CRUNCH time is fast approaching for the players of Dover Athletic.

Steve Browne stated when he took the manager’s job that he would give everyone a month to prove themselves - and Saturday’s Ryman League trip to Hampton & Richmond Borough will take him past that mark.

The game gives Browne’s players old and new another chance to impress before he begins to pare down his squad.

Browne, whose side lost 2-0 at Staines in the FA Trophy on Saturday, said: “Individual errors are costing us and it’s my job to sort that out. I can’t put up with mediocre performances. Everybody has to take responsibility for their individual displays.

“Hampton & Richmond are a smash and grab outfit, very physical. If we don’t match that we could come unstuck. But our lads will be up for it. They know what’s at stake. They are there to a job and if they’re not consistent they know the script. If they don’t perform, they won’t be here."

But Browne says there will be no more mass influx of players into Crabble: “We need to settle down. We can’t keep making 100 changes. I have faith in the players I have brought in. They are good players. They will get better and better, I am sure of that. But I still need to make changes in certain areas.”

With Hampton & Richmond lying third in the table, Saturday should prove another tough test for Whites, although they were beaten 4-1 by Sutton United in their FA Trophy first round replay on Tuesday. H&R are managed by former West Ham and England winger Alan Devonshire.

Reflecting on Whites’ Trophy exit at Staines, Browne said: “For half an hour we were in control. We were camped in their half and had 75-80 per cent of possession. Then they got back into the game when there was confusion between Dean Palmer and our goalkeeper.

“They hit the crossbar and we hit the post - if that had gone in we would have been 1-0 up and it would have been a different game. It was the first game where I felt we weren’t going to score. We’ve created chances in all the other games since I’ve come here.”

“We made two howlers and three or four of our players weren’t at the races. I’m more upset by the fact that we lost a game of football and didn’t keep up the momentum than by the fact that we are out of the FA Trophy. My sole aim this season is to keep the club in this division.”