Kentish Football 
Promotion is always going to be the target of this club in this league, says Dover boss Martin Hayes
Friday 31st December 2010
DOVER ATHLETIC manager Martin Hayes says he has experienced many highs during his first five months in charge of the Kent club - but the former Arsenal star wants to end the season with promotion into the top-flight of non-league football, writes Stephen McCartney.
The Whites welcome an out-of-form Bromley to Crabble in a mouth-watering Blue Square Bet South derby clash on New Years Day, just seven days before their historic FA Cup Third Round trip to League One high-flyers Hudddersfield Town.
Wins over Andy Hessenthaler’s Gillingham in the First Round, and then a Second Round win over another League Two side, Aldershot Town - and fourth place in the table - has meant Hayes’ first season at the Kent club has got off to a flyer.
“I can’t be unhappy, I’ve had a good start to it,” said Hayes, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.
“We’ve started off well in the league and we’ve been in contention all season, which is where you want to be. It would have been nice to be clear with ten or twelve points ahead of everyone else, but as long as we’re in touching distance of the leaders all season, that’s always my target.
“You can always pick a couple of games in the league when we’ve been good and disappointing and the Cup run has come along and taken over our season with everyone’s emotions and excitement with wins over Gillingham and Aldershot and a third round tie away to Huddersfield.
“It’s been good with a lot of highs early on and I’m hoping 2011 would be another high, which would eclipse our Cup run.
“Promotion is always going to be the target of this club in this league and I’m sure it was last year. The club is geared for Conference (Premier) football and it’s always been the manager’s job to get there.”
Dover start the New Year in fourth place in the Blue Square Bet South table and with 26 league games left to cram in, there’s plenty of exciting football ahead.
Second-placed Bromley squandered an excellent chance to regain top spot as they crashed to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Maidenhead United at Hayes Lane last night.
Assistant manager, Hayden Bird, was clearly disappointed with his side’s performance - their first home game for 51 days, and their first game since losing 7-0 at Weston-Super-Mare on 11 December.
“Dover are a great team,” Bird told www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “I said from the outset they’ll be real frontrunners to win the league, nothing’s changed my mind on that.
“Perhaps they’ll have one eye on the Cup game, which is the following week? That will be interesting. I’ll look at that very carefully.
“It’s going to be probably our most difficult away game of the season, but sometimes football’s strange, when your backs against the wall and everyone’s feeling a little bit deflated, these games are perfect to bounce back and maybe we’ll surprise one or two people.”
Visit Dover Athletic’s website: www.doverathletic.com
Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.net
Dover Athletic v Bromley
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 1st January 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Crabble, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0JB
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd