Kentish Football 
We'll give a good account of ourselves, says Dover Athletic boss Chris Kinnear
The Whites welcome FC Halifax Town to Crabble on Saturday in the Vanarama Conference - the club’s first game in the top flight of non-league football in 12 years.
Dover Athletic go into their opening game full of confidence after winning nine and drawing one of their ten pre-season games.
Halifax Town arrive on the Kent coast after finishing in fifth-place last season, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Cambridge United in the play-off semi-finals. Cambridge United went on to join champions Luton Town back in the Football League.
“I think we’re going to have a lot of big games aren’t we?” said Kinnear.
“We’re playing the likes of Grimsby and Bristol Rovers and all these sides. It’s like FA Cup games every League game. It will just be an ordinary game.
“In September we’ve got the televised game against Barnet, the whole game and all the build-up. That’s like a massive Cup game a couple of years ago and now it’s an everyday thing.
“It’s moved on a lot this league since the club was in it last.”
When Dover Athletic finished in bottom place in the Conference back in 2002, they played Barnet, Chester, Forest Green, Telford, Nuneaton, Southport, Woking, who are their rivals this season too.
But the League nowadays has so many former Football League clubs, Halifax being one of them.
“That’s right, it definitely is, there’s no doubt about it,” said Kinnear.
“As I say five years’ ago, there was something like six (former Football League) sides in it. There’s quite a turn-around in this year.
“It’s exciting. It’s not going to be easy. A lot of clubs have come out of The Football League and can’t get out of it.
“There’s a lot of League teams that are finding it hard. We’re under no illusions. It’s going to be a really, really hard task.
“The lads’ are up for it. The club’s up for it. We’ll give a good account of ourselves.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against Halifax, Kinnear said: “They’re very big, strong. They get the ball in the box. They play whichever way they want to too win. That’s the good thing about football in England. Every way is possible.
Not everyone can play the same way, as we saw in the World Cup.
“It’s going to be interesting. They got into the play-offs last year, the year before they did quite well, so it will be a really hard game.
“They’re looking to get back into the League now.
“Kevin (Raine, my scout) has gone to seen them and has told Jake (Leberl) and I what we have to do and hopefully the boys can carry it out.
“We’re in good form. We finished the season only losing 2 in 20, so we’re doing quite well at the moment, so hopefully we’ll carry that through.
“A lot of the lads who were with us last year are with us this year so they’re getting to know the way we want to play.
“I’m sure they’ve got the ability to play there. Not many have played in the Conference so it’s a great opportunity to see how they fare against full-time players.”
When asked about the club’s training regime, Kinnear, a school teacher said it’s hard to give up his career for Conference football.
He said: “We’re doing three evenings. The reason we’re doing that, it’s a bit hard to do three mornings. What will they do the other two days?
“The idea is they can do their coaching, or coaching badges and a lot of lads have got decent jobs so they can do their decent careers so when they finish at 31-32 they’ve done something else.
“They won’t find it hard to bring up a family. A lot of lads only play football in the Conference full-time and when it comes to 32-33 when they start getting families and mortgages they find it hard to move on.
“Maybe it’s the teacher in me. Hopefully they get qualifications to help them. That’s the way we’re trying to do it.
“The most difficult part I would imagine if we’re away from home on a Tuesday and they get back and have to get up the next morning. People like Tom Wynter have to get up really early in the morning so that’s something we’ll see how it goes. That’s the way we’re trying to go.
“We try and do as well as we can. We’ll give ourselves a chance. We won’t win every game.
“At the end of last season we only lost 2 in 20. The expectation is we’re going to go there and give it our best shot.
“We’ll learn quickly. If it’s good enough we’ll learn quickly. If it’s not good enough we have to make a few alterations.
“The lads’ that have got us there deserve a crack at it. It’s a great spirit at the club. Hopefully it will be enough.
“The supporters’ have got behind it. We’re selling kit online for the first time and in the first day of going on line they’ve sold £700 worth of kit which is amazing really.
“There’s fourteen of the lads at least who have got their kit sponsored as well. People in Dover are getting interested in it and are looking forward to watching the Bristol Rovers and Wrexham’s. It should be quite exciting for them.”
When asked what he’s looking forward to the most, Kinnear replied: “Seeing how well our lads do really, to watch them grow and prove people that maybe people haven’t given them a chance at that level. That’s really what I’m looking forward to.
“The lads’ have been given a chance. The desire is there. Can they do it? I think they can and we’ll have to wait and see.”
Visit Dover Athletic’s website: www.doverathletic.com
Dover Athletic v FC Halifax Town
Vanarama Conference
Saturday 9th August 2014
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Crabble Athleic Ground, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0JB
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