Our home form drives me mad, admits Dover Athletic boss Martin Hayes

Thursday 03rd February 2011

Manager Martin Hayes says his Dover Athletic side must improve on their home form, writes Stephen McCartney.

A 2-0 win away to second-placed Bromley was their ninth league win (from eleven away games) of the season, but the side have only won three league games at Crabble this season.

Hayes takes his side to eleventh-placed Basingstoke Town on Saturday and is desperate his side to perform in front of their own fans when league leaders Braintree Town visit Crabble next Tuesday.

Whilst enjoying a bottle water in Bromley’s plush bar on Tuesday night, Hayes joked that his side should all meet at Maidstone and travel to Dover by coach to replicate an away day.

The former Arsenal star said: “It drives me mad this home thing but on our travels we’ve looked great at Welling, awful Saturday (against Ebbsfleet) at home. We’ve looked great (at Bromley) nice and solid and you wonder why we’ve let so many goals in the way we’ve defended and looked the way we did.

“I can’t put my finger on it!”

Looking ahead to their trip to Hampshire, the Dover boss said: “Basingstoke’s a tough place to go. They’ve beaten some good sides, again they’re blowing hot and cold and we just have to go down there and really build on this result. We keep talking about it, we really have to build on it.”

Braintree lost only their fourth league game of the season as they failed to capitalise on Dartford striker Charlie Sheringham being red-carded for an alleged elbow after seventeen minutes at Princes Park on Tuesday night as Elliot Bradbrook later sealed the points for the Kent side.

Hayes said: “It’s a big one because it’s a chance, if they’re at the top, we want to take them off.

“They’re the best team in the league at the moment, they’re doing the right things.

“They’ll come down to us, they don’t have to beat us (as they are six points clear at the top), it’s for us to go and show some composure and really raise our game.

“That’s going to be a great night to put one in for the home fans because it’s going to be a massive night.

“A win is due, we’ve got to turn up properly like we did against Farnborough and Aldershot. We are due to do that (at home) and hopefully we can on Tuesday and it will be great to play them on the back off another win.”

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

Basingstoke Town v Dover Athletic

Blue Square Bet South

Saturday 5th February 2011

Kick Off 3:00pm

At The Camrose, Western Way, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG22 6EZ