Dover Athletic unveil Chris Kinnear as their new boss

DOVER ATHLETIC are pleased to announce the return of Chris Kinnear as first team manager and former player Jake Leberl as his assistant.



The pair return to Crabble from Ryman Premier League side Margate to replace Nicky Forster, who has been placed on gardening leave on Friday.

Forster’s assistant, Steve Brown, remains on the club’s staff.

The decision to replace Forster was made at a board meeting on Friday, after Dover Athletic lost five games on the bounce, something that the directors did not see changing under his management.

Kinnear previously managed Dover Athletic between 1985 and 1995, successfully guiding the club from the foot of the Southern League to the Conference, winning the Southern League Southern Division and then the Southern League Premier Division twice.

Since leaving Crabble in 1995, Kinnear joined Margate and led the club to two promotions in three seasons, once again reaching the Conference.

Margate finished eighth and tenth in their first two seasons there and enjoyed two memorable FA Cup runs.

Kinnear left Margate in 2005 and became a scout for clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He returned to Hartsdown Park as manager in 2011, quickly stabilising the club on the field.  This season he has established Margate as promotion contenders in the Ryman Premier League, winning ten and drawing six of their 20 games, in third-place, ten points behind leaders Whitehawk.

Kinnear brings his assistant at Margate Leberl with him, three years after his second spell as a player at Crabble.

Leberl originally joined Dover Athletic from Crewe Alexandra in 1997 and excelled at centre back, voted player of the season in 2002 before leaving to play for Kinnear at Margate.

Leberl went on to win the Conference title with Dagenham & Redbridge in 2007 before enjoying back-to-back promotions with AFC Wimbledon.

Andy Hessenthaler then brought him back to Crabble for a brief spell in 2009-10 and he has been assistant manager at Margate since Kinnear’s return to Hartsdown Park in April 2011.

The new management team take charge of Dover Athletic on Tuesday night when the Whites welcome AFC Hornchurch to Crabble.

Dover Athletic lie in third-place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South table, with 40 points from 25 games (12 wins and 4 draws), fifteen points adrift of long-term leaders Salisbury City.

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