We just need to turn up and play to our best, says Dover Athletic defender Ollie Schulz

DOVER ATHLETIC defender Ollie Schulz hopes luck is on his team-mates’ side as they bid to reach the First Round of The FA Cup for the second successive season, writes Stephen McCartney.


The Kent club reached the Third Round last season following heroic victories over two League Two clubs in the shape of Gillingham and Aldershot Town before their run was ended up at Huddersfield Town.

And all that stands in Dover’s way of being in the FA Cup with Budweiser First Round Draw, which is screened Live on ITV1 at 1:30pm on Sunday 30 October, are Bath City.

The Romans are rooted to the foot of the Blue Square Bet Premier table with one win and four draws from their eighteen league games and with Dover Athletic now up to seventh place in the league below (the Blue Square Bet South), Dover Athletic have the quality to get through.

“I think they’re struggling for form at the moment but they’re a league above is so it’s not going to be an easy game,” said Schulz, 26, following ten-man Dover’s battling 1-0 win at Bromley last night.

“We go into it as underdogs, a bit like last year as well, so hopefully a bit of luck from last year pays off this year.”

Reflecting on last season’s FA Cup campaign under then manager Martin Hayes, Schulz proudly said: “Obviously being non-league, a Blue Square Bet South club, not a lot of teams get through to the third round and it was special to the whole club, the players’, the fans’, the chairman especially.

“We just hope we can have a bit of  luck this year as well.”

Dover Athletic took at least 150 fans’ to Hayes Lane last night and they were proud of their players’ battling performance, especially having skipper Shane Huke red-carded in the 53^rd minute for an alleged elbow in Michael Jones’ face.

Dover Athletic sealed a crucial three points through in-form striker Donovan Simmonds’ fourth minute strike.

And Schulz, who also reached the First Round with Ramsgate back in 2005, has issued a rallying cry to the Dover faithful to see them through.

He said: “The support down at Dover is probably one of the best in the non-league.  We just keep asking them to turn up and support the team.

“We just need to turn up and play to our best.  As long as we play to our ability we should get a result.”

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

Dover Athletic  v  Bath City
The FA Cup with Budweiser Fourth Qualifying Round
Saturday 29^th October 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0JB