Dover Have A Big Reason To Carry On Their EFL Crusade

Step forward Andy Hessenthaler, Saviour In Chief and the embodiment of a club within sight of the white cliffs which this time year ago were crumbling around them.

He probably has walked a few yards the wrong way during his near 12 months in charge but it’s hard to pin point where he has put a foot wrong.

Some accused him of not only taking a sideward step by leaving promotion hopefuls Eastleigh for a battle at the basement, but take a few large strides back. It has proven to be a calculated masterstroke.

But there are others who have had an equally emphatic impact.

Jai Reason was one of his first signings. Anyone who has seen the midfielder play won’t be taken aback to see him steering the club’s revival.

Signing from Chelmsford City last October, the midfielder knew he had to get his next move right.

“I took a bit of a risk when I came here,” he told us. “The manager did as well - but for him it was coming home.

“To a lot of people him going back when he did, when the side was bottom of the table, was a big surprise. But really it wasn’t, not with how well he is thought of here.

“I was at the stage of my career where I needed to make the right move. I needed it to work so I rolled the dice a little.

“Coming to play for a club bottom of the table and having real problems had all types of potential to go wrong!

“But as soon as I got to Dover I got the feeling we would manage to turn things around.

“It’s been an incredible 11 and a bit months. To go from bottom of the table to force our way into the play-offs shows it’s a good place to be.”

This weekend they get the showcase their dramatic improvement under Hessenthaler on the national stage.

The BT Sport cameras are at the Crabble to see which one of these strong starters will put their foot down and stamp some authority after a fine first two months.

Reason knows second place FC Halifax will also be keen to put on a show but after winning three from four the Whites have the bit between their teeth.

“It’s a meeting of two clubs nobody expected to be in the top five places,” he said.

“It’s been a league like that this year - we say it all the time but this is the place to watch your football if you want surprises.

“Halifax have done superbly and all credit to them but we really want to continue our improvement and keep moving up the table.”

Can Dover stay in a promotion place? The former Cambridge United and Eastleigh man will reserve judgement.

“I’m not saying we can’t, no way,” he said.

“But we are still in September - even if we have played a large number of games already. We’ll see where are are a little further down the line but this is a strong group - a really, really strong group.

“You can see with how well they have handled the last week, then after everything going to Maidenhead United and winning on Tuesday - there’s a serious togetherness here.

“How far it can take us you can only guess. But there is talent as well as togetherness, make no mistake about that.”

But beware history repeating itself.

Reason added: “We need to be aware that at this stage last season we were bottom, badly struggling, and it flipped.

“It can still flip totally again - there’s no rule which says a good start can’t go wrong.

“I have been part of teams before which have begun brilliantly and then things tailed off. Hopefully that experience will help but nobody is thinking we’re well on the way to a great season as there is so much which can happen in a short space of time.”

Pictures: Matt Bristow and Kent Live