Wallis made "brave decision" to re-sign for Dover Athletic

Wednesday 13th June 2007

Andy Hessenthaler says Jon Wallis has made a "very brave decision" to sign for Dover Athletic - with a League Two club also offering him a contract, writes Justin Allen.

Jon opted to stay at Crabble, where he enjoyed his best football last season despite also having spells at Hereford United and Conference champions Dagenham and Redbridge.

However, the ex-Gillingham player believes his career will be best benefited from spending some time under the watchful eye of Hessenthaler and his assistant Darren Hare - who he knows well from his days at Priestfield.

The Whites player-manager told www.doverathletic.com : "Jon has made a very brave decision. I believe his career will benefit from staying with us and we'll be working hard on making him a better footballer, while in the meantime he will play a big part in helping us win the title this coming season.

"We've got some good midfield options now with Jon, John Keister and myself. Now we need a centre half, a couple of full-backs and a strike partner for Jimmy Dryden.

"But, as I've said all along, we'll be taking our time to bring quality into the squad. We're not in any mad rush."

And Darren Hare has spoken to www. About his excitement at being appointed the new assistant manager at the Ryman League Division One South club.

Hare, who started his career under Chris Kinnear at Dover, is delighted to be returning to Crabble and believes the club has a great chance of achieving big things under Hessenthaler.

He said: "It's a great stadium, the fans are great and Dover is a club playing way below where it should be.

"Andy and I will be working hard to get it out of Ryman One - and then we can really kick on from there.

"I am delighted to get this chance to come. The club is geared to progress and has the desire. That and Andy being on board made the decision to come back to Dover very easy for me."

Hare - currently working a Crystal Palace's youth academy - believes Hess's enthusiasm and zest for the game will rub off on all his players.

He said: "He has vast experience as a player. The key thing is his ability to look after players. He's honest with them, won't shy away from making difficult decisions - and he has fantastic enthusiasm for the game.

"That zest and enthusiasm will rub off on all the players."

Article courtesy of www.doverathletic.com