Dover Athletic v Cheshunt

FOR some weeks Dover Athletic players have been living with the pressure of every match game being tagged a ‘must win game’ – and that has never been more true than for Saturday’s clash with Cheshunt at the Hoverspeed Stadium.

The comprehensive 3-0 defeat at home to champions-elect Yeading at the weekend left Clive Walker’s men on 29 points from 35 games, still seven points from safety after all the sides around them lost.

Realistically, they now need to win at least six of their last seven fixtures to stay up and on paper they will not have an easier game this season.

Dover assistant player-manager Paul Hyde said: "Cheshunt are in free fall and we must win. They are the team who are bottom of the form table and we have to take full advantage of them. We need to take the bull by the horns and get our confidence back because there is not an easy game in this league.

"If we get three points on Saturday, Folkestone might not pick up maximum points and when we play them we might be another three points towards safety."

Cheshunt are in decline after losing eight successive league games. They have failed to win since January 8 and lost 2-0 at Northwood on Saturday. Dover lost 5-2 at Cheshunt in August under Richard Langley with a performance that could best be described as dismal.

Walker felt that sub-standard defending cost his side dear in the defeat against Yeading. All three goals resulted from defenders being outpaced by speedy visiting strikers and Walker said: "We wanted to stop them playing in the middle of the field so we used two wide men and one up front in the middle.

"But we defended poorly and had no depth. We got caught out with a ball over the top a number of times – they didn’t even have to play through us. But the defence are all young players and have been brilliant for me since I’ve been here."

Jude Stirling’s controversial departure for Conference side Tamworth can hardly have helped Whites’ defensive stability, and fans might be expecting Walker to strengthen his side, but he said: "We’ve used 45 players this season. My position is, and I’ve won league championships, that you don’t win anything by keep changing the team.

"We’ve got seven games to go – getting someone in now would be a pointless exercise, unless it was someone really exceptional. It takes a couple of games for someone new to settle in."

Meanwhile, football has now seen the last of Bradley Sandeman as the 35-year-old midfielder decided to retire after an abortive debut against Yeading. Sandeman was substituted at half-time after making little impact and Walker said: "Bradley’s been honest with me. He said he just couldn’t get his legs going and he didn’t want to take money off us and just stroll around."

Whites’ squad could soon start looking threadbare as Matt Carruthers will be banned for the Folkestone clash on Easter Monday after his sending off against Yeading.

But Walker says the club is to appeal against the dismissal as Carruthers was trying to pull Dean Palmer away from a fight with Dover midfielder Anthony Hogg.

Craig Wilkins’ return is now even more eagerly awaited and Walker is hoping to have him on the bench for Tuesday’s game with Gravesend, Wilkins’ former club.

Whites have a breather from the relentless survival battle next Tuesday when they take on Conference outfit Gravesend & Northfleet at the Hoverspeed Stadium.

A place in the Kent Senior Cup final is at stake and an added incentive is the guarantee of a local derby for Dover if they reach the final. Folkestone take on Margate in the other semi-final at Cheriton Road.

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