DOVER'S players and their management team are philosophical mood ahead of Whites’ crunch FA Cup tie at home to Welling on Saturday.

The FA Cup, third qualifying round, clash at Crabble has caught the Kent public’s imagination like no Dover game since the bitterly contested Conference derbies with Margate last season.

Dover's assistant manager Paul Hyde summed up the tie when he said: "It’ll be a hard physical game and Welling will get the ball forward early. It won't be for the faint-hearted.”

It is the tie of the round, given the proximity of the teams, the old Conference rivalry, the magic of the FA Cup and the £10,000 prize money at stake for this tie alone, the game hardly needs an extra edge to it.

But the presence of former Whites’ boss Bill Williams as Welling manager is bound to give the atmosphere an added dimension.

An expected crowd of 2,000, including a sizeable Welling contingent, will turn Crabble into a real cauldron on the day and Dover Athletic Supporters’ Trust Chairman Simon Harris said: “There is no point in booing Bill. Bill has gone - it’s water under the bridge. Rather than barracking him our fans should be supporting our team.”