The Fleet Trust Board loses Five members

There have been numerous changes at Ebbsfleet United Football Club recently, but I now understand that changes have also occurred at the Fleet Trust with the resignations of five Board members.

Four members (a third of the Board) resigned with immediate effect following the Trust Board meeting that took place on Wednesday of this week, and that follows on from a resignation that occurred earlier in August, which makes five in one month. I understand that all five had been unhappy for a number of months with the way the Board was operating.

Things came to a head on Wednesday when, following a number of discussions that occurred during the meeting, four well known Trust members (including the Vice Chair and the Membership Secretary) tendered their resignations after they decided their positions had become untenable. One of those who resigned had this to say: "Although we no longer feel able to be a part of the Fleet Trust Board, we wish the Board every success in the future".

I also understand that further changes to the structure and operation of the Fleet Trust Board are taking place, including Chris Pilkington becoming the new Chair to replace Graham McQueen, as a result of Wednesday's meeting.

Dorchester Town v Ebbsfleet United

Excluding Farnborough, who are still yet to play, there are just three Skrill South sides who are yet to record a win. Two of these meet at the Avenue on Saturday afternoon as Ebbsfleet United face the 300+ mile round trip to face Dorchester Town. Both sides will be looking for three points as they look to kick start their season.

Let's take a look at the home side.

Dorchester Town FC

Founded - 1880

Nickname – The Magpies

Ground – The Avenue

Manager – Phil Simkin

Captain – Mark Jermyn

Last season's finish - 8th

Current League position – 21^st

Despite being founded in 1880, the Magpies didn't enter the Dorset League until some 16 years later, and they didn't win it until 1938.

In the 1950s, Dorchester won the Dorset Senior Cup for the first time and tasted success in the FA Cup with some creditable runs, including matches against Norwich City, Queen's Park Rangers, Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle. Their best run came in 1954 when they made it to the second round, but just lost out to York City, who made to it the semi-finals that year. The game was watched by 5,500 spectators at the old Avenue ground.

In 1972, the Club entered the Southern League, Division One South. Previous to this, the Magpies enjoyed four more Dorset Senior Cup victories.

In the 1977/78 season, Dorchester enjoyed their best spell in the Southern League structure as they ended the season with 16 games undefeated, finished 2^nd behind Margate. That season saw big name players such as Jack Howarth and John O'Rourke at the Avenue as manager David Best made use of his links with AFC Bournemouth.

The Club, in it's centenary season, won the Southern League as they pipped Aylesbury by just one point. One stand out player that season was Trevor Senior, who went on to play for Portsmouth, Watford, Middlesbrough and Reading after leaving the Avenue. Senior is still Reading's all-time top scorer in all competitions with 191 goals.

Before leaving for Portsmouth, he helped the Magpies to yet another FA Cup second round. This time they lost out to AFC Bournemouth in front of 8,700 at Dean Court, Bournemouth.

Dorchester won promotion to the Conference structure for the first time in 2003/04 as they won the Southern Premier play-offs and qualified for the Conference South.

Last season, the Magpies again made it to the FA Cup second round. After beating Wootton Basset Town, Basingstoke Town, Bury Town and Plymouth Argyle, Dorchester were handed a trip to Conference Premier Luton Town, but couldn't quite make it to the third round as they lost 2-1.

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Alan Walker-Harris, Tim Sandercombe

Defenders – Aaran Pugh, Calvin Brooks, Charlie Clough, Harry Bell, Mark Jermyn, Neil Martin, Steve Walker

Midfielders – Danny Green, Danny Way, Jamie Gleeson, Lewis Morgan, Nick Crittenden

Attackers – Ben Watson, Elliot Ward, Jamie Beasley, Josh Tennant, Brandon Goodship (on loan from Bournemouth)

In my original Skrill South 2013/14 preview, I stated that I felt the Dorchester squad was lacking and that they could well find themselves in a relegation battle. With just one point on the board in the opening four matches, it could be a long struggle for the Magpies. It's worth noting that Mark Jermyn has been with the club a huge thirteen seasons. This season will be his 14^th and he should easily pass Trevor Townsend's 585 appearances for the Club.

Did you know? 

Dorchester's Nick Crittenden once came on in a match and replaced the legendary Gianfranco Zola. 

The season so far

It's been disappointing for the Magpies so far, with three losses occurring in the opening four games, conceding a massive 11 goals in the process. They have picked up one draw so far.

Staines Town 1-0 Dorchester Town

Dorchester Town 0-3 Weston Super-Mare

Dorchester Town 2-6 Whitehawk

Gosport Borough 1-1 Dorchester Town

LLLD

Goals – 3

Conceded – 11

Key players

Look no further than Ben Watson. The former Grays Athletic and Exeter City striker has made himself at home with the Magpies, scoring 17 goals (in all competitions) last term as they finished 8^th in the Conference South. Last season his goals could have helped them into the play-offs. This season his goals will go a long way to helping them try and avoid the drop. Another player I feel could cause the Fleet some problems if he gets hold of the ball is veteran midfielder Nick Crittenden. At 34 years of age, he's coming to the end of his career now but his creativity in midfield could be an asset to anybody at this level.

Manager Simkin should have a near full squad to choose from.

Last time out

Gosport Borough 1-1 Dorchester Town.

Steve Walker's second half goal gave Dorchester their first point of the season away at Privett Park.

After their 1-1 draw away at Bath, the Boro were in the mood to record their first win as they dominated the early proceedings against the Magpies. Jamie Brown and Dan Wooden both went close, before Wooden struck on 22 minutes. A long ball from defence set him free from the Dorchester defence and he swept home from close range.

After a disallowed goal for the visitors, the sides went in all square at half-time.

Wooden went close in the second half and Dorchester's Charlie Clough nearly caught the keeper out with a lob.

Walker pounced with 15 minutes remaining as the ball fell to him eight yards out. The hosts would argue it was undeserved, but Dorchester will take them any way they can get them at the moment!

Both sides had chances to win it late on, but the score remained the same.

Attendance: 486

Now let's take a look at the Fleet!

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Preston Edwards, Brandon Hall,

Defenders – Joe Howe, Osei Sankofa, Aiden Palmer, Paul Lorraine, Shane Huke

Midfielders – Chris Sessegnon, Anthony Cook, Dominic Green, Tom Phipp, Cesc Fakinos, Stacy Long, Michael Corcoran, Dean Rance, Daryl McMahon

Strikers – Billy Bricknell, Ben May, Alex Osborn (on loan from Dagenham), Michael Thalassitis (on loan from Stevenage)

The season so far

The Fleet are still looking for that important first win of the season as they've picked up just three points from a possible twelve.

Ebbsfleet United 0-0 Havant and Waterlooville

Dover Athletic 2-1 Ebbsfleet United

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Ebbsfleet United

Ebbsfleet United 1-1 Maidenhead United

DLDDD

Scored – 3

Conceded – 4

Key players

Anthony Cook and Dominic Green will need to provide some decent service if the Fleet are to get in behind the Magpies defence. The pace and trickery of the two will cause problems, but the final ball has been lacking for the Fleet so far this season. Goals have been hard to come by, and once a few go in, the confidence will be flowing throughout the side.

Team news

Ben May (back) looks set to miss out after pulling up in the pre-match warm up on Monday. Other than that, the Fleet should be near full strength.

Last time out

Ebbsfleet United 1-1 Maidenhead United.

After dominating the first 45 minutes, the Fleet would have been disappointed to go into the break all square.

Michael Thalassitis scored a penalty in the tenth minute after being brought down by Maidenhead keeper Elvijs Putnins and Anthony Cook, Shane Huke and Alex Osborn all had chances, but that second goal just wouldn't come.

The Magpies scored just after the 40 minute mark as a through ball found Reece Tison-Lascaris in space in the box. The young midfielder showed great composure as he coolly slotted the ball under Preston Edwards to level the game.

In a dull second half, Maidenhead came the closest to scoring at the start as Michael Malcolm's effort just crept over the bar.

Attendance: 835

Key battle

Should they both play, I believe Dorchester captain Mark Jermyn and Fleet striker Billy Bricknell are in for a right tussle. The Fleet striker will be looking to open his account for the new campaign, and the Fleet certainly need to show more attacking intent.

Previous matches

The Fleet and Dorchester go a long way back with their first competitive meeting coming in 1972, in the Southern League South division. The Fleet won that match 2-0 away from home, and the Magpies didn't record their first win against the Fleet until 1982 in the Southern League Premier; a 2-0 win at the old Avenue ground.

Both sides' biggest victory against the other was 4-1. The Fleet recorded this in March 1996, while the Magpies won by the same scoreline February, 1991.

The two Clubs have played 29 competitive matches against each other and the Fleet lead the head-to-head.

Fleet wins: 18

Dorchester wins: 4

Draws: 7

Last five meetings

Ebbsfleet United 3-2 Dorchester Town – Blue Square Bet South – 08.01.11

Dorchester Town 1-2 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Bet South – 11.09.10

Dorchester Town 0-2 Ebbsfleet United – FA Trophy – 12.01.08

Dorchester Town 2-2 Gravesend and Northfleet – Southern League Premier – 23.11.96

Gravesend and Northfleet 1-3 Dorchester Town – Southern League Premier – 12.10.96

Ladbrokes have the Fleet at evens to beat Dorchester, with the hosts coming in at 9/4. A draw for this match sees odds of 23/10. 

Bet Victor have the Magpies to win at 23/10, with the Fleet at 11/10. A draw sees odds of 27/10. 

If you're able to attend the game, then match day prices are as follows:

Adults - £12

Concessions - £8

Juniors - £3

If you are unable to attend, then follow @DorchTownFC or @EUFCofficial for match updates and post-match reaction.

Enjoy the game! 

Ebbsfleet 1-1 Maidenhead ; The Fleet still without a win.

The Fleet are still searching for their first win of the new season, as they could only pick up a score draw with unbeaten Maidenhead United at Stonebridge Road.

The hosts dominated the first half and should have gone in with a comfortable lead, but instead Reece Tison-Lascaris equalised for the Magpies on the stroke of half-time, cancelling out Michael Thalassitis' tenth minute penalty.

Alex Osborn, who came on and looked lively against Eastbourne, was handed his first start in place of Billy Bricknell, while Ben May – injured in the warm up – couldn't take his place on the bench, and was replaced by Tom Phipp.

Thalassitis went close as the Fleet came racing out of the blocks, his header didn't go far wide after a deflection, and Osborn forced a smart stop from Elvijs Putnins as he was put through on goal by his strike partner. The Fleet number nine found himself in a foot race with Putnins, and won, only to be tripped by the number one. No yellow card was shown, and Thalassitis got up and placed the penalty into the bottom left corner. 1-0, to the Fleet, and very well deserved.

Defender Shane Huke went close with a header after Thalassitis and Osborn both saw efforts drift wide.

Anthony Cook, who was out of the game at Eastbourne, had much more delight this time as he ran at the full backs at every opportunity.

The Fleet took their foot off the gas, and the visitors made them pay.

Danny Green's through ball split the defenders and found Tison-Lascaris in plenty of space in the box. The young midfielder made no mistake as he coolly slotted the ball past Preston Edwards. Lascaris showed great composure and although the goal may have been a little undeserved, it was very clinical; a striker would have been proud of that one. The goal meant that the Fleet's dominance meant nothing, as the sides went in all square at the interval.

The visitors missed a glorious chance after the break, as Michael Malcolm fired over when it was probably easier to score.

The Fleet's only clear chance of the second half fell to Thalassitis. Cook once again showed how good he is with a delightful through ball, but the strikers first touch evaded him and the ball rolled into the Putnins' grateful hands. The striker was then substituted and replaced by Bricknell, who could have produced something straight away, but his tame effort was easily saved by Putnins.

A free-kick taken by Cook from 25 yards out looked to be heading wide, but the keeper pulled off a save for the cameras as he dived halfway across the goal to catch it.

In blazing sunshine, the Fleet fans were once again going home disappointed as they failed to pick up a victory. Just three points have come from a possible twelve, the Fleet fans will be hoping they can record their first victory away at Dorchester Town on Saturday.

Fleet: Edwards, Howe (Sankofa), Lorraine, Huke, Palmer, Green, Rance, McMahon, Cook, Thalassitis (Bricknell), Osborn (Phipp).

Subs not used: Hall, Long.

Attendance: 835

Maidenhead United v Ebbsfleet United

Three games in, and the Fleet are still looking for their first win of the season. Bank Holiday Monday opponents are Maidenhead United, who come into this match with two wins from their first two matches. United were unable to play on Saturday due to Farnborough FC's current situation.

Let's take a look at our visitors...

Maidenhead United

Founded - 1870

Nickname – The Magpies

Stadium – York Road

Manager – Johnson Hippolyte

Captain – Mark Nisbet

Last season's finish - 19^th

Current position - 4th

Maidenhead Football Club begun in October 1870 and played their first ever match a few months later. They became founder members of the Southern League in 1894, but playing with the likes of Brentford, Brighton, Fulham and Watford became too tough, so they dropped into the West Berkshire League, which they won.

After the great war, they merged with Maidenhead Norfolkians and became Maidenhead Town, and adopted the Black and White strips. They became Maidenhead United in 1920 and joined the Spartan League two years later.

The Club spent the years that followed knocking around in the lower league before finally gaining entry into the Conference South in 2003/04 due to the new structure that was in place.

The Club were in a huge financial crisis in 2005, but this was resolved quickly as members voted in favour of winding up the Club and transferring ownership to a new Limited Company.

Did you know?

Maidenhead United's York Road is the oldest Football stadium in England to be continuously used by the same Club.

Maidenhead United were one of the original fifteen sides to compete in the FA Cup.

The Squad

Goalkeeper – Elvijs Putnins

Defenders – Leon Solomon, Bobby Behzadi, Joe Crook, Tom Gilbey, Mark Nisbet, James Regis, Curtis Ujah, Matt Ruby

Midfielders – Harry Pritchard, Danny Green, Reece Tison-Lascaris, Michael Pook, Adrian Clifton, Daniel Brown, Tony Mendy, Waha Ahmidi

Attackers – Richard Pacquette, Jonathan Hippolyte, Michael Malcolm,

Other squad players

Corey King, Brandon Baker-Timms

The season so far

The Magpies have had a brilliant start to the season, claiming two victories in their opening two fixtures.

Whitehawk 0-3 Maidenhead United

Maidenhead United 2-1 Hayes and Yeading

Key players

Should they play, the two players the Fleet will need to be most wary of are midfielders Harry Pritchard and Danny Green. Lively players, who will look to exploit the weaknesses as much as possible and provide adequate service for journeyman Richard Pacquette.

Manager Johnson Hippolyte should have a full squad to choose from.

Last time out

Maidenhead United 2-1 Hayes and Yeading United

The hosts went into the interval a goal down after Jake Reid scored from the spot.

Matt Ruby equalised from close range before Richard Pacquette's sweetly struck shot gave the Magpies all three points.

Attendance: 460

Now let's look at the Fleet...

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Preston Edwards, Brandon Hall

Defenders – Joe Howe, Aiden Palmer, Osei Sankofa, Paul Lorraine, Shane Huke

Midfielders – Chris Sessegnon, Dominic Green, Anthony Cook, Michael Corcoran, Stacy Long, Tom Phipp, Dean Rance, Daryl McMahon

Attackers – Ben May, Billy Bricknell, Alex Osborn (on loan from Dagenham), Michael Thalassitis (on loan from Stevenage)

The season so far

It's been a slow start for the boys in Red, with just two points on the board after the opening three matches.

Ebbsfleet United 0-0 Havant and Waterlooville

Dover Athletic 2-1 Ebbsfleet United

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Ebbsfleet United

FORM – DL

Key players

Billy Bricknell will be vital for the Fleet if they're to pick up the first win of the season. The team appear to be lacking goals at the moment, but one win could be a confidence booster and a kick-start for the Fleet's season! Paul Lorraine will need to be at his best, as the Magpies are a threat going forward. Pacquette, Pritchard and Green will look to get in behind the defence at every opporunity.

Team news

Michael Corcoran missed the trip to Eastbourne with a dead leg; he could be in contention to return to the squad. Ben May made his competitive debut for the Fleet as he returned from a back injury. The striker could be pushing for a starting place soon.

Last time out

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Ebbsfleet United

The Boro looked a very good outfit as they took the game to the Fleet, going ahead in the 15^th minute of the game through Chris Shephard. Daniel Lok's pass found Shephard in plenty of space and he made no mistake as he fired past Preston Edwards from the edge of the area.

The Fleet equalised ten minutes later as Billy Bricknell's deflected effort fell into the path of Michael Thalassitis who guided the ball home from ten yards.

The Fleet huffed and puffed in the second half, but couldn't find the winner.

Attendance: 641.

Previous matches

Seven competitive matches have taken place between the two sides, with both sides winning three. Maidenhead have got the better of the Fleet at Stonebridge Road, however, winning on three of their four visits to North Kent.

Maidenhead United 1-1 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Bet South – 13.11.10

Ebbsfleet United 1-2 Maidenhead United – Blue Square Bet South – 14.08.10

Gravesend and Northfleet 2-3 Maidenhead United – Ryman Premier – 05.03.02

Maidenhead United 0-3 Gravesend and Northfleet – Ryman Premier – 01.09.01

Gravesend and Northfleet 0-1 Maidenhead United – Ryman Premier – 22.04.01

If you're attending the match then admission prices are as follows:

Adults - £10

Concessions (Students, OAPs) - £8

Under 16s - £5

Under 12s – FREE

If you're unable to attend the match then follow @EUFCofficial or @MUFCYorkRoad for match updates.

Enjoy the game!

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Ebbsfleet United; The Fleet still searching for win number one.

Michael Thalassitis' neat finish cancelled out a brilliant Chris Shephard strike to give the Fleet a second draw of the season.

Shephard's strike from outside the area set the hosts in good stead, but Billy Bricknell's deflected effort fell into Thalassitis' path, who made no mistake as his struck it past the keeper.

The Fleet made two changes to the side that lost at Dover midweek, with Stacy Long dropping to the bench in place of Billy Bricknell and Dean Rance replacing the injured Michael Corcoran.

Despite the torrential rain that had occurred, the Priory Lane pitch held up pretty well and it was the hosts with the first chance as Simon Johnson got in behind the Fleet defence only to hit over the bar.

The hosts did take the lead soon after. With 14 minutes on the clock, a pass from Daniel Lok found Shephard in lost of space and his effort from 25 yards sailed past Preston Edwards and into the net. A fine goal and the home fans were believing they could continue their brilliant start to the season.

The hosts almost doubled their advantage but Matt Aldred's overhead kick went wide of the goal.

The Fleet were level on 24 minutes, when the ball fell to Bricknell on the edge of the area. His effort was deflected into the pass of Thalassitis, who guided the ball into the bottom corner. The goal should have boosted the Fleet, but it didn't.

Daryl McMahon was lucky to be on the field as he fouled Shephard when already on a yellow, and former Fleet defender Ian Simpemba crashed a header against the bar on the stroke of half-time.

The Fleet could count themselves lucky to be level at half-time and still have 11 men on the pitch, but they came out in the second half looking for their first victory of the season.

The best chance of the half fell to Bricknell, who rounded the keeper and hit the side netting from a very tight angle, although it would have been better to slot the ball across to Anthony Cook or Thalassitis. Alex Osborn came on for his first competitive appearance in Fleet red soon after, as he replaced the former Dover striker.

Dominic Green had an effort which went wide, before a delightful through ball set Rance in, who went down under the challenge of Adam Watts. No penalty.

The Fleet had another penalty shout turned down soon after as the ball struck Simpemba's arm just inside the area. Osborn raced through and was fouled in the area, but unfortunately for the Fleet, the ref blew up for the first foul that occurred, which was outside of the area.

Ben May came on for his first appearance of the season and his on-target effort was deflected agonisingly wide of post. The Fleet had three corners in quick succession but failed to make their pressure count, and it was the hosts who could have grabbed victory late on, just like in midweek against Tonbridge Angels.

Johnson's venomous effort from the edge of the area was parried by Edwards and cleared by Aiden Palmer just before young starlet Elliott Levy could get there.

A fair result in the grand scheme of things, but not a result that the Fleet wanted! The Fleet host Maidenhead United on Bank Holiday Monday as they still search for their first win of the season. United will come refreshed as they didn't play on Saturday due to Farnborough's current situation.

Fleet: Edwards, Howe, Lorraine, Huke, Palmer, Green, Rance, McMahon, Cook (Long), Bricknell (Osborn), Thalassitis (May).

Subs not used: Hall, Sankofa.

Attendance: 641.  

Eastbourne Borough v Ebbsfleet United; Third time lucky?

Can the Fleet record their first League win of the season at the third time of asking? Well, that depends on whether they can win at Priory Lane on Saturday against Eastbourne, who have won their opening two matches.

Let's take a look at the opposition...

Eastbourne Borough FC

Founded – 1964 (as Langney FC)

Nickname – The Sports

Stadium – Priory Lane

Manager – Tommy Widdrington

Captain – Ollie Rowe

Last season's finish - 12^th

Current position - 4^th

A brief look at their history...

Langney FC were founded in 1964 after a group of lads from the Langney and Friday Street youth side were too old to play. The friends wanted to continue playing so formed their own team and joined the Eastbourne and District Football League, where they competed in Division Two.

Four years later, they became Langney Sports FC and moved from the local recreation grounds to Princes Park. The Club won promotion to the Premier Division of the Eastbourne and Hastings League in the 1973/74 season.

The Club would play in the Sussex County League's from 1983 – 1999, before gaining promotion to the Southern League structure in 2000.

The name change and qualification for the Conference South

In May 2001, the chairman Len Smith announced that they'd be renamed Eastbourne Borough FC to reflect the town that the Club played in. After a few years in the Southern League structure, the Sports qualified to be founder members for the newly structured Conference South in 2004/05. The Club almost followed Grays Athletic up from the Division into the Premier, but lost to Conference North side Altrincham in the Play-Off final.

The Club did eventually gain promotion to the top of Non-League, thus completing a rise they can be proud of. From the start of the 2008/09 season until January, the Sports were unbeaten in the League and sitting comfortably at the top. They lost to Lewes at the beginning of the month, and their fellow East Sussex Club went onto win the League. Boro' gained promotion through the play-offs after beating Hampton and Richmond Borough 2-0.

After a couple of season's in the Premier Division, they were relegated back to the South in their third season and have been there since. After finishing 12^th last season, the Sports will be looking to improve on that this time round.

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Craig Ross, Mateusz Szafranski

Defenders – Matt Aldred, Ollie Rowe, Ian Simpemba, Lewis Tallack

Midfielders – Sam Cole, Charlie Gorman, Simon Johnson, Elliott Levy, Chris Shephard, James Stinson, Adam Watts

Attackers – Emmanuel Akokhia, Tony Garrod, Gary Hart, Darren Lok, Frankie Raymond

The season so far

The Sports have won both of their opening matches as they look to build a good run. All three of their goals scored so far have come in the second half. Their fans have been happy with the fitness levels of the squad, so there's every chance they could become a 'second-half side'.

Weston Super-Mare 0-1 Eastbourne Borough

Eastbourne Borough 2-1 Tonbridge Angels

FORM – WW

Key players

One stand out player for the Sports so far has been goalkeeper Craig Ross. Fans of the Club have praised him after both matches, and without him I don't think they'd have won both of their opening matches.

Another player who could prove vital for the Sports is Ian Simpemba. The defender signed from Dover in the Summer after a successful spell there. Before that, he had a poor spell with the Fleet, which I was quite surprised about as he had an excellent few years at Havant. Perhaps he's a Conference South defender and no more, although at this level he's a solid defender. The Fleet attack will need to be on form to beat him and the in-form Ross.

Team News

Club Captain Ollie Rowe serves the last of his three game suspension. Simpemba replaces him as captain. Striker Tony Garrod is on the way back from a leg injury, but could feature on Saturday.

Last time out

Eastbourne Borough 2-1 Tonbridge Angels

The Boro produced a remarkable comeback as they scored two goals in the final ten minutes of the match to beat Kent outfit Tonbridge Angels.

Nathan Green's deflected free kick gave the visitors the lead after just six minutes and they looked to be heading for a victory until the 80^th minute.

Frankie Raymond's cross was only half cleared, allowing Elliott Levy to smash home a volley. As the game came close to the end, a counter attack from the visitors forced Craig Ross into a brilliant save, and the Sports went up the other end and scored! A 'perfect' square ball from Matt Aldred allowed Simon Johnson to hammer home in the 91^st minute, an effort that clearly delighted the home faithful!

Attendance: 678

Now let's take a look at the Fleet...

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Preston Edwards, Brandon Hall

Defenders – Joe Howe, Aiden Palmer, Osei Sankofa, Paul Lorraine, Shane Huke

Midfielders – Chris Sessegnon, Dominic Green, Anthony Cook, Michael Corcoran, Stacy Long, Tom Phipp, Dean Rance, Daryl McMahon

Attackers – Ben May, Billy Bricknell, Alex Osborn (on loan from Dagenham), Michael Thalassitis (on loan from Stevenage)

The season so far

It's been a slow start for the boys in Red, with just one goal scored in the opening two matches. On paper, it's a tough start although I do feel the Fleet should have picked up a win in the opening two matches. The next three matches are ideal for them to pick up some points to set them in good stead.

Ebbsfleet United 0-0 Havant and Waterlooville

Dover Athletic 2-1 Ebbsfleet United

FORM – DL

Key players

Anthony Cook is proving to be the Fleet's most valuable player at the moment, with his passion, commitment and desire, not to mention his ability with the ball at his feet! The young winger grabbed his first goal in the Red of Ebbsfleet on Tuesday and will be looking to add to that as soon as possible. Also he'll be looking to assist the returning Billy Bricknell, who should make his first start of the season. The former Dover striker had an excellent pre-season, but has only played a handful of minutes of the season, due to an injury. He'll be looking to get amongst the goals from the off.

Team news

Billy Bricknell is set to return to the starting eleven after coming on as a second half sub against Dover, while Ben May (back) will more than likely miss out again. It is unknown whether Michael Corcoran, who picked up a knock against Dover, will be fit to play.

Last time out

Dover Athletic 2-1 Ebbsfleet United.

The first Kent Derby of the season was the one everybody was looking forward to. After the huge swap between the two Clubs in the Summer, it was three players who have no connection to the opposition that scored the goals!

Centre back Richard Orlu met Ashley Carew's corner eight yards out to give the Whites the lead after just six minutes of the game. Former Margate winger Tom Murphy very nearly made it two, but for a fine finger tip save from Preston Edwards.

That spurred the Fleet on and just a minute later, they were level. Stacy Long's brilliant flick allowed Anthony Cook to smash home from inside the area.

In a second half where chances were very hard to come by, Murphy took the only chance that the hosts had as he turned and volleyed home from outside the box, with Edwards off his line. His goal delighted the home fans and the 300 or so away fans fell silent.

Cook hit an effort just wide, in what was the last kick of the game.

Attendance: 1,562.

Key battle

Billy Bricknell v Ian Simpemba. Should he play, the striker will be out to cause the Boro defence a lot of problems. If Simpemba can keep him quiet then there's every chance the hosts can walk away with three points from the match.

Previous matches

The two Clubs have barely met over the years, with just four League meetings occurring between them and three cup matches. The Fleet have the upper hand with seven five victories and two draws.

Ebbsfleet United 3-2 Eastbourne Borough – Blue Square Premier – 05.04.10

Eastbourne Borough 1-2 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Premier – 31.08.09

Eastbourne Borough 0-1 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Premier – 02.04.09

Eastbourne Borough 1-3 Ebbsfleet United – Setanta Shield – 04.11.08

Ebbsfleet United 1-1 Eastbourne Borough – Blue Square Premier – 23.09.08

Memory match

Eastbourne Borough 1-2 Ebbsfleet United.

A deflected goal in the fifth minute of second half injury time gave the Fleet all three points, something they wouldn't experience again for another three months.

Magno Vieira put the visitors up early in the second half with a penalty but Jamie Taylor, now at Sutton United, equalised soon after.

The game looked to be heading for a draw, until a shot from outside the box deflected off loanee Simon Thomas and rolled over the line, sending the few Fleet fans behind the goal crazy.

The Fleet then went on a run of eight matches without scoring!

Attendance: 1,165.

Terrace talk

I managed to speak to Eastbourne fan, and BBC Sussex worker, Kevin Anderson. Here's what he had to say:

“Eastbourne Borough had a wobbly 2012-13, but in the last quarter of the season they were improving, and their progress has slipped under a lot of people’s radar. Manager Tommy Widdrington had a huge rebuilding job to do after replacing the legendary Garry Wilson eighteen months ago, but he has kept the core of last year’s team and has added to it astutely. Keeper Craig Ross has come in from Cambridge United. Ian Simpemba, with a long and distinguished CV in non-league, is a terrific signing and is, with ex-Brighton veteran Gary Hart, the only over-30 in the squad. The rest are young, fit and eager: not world-beaters but they should be comfortably good enough for a mid-table slot in this year’s Conference South. Anything higher would be a bonus – and a bit of a worry for a club who were almost ruined by the previous three-year stay in Conference Premier, with all its overnight stays and long hauls (bear in mind that Eastbourne is 60 miles further away from civilisation than the Fleet!).

Borough come into Saturday’s game on a run of nine straight wins – if you include the final match of last season plus six pre-season victories, leading into a campaign which has opened strongly. A 1-0 win at Weston – always a tricky ride for visiting teams – was followed by a thriller on Tuesday night at Priory Lane. Eastbourne fell behind early to a shoddy goal against Tonbridge, battled their way back and after a genuinely thrilling second half they nicked the points with goals in the 80th and 93rd minutes. With Fleet still bedding in new players, this may not be the best time for a visit to the seaside....

Off the field, the match has added flavour through the Kuwaiti investment issue. The group which has now stepped in at Stonebridge Road was a long way down the track in discussions with Eastbourne Borough back in the New Year, before the negotiations failed, for reasons too complex to go into here. There is no particular ill feeling among any of the parties, but Saturday will still be rather interesting!”

I spoke to Fleet fan David Rutnam about his thoughts on the Summer at Stonebridge Road and his expectations for the season.

“I was at Stonebridge Road back in April when we lost abjectly to Tonbridge Angels in the Kent Senior Cup. As I trudged out I looked back over my shoulder and wondered, really wondered, if there would ever be Fleet football at Stonebridge Road again. It’s not every club that re-emerges as a phoenix club. It takes time, effort and money for that to happen and I did not think there would enough. I thought we were dead and buried.

When I contrast how I felt then with how things are now, I feel like someone who has been reprieved from a death sentence. It is only football so it is would be wrong to overstate things, but I do know that to me and lots of the Fleet faithful, the fortunes of our club are very important.

So my first thought is thank goodness we are alive and kicking. Well thank you to KEH and Peter Varney really. A huge thank you.

Just to be playing should be enough and I keep telling myself that, except that of course it isn’t. I want us back in the Conference National as soon as possible. Then we can start dreaming about getting into the Football League! I do understand the need to be realistic and patient and truly that is where my head is. My heart of course isn’t listening.

It was easy to get carried away with all the talk about us being one of favourites, but the first two games have been a reality check. I was disappointed by the way we played against Havant & Waterlooville. Having seen some of the pre-season friendlies, I had really expected to see us try and pass the ball around. Instead it was just like last season with aimless punts forward to a lone striker surrounded by two or three defenders.

Tuesday’s game against Dover was far more encouraging and we passed the ball much better. I thought we were the better side on balance and, given that Dover fancy themselves as promotion candidates, that is no bad thing. From the little evidence I have seen, I still think a play-off place is realistic, if, and it is a big if, we can knock a few goals in.

I expect us to get something from Eastbourne on Saturday. KEH were apparently looking at Eastbourne before they found the attractions of North Kent irresistible. Perhaps that will add a little something to Saturday’s match, but I am sure we will draw at worst.

Then on Monday we have Maidenhead at home. I would love it, just love it, if we beat them convincingly. There were 200 or 300 extra people at SBR last Saturday. Good results will encourage them to keep coming, and hopefully a good few more.

Apart from the Fleet, I am tipping Bromley to do well this season. Mark Goldberg says this is his best ever team. We go to see them on Boxing Day and I have made the necessary booking at home already so I can be there!

Up the Fleet”

If you're attending the match, then matchday prices are as follows: 

Adults - £12 

Concessions - £8 

Under 16s - £1 

If you're unable to attend then follow @EUFCofficial or @EBFCtheSports for match updates. Don't miss out! 

Enjoy the game. 

Dover Athletic 2-1 Ebbsfleet United; Whites draw first blood.

Dover Athletic drew first blood in last night's eagerly anticipated Kent Derby, as they won 2-1 at home to Ebbsfleet United.

The pre-match conversations were which players would get the upper hand over their former Club, but it was three players with no connection to the opposition who scored the goals! Richard Orlu, Anthony Cook and Tom Murphy were the three goalscorers.

Dover were unchanged from the side that beat Gosport on the opening day, while the Fleet made one change from their 0-0 draw. Daryl McMahon returned from suspension and took Dean Rance's place in midfield. Billy Bricknell, who missed the opening day draw through injury, took his place on the bench. Michael Thalassitis started up front again with Cook and Dominic Green either side of him.

The lack of pace in the Fleet defence was a cause for concern throughout pre-season and it took Dover just five minutes to exploit that. A long ball forward should have been comfortably dealt with by former White Shane Huke, but he let it bounce away and was then beaten to it by one-time Fleet loanee Elliott Charles. Paul Lorraine intervened and put it behind for a corner. Ashley Carew's deep corner was met by the head of Orlu eight yards out, who made no mistake, much to the delight of the home crowd.

A few moments later, the Fleet were almost level as Whites keeper Mitch Walker rushed out at the feet of Thalassitis, but failed to gather the ball. McMahon then put the ball back in only for Cook to head against the bar and Stacy Long then smashed the rebound over.

Green proved wasteful when shooting as he hit a shot wide of the goal, just after Murphy had forced a stop from Edwards.

The hosts were forced into their first substitution midway through the first half as Lloyd Harrington was taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Barry Cogan.

The Fleet slowly grew into the game, knocking it around well without creating too much. Long and McMahon were linking up well for the first time in the match, and Joe Howe was causing havoc down the right. The lack of killer instinct in front of goal I believe cost the Fleet. Dover nearly made it two soon after.

Murphy cut inside from the right, and curled an effort which looked to be heading right into the bottom corner until Preston Edwards got his finger tips to it and tipped it onto the post. This appeared to spur the Fleet on, and moments later they were level.

Long's quick thinking on the edge of the area created the goal as he produced a cheeky back heel into Cook's path. The winger made no mistake as he crashed his shot into the top corner of the net. Any other player on the edge of the area would probably have took a touch and then looked to pass it. Quick thinking, combined with skill, was the maker of the goal.

Thalassitis had a effort deflected wide, before glancing a header wide. Half-time came at the wrong time for the Fleet, as they looked to take control of the match. I think everybody would have been relatively confident going into half-time drawing though.

Thalassitis was needed at the other end just after the break, as he blocked Charles' effort which looked destined for the net.

Cook, who was looking lively as ever, forced Walker into a fine shot as he tipped his effort over the bar. Unfortunately for the boys in red, that's the closest they came to a goal in the second half.

Shortly after, Dover were ahead with their only chance of the second half. Edwards was off his line, and as the ball fell to Murphy outside the area his sweetly struck volley flew past the keeper and into the net, sparking wild celebrations from the home faithful behind that same goal. The atmosphere behind that goal rose, while behind the other goal the 300 or so Fleet fans fell silent.

Green wasted another effort as he drove wide, and McMahon hit a volley over the bar from 25 yards.

Five minutes were added on, and there was no urgency from the Fleet side. No urgency going forward, until the last minute. Cook received the ball 25 yards from goal, and his effort whistled past the post in what was to be the last kick of the match.

Overall, you can't complain about the result. If you don't take the few chances you create, then you won't get the result you want. One chance from the hosts in the second half, and that's all they needed.

After a Summer of torture, Dover fans will be happy as their team have been able to grind out two victories. Fleet fans, on the other hand, will be disappointed with just one point from their opening two matches.

The Fleet travel to unbeaten Eastbourne on Saturday as they look for their first victory of the new campaign, while Dover host new boys Concord Rangers.

Dover: Walker, Kamara, Orlu, Forbes, Wynter, Stone, Modeste (Bakare), Carew, Harrington (Cogan), Charles (Elder), Murphy.

Subs not used: Ademola, Kinnear Jnr.

Ebbsfleet: Edwards, Howe, Lorraine, Huke, Palmer, Corcoran (Rance), McMahon, Long (Phipp), Green, Cook, Thalassitis (Bricknell).

Subs not used: Hall, Sankofa.

Attendance: 1,562. 

Dover Athletic v Ebbsfleet United; the eagerly anticipated game!

One of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the season is here. Dover Athletic v Ebbsfleet United; a Kent derby. Any other season and this would be “just another game”, however this season isn't like any other. A total of ten players have directly swapped between the two Clubs this Summer, and the Fleet have taken some of the Dover back room staff. It's set up to be a cracker.

Let's take a look at the opposition...

Dover Athletic FC

Founded – 1983

Nickname – The Whites

Stadium – Crabble Athletic Ground

Manager – Chris Kinnear

Captain – Craig Stone

Last season's finish - 3^rd – lost in the play-off final.

Dover Athletic were founded in 1983, after the original Club Dover FC folded. The Club had previously went out of business four times.

The Club in it's new disguise took the old Club's place in the Southern League, Southern Division and gained promotion to the Premier Division after five seasons. The man behind it was none other than Chris Kinnear, after he'd taken over when Steve McRae was sacked. Two seasons later, the Whites won the Premier Division but were denied promotion to the Football Conference due to their ground not being up to scratch.

In the 1992/93 season, the Whites won the Division again and this time were allowed to enter the Conference. After an eight place finish in the first season in the Conference, it all went downhill. The Club finished bottom in the 1995/96 season but due to Boston United's failure to submit their promotion application, the Whites were saved from relegation. Dover were eventually relegated in 2002 and entered a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) due to debts estimated to be around £400,000.

The Club came close to extinction in January 2005 until former Director (now Chairman) Jim Parmenter headed up a consortium and saved the Club. He arranged for the CVA debts to be cleared, which put the Club on sound financial footing for the first time in a long time.

The Club finally won promotion to the Conference South in 2008/09 under Andy Hessenthaler and have been there ever since. They'll be hoping to win promotion back to the Premier sooner, rather than later.

In the 2010/11 season, Dover had an excellent FA Cup run in which they made it to the third round after beating Gillingham away, and Aldershot Town at Crabble. The Gillingham game was made more sweeter the fact that it was a Kent Club who were expecting a comfortable win, and over 2,000 Dover fans were in attendance. Unfortunately, the Whites lost in the third round away at League One Huddersfield Town.

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Mitch Walker, Lee Hook

Defenders – Richard Orlu, Terrell Forbes, Lloyd Harrington, Tom Wynter, Michael Kamara, Sean Raggett

Midfielders – Craig Stone, Liam Bellamy, Ashley Carew, Tom Murphy, Ricky Modeste, Barry Cogan, Dave Pilcher, Chris Kinnear (Jnr)

Attackers – Nathan Elder, Michael Bakare, Moses Ademola, Elliott Charles

Fleet fans will recognise a number of this squad, as four transferred from Stonebridge Road this summer. Craig Stone, Nathan Elder, Liam Bellamy and Ashley Carew all jumped ship after finding out they weren't being offered deals under the new management. I'm sure we all wish them well.

Pre-season

Dover 0-5 Dagenham and Redbridge

Dover 0-1 Kingstonian

Dover 0-1 Woking

AFC Hornchurch 0-1 Dover (Udoji)

Whitstable 1-3 Dover (Murphy, Elder, McDonald)

Dover 4-0 Billericay (Murphy, Orlu, Ademola, Stubbs)

Carshalton 1-2 Dover (Elder, Carew)

Folkestone 0-1 Dover (Ademola)

Brackley Town 2-2 Dover (Charles x2)

FORM – LLLWWWWWD

After losing their first three matches without scoring a goal, the Whites went onto record a six game unbeaten run to end pre-season, including five victories.

Key players

I think we can look no further than Craig Stone really. Originally a midfielder, Stone converted to right back under Liam Daish's guidance but is now back playing a central midfield role for the Whites. A player who Kinnear was interested in for a while, finally signed on the dotted line just before the Fleet takeover was officially completed, and has been made captain for the season. He also scored the only goal of the game as the Whites beat new boys Gosport Borough on the opening day.

Ricky Modeste is another player who may cause the Fleet some problems. He's a tricky winger and impressed me for Chelmsford when the Fleet were last in the Conference South. Rated amongst the Dover fans too, he'll be looking to contribute to a successful season for the Whites.

Team news

Kinnear should have an almost full squad to choose from, the only absentee looks to be Liam Bellamy who is carrying an injury.

Last time out

The Whites picked up an opening day victory as they beat new boys Gosport Borough 1-0 at Privett Park. Craig Stone's lobbed effort from 20 yards was enough to give the visitors a victory and set them up for the match with the Fleet.

Attendance: 592.

Now let's take a look at the Fleet...

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Preston Edwards, Brandon Hall

Defenders – Joe Howe, Aiden Palmer, Osei Sankofa, Paul Lorraine, Shane Huke

Midfielders – Chris Sessegnon, Dominic Green, Anthony Cook, Michael Corcoran, Stacy Long, Tom Phipp, Dean Rance, Daryl McMahon

Attackers – Ben May, Billy Bricknell, Alex Osborn (on loan from Dagenham), Michael Thalassitis (on loan from Stevenage)

Dover fans will be familiar with almost all of the Fleet's squad! Shane Huke, Chris Sessegnon, Dean Rance, Daryl McMahon, Ben May and Billy Bricknell all signed directly from the Whites while Michael Corcoran played under Nicky Forster and Steve Brown at Dover before joining Brackley Town. Preston Edwards also had a short loan spell at the Whites when the Club won promotion from the Ryman Premier. Michael Thalassitis bagged a hat-trick against Dover while on loan at Boreham Wood, while Aiden Palmer, Osei Sankofa and Anthony Cook have all played against Dover in the past, along with the four players the Fleet retained.

Key players

I believe Preston Edwards will need to be on the top of his game in this match, as Dover will be up for this match, probably more so than any other game. With many players capable of causing problems to the Fleet defence, they'll need to be on the top of their game to prevent the Whites from grabbing a victory.

Anthony Cook is an asset to the Fleet. The winger/striker has shown so far just what he can do, and the Fleet will be hoping he continues impressing.

Team news

Daryl McMahon returns from suspension. Ben May (back) looks set to miss out again, while Billy Bricknell (back) will be hopeful of returning to the side.

Last time out

Ebbsfleet 0-0 Havant and Waterlooville

Confidence was high around Stonebridge Road pre-match, but the game failed to live up to it's billing as the Fleet and the Hawks produced a stalemate. Christian Nanetti came closest, but his effort was well saved by Fleet goalkeeper Preston Edwards.

Attendance: 973

Key battle

I have a feeling the key battle will be a midfield battle. Craig Stone v Stacy Long. Now he's back playing in midfield, Stone is rejuvenated and will be key for the Whites. Both players could have a huge influence on the game, and I feel whoever wins this battle could be on the winning side. Unfortunately, I feel the former Fleet boys will have more to prove than the ex-Dover, and for me that could be the difference between the sides.

Connected to both

Stone in action against Dover.

It would be easy for me to mention all of the players that have transferred between the Clubs this summer, but I'll just stick to one player. Craig Stone; from dependable defender to midfield maestro. The local lad was with the Fleet on and off since 2008, and suffered two bad leg breaks. He never had it easy, but it didn't stop him. He racked up over 100 appearances for the North Kent outfit, and joined the Whites this Summer without finding out if the new management wanted him to stay. Most fans were sad to see him go, but he's now found a Club who are willing to play him in his favoured position. He's been made captain, and scored his first goal for the Club on his competitive debut; let's hope he doesn't run the show against the Fleet!

Previous matches

Since the Club begun again in 1983, the two Clubs have met 24 times in all competitions with most of the matches coming in the Southern League. Dover lead the head-to-head with 15 victories to the Fleet's 4. The remaining 5 ended in draws.

Dover Athletic 1-3 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Bet South – 29.01.11

Ebbsfleet United 0-2 Dover Athletic – Blue Square Bet South – 24.08.10

Gravesend and Northfleet 0-3 Dover Athletic – Kent Senior Cup – 06.01.04

Dover Athletic 1-0 Gravesend and Northfleet – FA Trophy – 14.01.03

Gravesend and Northfleet 4-0 Dover Athletic – Kent Senior Cup – 07.05.01

Memory match

Dover Athletic 1-3 Ebbsfleet United.

The Fleet gained revenge for the loss earlier in the season with a comeback victory in the cold surroundings of Crabble. Things got off to a bad start when Dean Pooley's back pass didn't make it to Preston Edwards. Adam Birchall snuck in, rounded the keeper and coolly slotted home. Two goals in quick succession from Tom Phipp and Ashley Carew gave the Fleet a deserved 2-1 lead at half-time. The Dover onslaught in the second half failed to come, and Calum Willock sealed the points ten minutes into the second half.

Attendance: 1,210.

Terrace talk

Once again, I managed to catch up with two opposition fans and managed to get their thoughts on a few things. First up, here's Alex Wilshaw giving his opinions on the transfers between the two Clubs, Saturday's opening day victory and his predictions for the season.

“It's too early to predict who has got the better deal out of numerous transfers between Dover and Ebbsfleet. For the Dover players who went to Ebbsfleet, Shane Huke has certainly had some mixed reviews in his time at Crabble. His preferred position was centre back and did play well in the run up to Christmas last season before getting injured. However, at right back, he is pretty sub-standard, with his constant hoofing being the main frustration for us Dover fans in the past couple of seasons. Ben May and Dean Rance for me are the two best signings from Dover. Ben May will give you 20-25 goals this season. Good with his feet, a nuisance in the air and a class above this level of football. However, he has had past injury troubles, so we were lucky to have him play throughout the whole of last season. Dean Rance is perfect for breaking up play and laying it off to attacking options. His passing was a bit wayward in the first half of the season, but steadily improved. He does loves to get booked, racking up quite a few yellow cards in his time with Dover. Billy Bricknell is a striker who is very much hit and miss. He will go on a goalscoring of about five to six games before going off the boil for another seven to eight games. Skrill South is very much his level. Daryl McMahon is a luxury player. Technically superior above almost every midfielder in the league. His setpieces were a disappointment last season and does have a bit of an ego problem. Chris Sessegnon has a bright future ahead of him if he gets his head down and stops throwing his toys out of the pram on Twitter when thing don't go his own way. He has a lot of pace and can either be used a wing back or just a winger. His talent really should not go to waste.

As for us acquiring some of your players. I'm not convinced by Ashley Carew yet and didn't think he was great in pre-season, given he has done quite well for you. I'm hopng he is one of those players who really gets firing once the season begins (Just so happens he played very well at Gosport on Saturday). Nathan Elder is a pain in the backside for most defenders. He is big, strong and a pain in the air for defenders. Got a few goals in the Conference last season, so we're hoping he can bang in loads for us at this level. Although we did say the same about Calum Willock, who should have been given more of a chance. I can't really say much about Liam Bellamy because he has been injured, but I will be excited to see him in his box to box role. I really like the look of Craig Stone. He gets around everywhere in the midfield, non-stop action with him. Scored a cracker against Gosport on Saturday and had a good game all round. Think a good indication of who has been given the best deal ultimately will be revealed at the end of the season.

The victory at Gosport was a solid performance from us. Was surprised with the way we lined up, with Cogan, Ademola and Elder not in the starting line up. We weren't troubled at the back much and were only troubled once where Mitch Walker pulled off a fine save. Craig Stone and Ash Carew had good games, with the former firing in a terrific strike from 20 yards to win us the game. Still think the jury is out on Elliott Charles. However, I would love him to prove me wrong and he did put in a decent shift. Our strikers did not have the best of games, but hopefully they're saving themselves up for Tuesday night. A solid start, not a pretty one but I will happily take the 3 points however we play.

I expect tomorrow night's game to be brilliant. Expect a lot of drama, tension and verbals in this one. It's the one everyone has been looking forward to given the exploits during the summer and think it will end in a 1-1 draw. We have to play better than we did on Saturday and I'm sure the same can be said for Ebbsfleet. My expectations for the season are a play-off place. We finally have a manager in since Andy Hessenthaler in Chris Kinnear who knows what he's actually doing. We have assembled a side based on workmanship and a strong ethos rather than just signing up the best players on big wages to try and 'buy the league' which we have attempted to do under Martin Hayes and Nicky Forster. I'd happily see us remain in the Skrill South for the next two to three seasons if it meant building up a team who can get promoted and be able to stay up in the Conference for a long time to come. 4th or 5th place for Dover this season.”

Fellow Dover fan Kieran Dodd pitched in with his thoughts...

“I have to say I didn't see this coming during the summer. Chris Kinnear likes bringing in lower league players and brought in some last season since replacing Nicky Forster in January, so bringing in the likes of Nathan Elder, Ashley Carew, Liam Bellamy and Craig Stone who all played for Ebbsfleet in the Conference Premier last season was a slight surprise. But what was even more of a surprise was our former assistant manager/coach Steve Brown replacing the highly respected Liam Daish, despite having no experience of working in this position. And there has been some form of criticism of Brown after acquiring 7 of our former players. Personally, I think it's more of a case of bringing in players who he knows how they can play and, most importantly, knowing how good some of them were in our side that narrowly missed out on promotion via the play-offs, particularly Ben May (top scorer and fans' player of the season) and Dean Rance (players' player of the season). Billy Bricknell, Daryl McMahon and Chris Sessegnon are also decent additions, however I am slightly mystified why he has brought in the likes of Shane Huke and Michael Corcoran, who were probably two of our worst players under the Forster era.

I believe the whole 'swap' has created a sense of excitement and drama surrounding this rivalry, rather than bitterness and hatred, and because of this, tomorrow's Kent derby is hugely anticipated and could potentially bring in a four-figure attendance through the turnstiles.

Despite being newcomers to this league, I believed Gosport were not to be underestimated and would fully relish their first game in the Skrill South. Even though we only recorded a one-goal victory and the game itself lacked a bit of spark, we were quite dominant and looked comfortable on the pitch. And a terrific goal by Stone too! It was a typical Kinnear 1-0 special, which we have seen quite a few of already since his arrival.

I think this will be a low-scoring draw. More of a gut feeling rather than an educated guess, but I can see it being a close, tense encounter either way, and one I am looking forward to.

I'm not too sure what to expect for the season. It feels strangely nice not to be billed one of the favourites to win the league for once, which takes the pressure of ourselves I guess. I would be disappointed not to qualify for the play-offs though, but I think Eastleigh will clinch the title this season.”

You may, or may not, still be reading at this point, but here's an excellent few (hundred) words from Fleet fan, and photographer, Paul Jarvis.

"What a Summer! On the one hand we finally got rid of “them”, the noose around our neck in MyFC, but then we backed that up with KEH saving us from certain extinction. I think if we had just done the former and got an owner who was looking to steady the ship without putting in vast amounts of cash, then we would all have been happy enough but to back it up with what we had... It's been an amazing Summer.

Before that of course we had Carlos, the Del Boy of the Spanish Footballer market. For a few weeks he was literally all we had. Stick with MyFC or go with Carlos. The latter would have been awful but still would have been far better than sticking with MyFC. I maintain that Carlos is not a bad guy. Just a bloke trying to make a living, he cut a few corners but I stand by my first impression of him; his intentions were good.

If I say that we got the better of the players [from Dover] then people will say “well, you would say that”, but if I say Dover got the better players [from us] then I'd be accused of just trying to be nice.

I think the players we've acquired from Dover are excellent and we've pretty much nicked the back bone of their team. I'm especially impressed with McMahon. I think he is the real engine of the midfield. Meanwhile the players we've lost to them are all very popular players. Obviously Craig Stone is a fans favourite but one I think that'll be interesting to see what happens, is Ashley Carew. The guy was a revelation the first time he was with us, in this League. He left to join Cambridge and his career spiralled downwards. Had he stayed... Who knows?

Aside from playing staff moving up the A2, we have of course nicked their first-team coach [Steve Brown] and installed him as our first-team manager.

I've read a lot on the forum about the way Brown plans to play a passing game and everybody seems happy to instantly forget or dismiss Liam Daish and what he did for this Club, just because he favoured the long ball. Every year, he build a squad from scratch. His tactics may not have been favoured by many but I didn't see anybody complain when the long ball game got the only goal at Wembley... He also got us up from this league at the first time of asking. Somebody comes along with a load of cash, everything Daish had been waiting for, and the new owners inform him that they want to bring their own man in. Daish stands aside and they come to an amicable agreement. I believe Liam Daish would do anything for this Club; what an absolute legend. Steve Brown has huge boots to fill.

Saturday's outcome was the best thing that could have happened; an underwhelming 0-0 draw that brought everybody back down to earth. I like that Havant for a period also put us under a bit of pressure. We haven't side Messi, Ronaldo and Robin Van Persie; I think they're at Farnborough! We've signed a very capable and strong squad of Conference South footballers. We should be challenging for promotion and may even win the League, but I also believe that we'll be shown up a couple of times this season and could well be on the wrong end of a drubbing to teams that we should be beating. If we don't win the League then we'll hopefully make the play-offs where it could be anyone of four and the three that miss out will be disappointed as they expected to go up. Hopefully it won't be us, and we'll bounce straight back up, again.

Off the pitch I believe there are two people that deserve special recognition, both for different reasons. One is Harry Houckham. During the game on Saturday it was announced that Harry had reached the £100,000 mark in selling 50/50 tickets. As a photographer trying to take pictures of the game, I then spend the next five minutes of the game trying to work out on average how much he raises each game, and season. It really is a phenomenal amount, and one that doesn't even enter the mind when you think of a guy selling raffle tickets. Add to that he does it pre-match, thus missing out on a pint and then carries it on during the game. And how many times have we seen him walking around the ground after the winning ticket has been announced, looking for the winner to make sure the right person is given their winnings. That is something that he doesn't have to do, but it's just further evidence of what a legend he is.

On a sadder note, the Fleet lost one of it's long standing fans last week in Derek McCanlis. A man who supported the Club since 1948. He sadly passed away just days after collecting his season ticket. Stonebridge Road is a much poorer place now Derek is no longer with us. I never really knew him personally, but I knew the name of course. He would have been on the away minibus on whatever far flung Northern outpost we were travelling to I know full well that he was a popular guy and somebody that had the Fleet flowing through his veins. If you cut him in half, you'd have seen a little yellow ship on a red background and a white football on a yellow background. People like Derek have shaped the personality of the club. A Football Club is nothing without it's fans. 66 years of service, and an extra year is added as he had collected his season ticket. He'll be there with us this season, I'm sure. Rest In Piece Derek.

Dover game – a point please! 1-1 draw, but it could go either way. Both teams are going to be up for it. Could you imagine four players left Arsenal (well yes, actually) and went to Manchester United? And at the same time, five players went in the other direction along with back room staff? What would Sky Sports News make of that? Their vidi-printer would surely blow up! I think this game may well be a little too early for everyone involved, and for that reason it could well boil down to an anti-climax. Just imagine if we sneaked a late winner though...

Expectations for the season? Seriously I'm just happy that we don't have to vote on the colour of players sock-ties. At the moment, I've settled for the fact that we have a Club. I want to get up straight away, but I'm not pinning my hopes on it. I spoke with someone who knows this league very well over the summer, and he told be that Welling United built their title challenge over two years. I'd be happy with waiting for promotion until next season. What I would really like this season, is a nice FA Cup run ending at maybe Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool and on the way there, pulling off a real shock and knocking out somebody we shouldn't... Charlton, maybe?

Up the Fleet." 

If you're attending tonight then match prices are as follows: 
Adults - £13
Over 60s - £10 
Under 18s - £6
Under 11s – FREE 

If you're unable to attend the match then tune into BBC Radio Kent for live commentary, or 

follow @EUFCofficial or @DoverAthletic for live text commentary.