I'll get Dover back to where they should be, vows Hessenthaler

Dover Athletic welcome Blue Square Southern club Eastbourne Borough to Crabble on Tuesday night, as new player-manager, Andy Hessenthaler looks forward to a more “realistic” game, writes Stephen McCartney.

A crowd of 3,011 flocked through the Crabble turnstiles to see Hessenthaler take charge of the Ryman League Division One South giants for the very first time.

Although Coca Cola League One side Gillingham won the game by four goals to one, Gills legend Hessenthaler was a pleased man afterwards.

“A tough work-out for us because normally you get the non-league teams to play against pre-season, but we’ve come straight in against the big-boys, the pro side.

“Generally we equipped ourselves really well and we got out what we wanted to get out of it,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“In respects of fitness, we certainly looked at certain players, chopped and changed quite a lot, like Gillingham did as well, so we can some indication on some of the trialists we had here.

“But we realised who we were playing against. They’re five tiers above us so generally I thought it was a good work-out, we got a lot out of it.”

Looking ahead to Eastbourne Borough’s visit on Tuesday, Hessenthaler said: “That gives us a more realistic game. This was really for our fitness levels more than anything, obviously for getting a decent crowd here as well, which we certainly got today from the Dover fans and the Gills fans, so that was good.

“We’d have a better indication on Tuesday when we’re playing a more realistic game but again, Eastbourne are a club higher than us in the leagues, and it will be another good test for us.”

Using 21 players, Hessenthaler was one of eight players that came off the bench at the interval, and he was pleased with the warm reception he received from both sets of supporters, who made the pre-season friendly into a cup-match atmosphere.

“It’s nice to get a good reception,” he said. “Obviously, it’s about the football club and for me to come down here to get these out of the league and get them back to where they should be.

“It’s not going to be easy but the players we’re bringing in, once we get a real good understanding, and get the real games underway, I’m sure we’ll do that.

“We haven’t got our squad together yet. We certainly need to look at players. We’ve had a few boys in today and I’ll be honest, I won’t name names, but I was impressed with two or three of them.

“So we certainly have to look towards a good squad together that’s going to get us out of the league.

“I haven’t been able to bring in all the players I want, that’s why hence, we’ve got players here on trial, so that I can get that squad together come the eighteenth of August.”

Hessenthaler gave a trial to a couple of French trialists, right-sided midfielder, Chris Christophe and striker Hamdi Razak, who both played for 45 minutes.

When asked which clubs the French duo played for last season, Hessenthaler replied: “The two French boys, I couldn’t tell you.” But he added: “I basically use an agent, which brought Mama Sidebe to Gillingham a few years ago, whose now playing for Stoke, so I trust him.

“He brought them and we had a look at them and to be fair out of the two of them, the big centre forward showed a lot more than the right-sided player.

“But fair play to them, it’s not easy for them boys, because they don’t really know too many people.”

Hessenthaler gave his views on the other trialists that he played yesterday.

“The likes of the goalkeeper, second half (Ross Kitteridge), a young lad from Reading, he looked a bit nervous certainly second half, but it’s not easy for him - he’s just turned up today.

“The goalkeeper first half, Dean Ruddy, I thought done very well. American boy, he was at Horsham YMCA last year, so he didn’t do himself any harm today.

“Alan Pouton, midfield player that came on, has been a pro for many years. (He) played for Grimsby and he was at Gillingham, a number of clubs.

“Still only thirty-years-old, I thought looked very good, scored a good free-kick.

“The lad Matt Fish, from (Crystal) Palace, I thought he done well, defensively made two great blocks in the first half, and the lad Joe Vines, he’s been at Tooting last year, and I thought again, he ain’t even trained with us, he’s just turned up and played, and I thought him and Clokey (Craig Cloke) done very well together.

“It’s not easy when you chop and change too many players, but you’ve got to do that to start getting indications on what players are going to be good enough or not, so come Tuesday night, we’ll get more of an indication.”

Hessenthaler is relishing leading the Crabble club out of Ryman League Division One South - as champions.

“Big expectations, football’s about expectations,” he said. “I’ve been in the game too long to worry about that!

“I believe in what I’m doing and come the end of the season, I’m confident we’ll be out this league.

“If I get the right characters and we’re starting to do that now, we’ll certainly do that.

“But a long way to go, we’ve not kicked a ball in the league yet.”

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

Dover Athletic v Eastbourne Borough
Pre-Season Friendly
Tuesday 24^th July 2007
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0PA