was really frustrating to watch. An injury to centre back Tom Gardiner didn't help too much either especially seeing as i had all my substitutions used up so we finish with 10 men.

Exeter vs Dover
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This is a game i expected to lose so to get a point at Exeter is fantastic and a good performance to go with it. We held the majority of the possession, carving a few chances at goal but nothing deadly. Exeter were limited to a lot of long shots which weren't really a problem for us. Great point.

Dover vs Crawley
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Another biggish game against a team who are just above us in the table so to get such a marginal win is fantastic. A truly remarkable display from the boys especially from full back Damian Batt who assisted all 3 of the goals scored by our players, other than the penalty. A freak own goal and a penalty secured all three points.

Tranmere vs Dover
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A nice way to end the month against one of the best teams in the league. We didn't create an awful lot of chances at goal but we shut them out which is the important thing, leaving us with only long range pot shots to deal with.

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A strong month see's us mid table after 11 games which is fantastic. I didn't expect to be doing so well after just 11 games, and hopefully we can build on it and secure ourselves a decent position in the league.

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Poor old Lowestoft are falling apart without me and look to be on their way out of the National League altogether.
​
 
Dover Athletic
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October

AFC Wimbledon vs Dover
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A good performance and a result to go with it. Dominated the game but then again we didn't create to many chances. Wimbledon had their fair share of chances but didn't cause too many problems, most of their shots were long range.

Dover vs Wycombe
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Tough game against a good team and in the end they were too good. We played fairly well, but failed to turn any of our chances into goals. We're really missing Ngoo, Andre Brown isn't quite as good and isn't scoring as many as i would like.

Leyton Orient vs Dover
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I would of loved to get a point from this match before kick-off but i felt extremely frustrated at the full time whistle. Lack of finishing from Brown again as me pulling my hair out as we outplayed and outclassed Leyton Orient in every aspect.

Dover vs Rochdale
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The scoreline does not reflect how the game went. I feel like releasing my back four after that performance. They really let the team down. Rochdale showed some real finishing class in front of goal, unlike us. Want to forget about this game.

Northampton vs Dover
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Great result, but i expected nothing less against the bottom team of the league. Glad to get 3 points after a few poor performances, AMC Bunjaku and Left Winger Georgiou scoring the goals.

Dover vs York
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A valiant attempt against table-toppers York, but failed inevitably. We looked to hold onto the draw but the red-card made things extremely difficult and York scored the winner late in the game. Not a great result but a game performance to end the month.

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16th after 16 games is pleasing, although it's early yet and theres only 5 points between us and the relegation zone so i'm keen on keeping up the performances and grabbing wins wherever we can.

​
 
Dover Athletic
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November

Bromley vs Dover
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Great way to kick off the month. Our FA Cup dream is alive. A great performance overall with Stefan Payne been given a chance in front of goal instead of Andre Brown and it paid off. Some prize money on it's way in.

Dover vs Stevenage
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Another great performance, this time in the league. Stefan Payne got injured in training so i had no choice but to put Andre Brown back in the starting 11, but he repaid my faith in him with two goals.

Southend vs Dover
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Well we're out of the Paint Trophy but i don't mind too much, i'd rather focus on the league. It was a good performance it's just we couldn't find the back of the net. Southend scored through a corner and we couldn't get back into the game.

Southend vs Dover
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Same ground again, except this time it's in the league and this time we're the winners. 2 league wins in a row sets this month off to a flyer. Charlie Harris rounding the keeper and scoring a lovely goal.

Morecambe vs Dover
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We finish off the month with a draw and unbeaten. A tough game against a good Morecambe side. We took the lead and held onto it for quite a chunk of the game but after some relentless attacking Morecambe got the equalizer late in the game.

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After a good unbeaten month we climb up to 13th in the league 8 points from the relegation spots and only 4 behind the playoff spots so i'm very happy!
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