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Dover boss Andy Hessenthaler has been watching his self-isolating squad train from home – while having a cuppa on the sofa!
Hessenthaler’s squad have been self-isolating for the past week after their National League game at Maidenhead was postponed last Tuesday following a positive Covid test in the Dover camp.
That’s meant the whole squad are stuck indoors – and Hessenthaler’s troops have been training daily in a group video call.
“The one thing that we’ve done is set up a zoom call with the players,” explained Hessenthaler.
“Sam Wood, our captain, knows that side of things well and between him and the physio, they’ve been putting the players through their paces every day, so they are working from home.
“I watch them train and sit there with my cup of tea which is quite nice! They’ve been doing that since last week so at least they can do something.”
The Maidenhead game was swiftly postponed once the results of a Covid test were known.
Since then the rest of the playing squad and staff have been tested, with more positive results underlining how important it was to stop playing straight away.
“We had a training game on the Saturday before Maidenhead as our league match with Boreham Wood was off due to the FA Cup,” said Hessenthaler. “One of our players felt unwell and he had a test but it took a couple of days to come through.
“At lunchtime before the Maidenhead game it came back positive and we reported it straight away. The league said that you can’t go and play the game as you might have more cases.
“They called that game off and our next few matches as well, it’s five games in total that we’ve had to postpone.
“We’ve all been tested and we’ve had more positive results among the players and staff with three or four that have tested positive.
“We have to be re-tested again in the next week or so and once we get the all clear then we can return to training but it may be that we are only back for a few days before we return to games.”
The enforced two-week break has given Hessenthaler time to think about how to replace coach Darren Hare, who left the club last month to take up a role outside football.
The Dover boss is not ruling out a player/coach coming to Crabble while another option is to stick with just him and assistant Nicky Southall if results pick up in the short term.
Hessenthaler explained: “To be fair to the chairman, he said that if I need to get someone else in then I can do it so it’s something that I could do.
“But this break has given me time to think about it and not rush into a decision.
“It’s viable for me and Nicky to do it to the end of the season, but with the situation we are in someone else with a different voice and ideas might be good for us.
“It could well be a player/coach if there’s one out there, if there’s someone experienced who can help organise the group and they can still run around.”
Hessenthaler will try to extend 20-year-old Ryan Hanson’s loan spell from Hull this week.
Hanson’s month at Crabble runs out after the FA Trophy game on December 19 – which is Dover’s next scheduled game – but he’s banned for that match due to his red card debut at King’s Lynn.
“Let’s see what we can do. We’d like to keep him because he only played the one game, but he was with us all week and is a decent player,” said Hessenthaler.
Harry Ransom is another loan player who has been stopped in his tracks by Dover’s break.
The Millwall defender featured twice for Whites in October and was due to be on the bench at Maidenhead after recovering from a hamstring injury.
But, having spent two days with the Dover squad prior to that match, he’s been self-isolating as well and is not allowed to train with his parent club.
“I’m gutted for him,” said Hessenthaler. “He can’t go back to Millwall and train. It’s crazy for him but he will be ready and back when we can play again.”
