Dover Athletic appoint Mitch Brundle as their new manager on an 18-month contract

DOVER ATHLETIC chairman Jim Parmenter has appointed Mitch Brundle as the club's new manager tonight.

The 28-year-old has put pen to paper on an 18-month minimum contract with the option of an extension.

Brundle and Mike Sandmann were both put in interim-charge on Thursday 5 January after Andy Hessenthaler departed Crabble to return to Gillingham as the head of recruitment at the League Two club.

Dover Athletic went down to a single-goal defeat at bottom-of-the-table side Hungerford Town a couple of days later, before beating Taunton Town 1-0 at Crabble before the Whites went down to a 2-1 home defeat to Ebbsfleet United at the weekend.

“Mitch has done really well since he took the reigns,” Parmenter told the club website.

“The teams performance in the last three games show that we will have a bright future under his leadership along with Mike Sandmann.”

Croydon-born Brundle, a midfielder, has played for Yeovil Town, Bristol City, Cheltenham Town (loan), Braintree Town, Hemel Hempstead Town (loan), Gateshead, Dover Athletic, Dagenham & Redbridge, Barnet and Farnborough.

Brundle has played in League One, League Two, National League, National League South and the Southern League Premier Division South.

Dover Athletic travel to Isthmian League South East Division side Chatham Town tomorrow night to contest a Kent Senior Trophy Second Round tie.

Brundle added: “I am over the moon to be given this opportunity.  I love this club and have always given everything both on and off the pitch.  The football club means a lot to me and I am looking forward at putting my own stamp on things.”

Dover Athletic are in sixteenth-place in the Vanarama National League South table, having picked up 31 points (eight wins, seven draws) from their 26 games.

The club are presently eight-points clear of the relegation zone, which occupies Concord Rangers (23 points from 22 games), Cheshunt (23 points from 25), Weymouth (18 points from 23) and Hungerford Town (16 points from 24).

Dover Athletic welcome third-placed Havant & Waterlooville to Crabble on Saturday, 21 January (15:00).

Meanwhile, seven players that featured against Ebbsfleet United have progressed out of Sandmann’s highly-acclaimed Academy set-up.

Kieran Agbebi, Freddie Oliver, Noah Carney, Luke Baptiste, Alfie Paxman, George Wilkinson and Harrison Byford have all been given their chance at first-team level in the sixth-tier of English football.

Visit Dover Athletic’s website: www.doverathletic.com