Settled striker admits he's enoying his football again

Striker Anton Innocent is wiling to make the round trip of over 130 miles from his Chafford Hundred home to play for Dover Athletic as he’s now enjoying his football, writes Stephen McCartney.

The 24-year-old Essex resident made a dream start to his Dover Athletic career by scoring with a scissor kick volley to give the Whites a deserved 2-1 lead against promotion rivals Dartford at Crabble on Saturday.

But Brendon Cass’s 24^th goal of the season with thirteen minutes remaining ensured the Darts grabbed a point - a result neither side wanted as the two Kent giants compete for a promotion place into the Ryman Premier League.

Innocent, formerly of Wimbledon and Erith & Belvedere, signed for Dover last week from Nationwide Conference South outfit Bishop’s Stortford and got booked for his over zealous goal celebrations following his 50^th minute strike.

“That’s football isn’t it?” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the 2-2 draw in front of a passion filled crowd of 1,273.

“I know the rules and stuff but at the end of the day it’s my first game, debut goal, and I want the fans to know I’m here for the rest of the season and I want to celebrate with them.

“It was my first goal and that’s just my way of expressing myself to be honest.

“It was reasonably tough to get to know the lads at the first time at training and then the game. It will come, it will come. I keep thinking the next two or three games you will start to see the best of me.

“I think as the game progressed everyone saw little glimpses of myself, little skills, little tricks and trying to take people on and so on and that’s what I can do.”

Innocent admitted that he was impressed with his new team mates on Saturday.

“Craig Cloke’s goal took us into half-time (and) with a great team-talk we came out and done the business in the second half and (we were) a bit unfortunate we ended up drawing the game,” he said.

“I think overall we shaded it and they were lucky to get the draw and I think they’ll take the draw away from home coming to a big nice ground like this so generally speaking we deserved the win but unfortunately it didn’t happen today.

“From my point of view I know it’s my first game but I’m disappointed. I want to win every football game and I think the lads are exactly the same.

“They want to win not just for themselves but for the club as well. It’s a big club, derby, two big teams and unfortunately it didn’t happen today but we’re definitely going to be more disappointed than Dartford for not winning because we’re at home more than anything.

“What I can say is what I’ve seen so far. It’s very positive, the lads look positive, upbeat, quite chirpy and all we can do is go in with a good attitude, a good ethos and all things will be for the best.

“I think we’ve done well today, they have impressed me and hopefully I’d like to think I’ve impressed them quite a lot today and I’ll try a continue to do so.”

All attention now turns to the visit of Leatherhead to Crabble on Tuesday night, and the PE teacher/student admitted that he’s enjoying his football and wants to help his new club achieve their promotion aims.

He said:  “I started as an apprentice, I had an eight and a half year spell at Wimbledon Football Club and just before they turned into Milton Keynes I left that season.

“There was a massive exodus of players, forty pros and I was one of the forty shipped out so to speak.

“My career since then has been a bit up and down and I think generally speaking the last couple of season’s I was down at Erith & Belvedere, got a full season under my belt, started to enjoy football again.

“This year I’ve gone to Bishop’s Stortford, done reasonably well at the beginning but unfortunately got injured for two months.

“I’ve come back now and I’m starting to enjoy football again so for me it will hopefully be an upward spiral from now on until the end of my career, for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve got the desire back and that’s the main thing. I’m enjoying football again and when you start enjoying football then hopefully the quality will come through in the end.”

Innocent knows that he will have to get used to the commuting from his Thurrock home down to Dover for matches and training.

He said: “It is a bit of a distance and I didn’t realise how much of a distance it was until we started to hit the A2 and we still had another thirty miles to go.

“To be honest I want to play football and I’ll go to the moon and back just to play and Dover’s provided me the opportunity to be honest.

“If I play and score goals like that I’ll travel anywhere. You can’t pay for that feeling.”

Innocent hasn’t set himself any personal goals but will want to settle down in his new surroundings as quickly as possible.

“I don’t set any personal targets,” he said. “I just play with feeling and all things being I’m a striker and I want to do well. I want to score all the time but I don’t personally set targets but in saying that, who knows?

“Hopefully I’ll score in every game if I possibly can and hopefully that’s what I’ll endeavour to do.”

Leatherhead’s last visit to Crabble two weeks ago ended in defeat when Dover reached the semi-finals of the Westview Cup with a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Matt Bourne and Tommy Tyne.

The Whites now welcome league rivals Cray Wanderers to Crabble next Tuesday night for a place in the final up for grabs. The other semi-final, between Staines Town and Ashford Town (Middlesex) takes place on the same night at Wheatsheaf Park.

Before that though, Dover travel to bottom-of-the-table side Corinthian Casuals on Saturday (3pm).

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

Dover Athletic v Leatherhead
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 27^th February 2007
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0PA