Home   Dover   Sport   Article

Hess: Pressure all on rivals

John Keister looks likely to miss the Staines game
John Keister looks likely to miss the Staines game

Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler has heaped pressure on closest rivals Staines Town ahead their Ryman League Premier Division clash at Crabble on Saturday.

Whites sit 15 points clear at the top and could move to within 10 points of promotion with a win this weekend, all of which leaves Hessenthaler adamant the Berkshire side will have to beat his team to stand any chance of catching them.

Hessenthaler said: “Staines have got to win this game and I’ve no doubt they’ll come and try to do that.

“It’ll be a nice change for us, as most teams that have come to Crabble this season have set up to get a draw.

“We are in a nice position where we can afford to draw the game but we won’t be thinking that way. We’ll be going into the game looking to be positive and trying to win.”

No doubt the manager will be looking to get his team selection right for Saturday, after admitting making mistakes before last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Tooting and Mitcham.

Hessenthaler made three substitutions at half-time and admitted he considered making them sooner.

He said: “I looked at the team’s performance and my own as manager and decided things weren’t working.

“It’s important to realise when you’ve made a mistake and I was man enough to hold my hands up to that before trying to put things right.”

Ollie Schulz, an injury victim at Tooting, won’t be fit in time to face Staines while John Keister is also likely to miss out but Matt Fish resumed training on Tuesday and is pushing for a starting place.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More