Hare wants to keep up impressive home form

CARL ROOK is relishing his return to a former club on Saturday, as he tries to score the goals to win a mouth-watering Kent showdown, writes Stephen McCartney.

The striker, Tonbridge Angels’ record signing from Horsham almost twelve months ago, has scored 14 goals so far this season and returns to Dover Athletic on Saturday in what is a match between two promotion chasing Kent clubs.

Dover Athletic enjoy a eight point lead at the top of the Ryman Premier League record with 42 points from 16 games - ten points clear of the fourth placed Angels.

Rook, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk following his hat-trick in their 4-1 win over Dartford on 18^th November, is relishing a good old Kentish derby.

“I’ve never experienced so many of these Kent derbies,” said the former Hastings United, Dover Athletic and Horsham striker.

“I didn’t know what a rivalry it was between Tonbridge and Maidstone. I’ve played most of my football in Sussex (with) Horsham and Hastings, so obviously I’m loving it here.”

That night Andy Hessenthaler’s side slipped up with a defeat at much-fancied side Sutton United, only their second league defeat of the season.

And Rook knows victory at a passion filled Perrys Crabble this weekend will cut Dover’s lead on the Angels to seven points.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” said Rook.

“We’re quietly confident, we all know we’ve got the squad in here to make a push, Dover can’t keep winning. If they do we’ll hold our hands up.

“Hopefully we can make a charge for them but it’s such a hard league to get out of with only one going up (automatically).”

Both sides go into the game having exited the Kent Senior Cup in midweek, making numerous chances from the players that played in their league games at the weekend.

Dover Athletic were defeated 1-0 by holders Ebbsfleet United as the full-time Blue Square Premier side clinched victory thanks to George Purcell.

And Tonbridge Angels went down 5-4 on penalties away to Ryman League Division One South strugglers Whitstable Town at the KRBS Belmont Ground.

With Whitstable goalkeeper Dylan McVicar excellent throughout, it needed Jamie Cade’s eighth goal of the season to cancel out Gary Sayer’s opener.

Meanwhile, Dover Athletic assistant Darren Hare is looking forward to a run of six home games between now and the end of December.

And Hare is delighted with the way the Whites have performed both at home and on their travels this term.

“We have got a few home games coming up,” Hare told www.dafctv.co.uk following the Whites fourteenth league win of the season at Wealdstone last Saturday.

“If you think we’ve played ten away games away from home, eight wins away from ten away from home, it’s a fantastic achievement. Obviously we’ve had six at home and won all of those.

“We’re going ok at the moment and it’s going to be nice to have a few, a run of home games. If we can continue that form leading into Christmas.”

Hare sees victory over their Kentish rivals as another step towards the Ryman Premier League title.

He said: “Our target obviously is to get out of this division and we’ll be working hard all the way through the season to do that.”

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this match.

BBC Radio Kent will also be bringing regular updates - 96.7fm or 104.2fm - or listen live at www.bbc.co.uk/kent

Visit Dover Athletic’s websites: www.doverathletic.com & www.dafctv.co.uk

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ websites: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

Dover Athletic v Tonbridge Angels
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 29^th November 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Perrys Crabble, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0JB