DOVER Athletic have appointed Richard Langley and Mark Patterson as their new management team following Clive Walker’s departure.

The Dover board, worried by the club’s mediocre mid-table position and falling gates, decided to bite the bullet and instigate Walker’s departure from the Hoverspeed Stadium on Tuesday.

Director Steve Cattermole announced 24 hours later: “Reserve team manager Richard Langley will step up as first-team manager, with Mark Patterson filling the role as first team coach.

“We believe this combination of club, playing and coaching experience will guide us through to our first objective, which is to qualify for the new Alliance Southern league next season.”

Club chairman Mick Kemp was keen to stress that Langley and Patterson had been appointed in a dual role. “The pair of them will be working together, but we have to give them some sort of title,” he said.

Although Langley has enjoyed considerable success as Reserve Team manager, he has no experience of management at this level and so his appointment must be seen as something of a gamble.

Patterson too, has never been in management but the former Gillingham player has bags of playing experience at Football League level and it has been widely expected that he would step up into a coaching/managerial role with the club at some stage.

The club said Walker had left by mutual consent, but Walker claimed that he had been sacked. He stressed: "I think they could have shown a little more patience."