Dover arrange friendly to get key players fit

Dover Athletic have arranged a mid-season friendly against Chris Kinnear's Margate next Monday night at Crabble, in which long term injury absentee's Craig Cloke and Daniel Braithwaite will get their first taste of action since October.


Since their FA Trophy defeat against Dartford three months ago, Whites' form has dipped and it is hoped that the return of these two key members of their squad will  kick-start their season again.

Dover manager Clive Walker, whose side entertain league leaders Horsham on Saturday, has had to shuffle his defence on numerous occasions since October, with Dean Readings suffering a terrible injury, Danny Chapman and Dave Clifford both having spells out of action and other defenders struggling with their form.

Walker will not want to keep top scorer Craig Wilkins at the back for too long and the return of fans favourite Cloke will be a huge boost to Dover's central defence for the run-in.

Cloke should be the first to return to full first team action in the next few weeks, whilst Braithwaite may have to wait a little longer. Fans will be hoping that they can help the side return to its early season form, when both played a key role in Whites table-topping results.

Written by Matthew Clements - www.doverathletic.com