In the National League’s only game this weekend, Dover Athletic can move to within a win of the Play Off places if Andy Hessenthaler’s side can beat Hartlepool United at Crabble.

Postponed last weekend as their visitors were still involved in the FA Cup, with both sides already out of the FA Trophy, it made sense to all involved to save a awkward midweek re-arrangement and play on a spare Saturday, as Hessenthaler is keen for his side to build on a reasonable successful Christmas period.

“We’ve got the opportunity to use the fact that we’re the only fixture in the League playing especially as three points will put us back to within three points of the Play Off places again.”

“It’ll be our first game in ten days whereas they will have played twice in the same period and we’ve got to use that to our advantage and make sure that we play with a real tempo right from the start.”

“They’re on the same points as we are and so they’ll be looking to do exactly the same and so we know we’re in for a tough, tough game. We’ve got three games in hand over some teams and two over others and so whilst I’d sooner have the points we’ve gpt to make sure that we keeping picking up the points at the same time!”

“Saturday is a real opportunity to get back up into the top half of the table and back that bit back closer to the Play Offs and top hopefully kick us on again from the Christmas period… I was happy with the return we got but disappointed that we didn’t get something from the second Bromley game after game after playing so well in the first. I thought we were close to finding the consistency in the first games over Christmas but then after 44 minutes it went again at Bromley.”

“So, with this weekend ahead, we’ve got to make sure we start well and don’t give Hartlepool the chance to “park the bus” and make it tough on us! Teams are doing to us what we’ve been doing to them and we haven’t been able to break them down. I’m hoping that the performance we put in against Bromley on Boxing Day would be the catalyst and improve our home form until the end of the season and hopefully that will be the case!”

“The events of our game at Hartlepool certainly left its mark as the abuse some of our players took that day was totally unacceptable and in the aftermath to that game things spiralled out of control again. Ironically two of our players – Ifih (Efffiong) and Ricky (Modeste) – have been at Wembley this week for the enquiry giving evidence as the FA sort Hartlepool’s punishment for the original incidents. Came Saturday, we’ll be fully focused on getting the three points that we spoke of earlier on – we just want to talk about football as things like have absolutely no place in the game!”