Hessenthaler faces team selection nightmare for midweek trip to Fleetwood

Saturday 09th January 2010

DOVER ATHLETIC face more nightmare logistical problems getting a team up to Fleetwood Town for the re-arranged FA Carlsberg Trophy second round tie on Tuesday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

Andy Hessenthaler and his team were to travel to Lancashire yesterday and stay overnight in a Preston hotel, whilst supporters were to take advantage of free coach travel, which was expected to depart Crabble at 5 o’clock this morning.

Fleetwood Town, a side that are in second place in the Blue Square North table, called off the game before the Dover team began their trip in the snow yesterday.

The Lancashire club, with financial assistance from Dover Athletic, pulled out all off the stops to get the game ahead, by using a Glasgow based company to cover the Highbury playing surface with a protective dome filled with warm air.

Arthur Gaughen, the pitch protection manager of AAASK told Fleetwood Town’s website, “I’m pretty confident the game will happen. It’s the same system we use successfully in Glasgow with Celtic and closer to here we’ve done Macclesfield and Shrewsbury Town.”

Thankfully, officials decided to call off the game before the Dover team embarked on their 660 mile round trip.

But due to “unforeseen technical failures” with the defrosting equipment late on Thursday night, the Highbury pitch would not have been ready in time for today’s scheduled 3pm kick-off.

“The club consulted with Dover Athletic about moving the game to Sunday,” said a Fleetwood Town statement.

“However, Dover were concerned that the weather forecasted in the Kent area gave them concern over the return journey, in addition to the logistical problems in changing their plans.”

Dover Athletic player-manager, Andy Hessenthaler, now faces a headache getting a team up to Lancashire on Tuesday night.

Jon Wallis (calf) and Danny Walder (hamstring) were to have fitness tests before today’s gam, so whether another three days will make any difference to the pair’s fitness remains to be seen.

Jake Leberl (hamstring), Sam Moore (suspended), Sam Gore (groin), Dean Grant (cup-tied) and Tom Davis (on loan at Croydon Athletic) were all ruled out of today’s original tie.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the suspensions for James Rogers (1 match) and Dean Hill (3 matches) kick in for Tuesday‘s game, having both been sent off against Chelmsford City on 28 December.

Speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk Hessenthaler said: “We’ll have to travel up on a Tuesday night and that makes it very difficult in respect of players getting time off work, probably asking for two days off work.”

His chairman, Jim Parmenter agreed, when speaking to www.doverathletic.com said: “We don’t want to play on Tuesday as it’s going to be a nightmare for players to get time off work at such short notice - plus the possible implications of bad weather and the very long journey north.”

He added: "We made representations asking the Football Conference to postpone one of our Saturday fixtures to accommodate the Trophy clash. Then we could rearrange a league game for a Tuesday later in the season.

"But, unfortunately, this was rejected out of hand - so we have to play on Tuesday."

Meanwhile, Maidstone United hope to get their much-delayed first round home tie against Blue Square Premier side Histon underway on Tuesday night at Homelands Stadium, Ashford, but that is subject to the condition of the playing surface, which is currently under a blanket of snow.

Visit Fleetwood Town’s website: www.fleetwoodtownfc.com

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

Fleetwood Town v Dover Athletic

FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round

Tuesday 12th January 2010

Kick Off 7:45pm

At Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood, Lancashire FY7 6TX