OPPOSITION FOCUS | Dover Athletic (A)

The Key Info

Founded: 1983

Nickname: The Whites

Manager: Jake Leberl

Stadium: The Crabble Stadium

Capacity: 5745

The History:

Founded in 1983, Dover Athletic came into force, replacing Dover FC who had gone through financial difficulties. Whilst the first few seasons proved to be a struggle for Dover, they were able to find success as they won the Southern League in both the 1989/90 season and 1992/93 season. This saw the Whites gain their Conference status in 1993, before later returning to the Southern League and then the Isthmian League. Dover did achieve

promotion into the Conference again in the 2009/10 season, but continued to float between Step 1 and 2 until most recently. It has been a tough few years for the Whites, who suffered two relegations in three seasons, ending up in Step 3.

However, this gave Dover the opportunity to rebuild, and a playoff final victory against Dartford confirmed an immediate return to the National League South ahead of this season.

The Manager: Jake Leberl

Following retirement of his playing career in 2009, Jake Leberl has been a loyal servant to Dover Athletic, joining the club as assistant manager in the 2012/13 season. Since then, Leberl has built up his coaching experience, with opportunities of being caretaker manager and assistant manager before he was appointed manager during the 2023/24 season. His leadership was key to Dover’s success last season, achieving promotion back to the National League South.

The Skipper: Mitch Walker

Mitch Walker has been a key servant to Dover Athletic with two spells at the club following his return to the club ahead of the 2024/25 season. Having progressed through the youth setup at Brighton & Hove Albion, Walker broke into the first team before loan spells at Welling United and Eastbourne Borough earned the goalkeeper his first taste of non league football. Following these loans, Walker joined the Whites for his first spell in 2012 where he would go on to spend seven years. Spells at Aldershot, Tonbridge and Whitehawk were to

follow before Walker returned to Dover. This season, he has kept five clean sheets which he will be looking to add to throughout the second half of the season.

Dover Athletic will be looking to return to winning ways against the Tudors after four straight defeats in all competitions. After the start of 2026 was delayed following the postponement of their game against Torquay United, the Whites have had a tough run of form playing against 3 of the league’s top half of the table. Much like the Tudors, Dover went through a tough patch of results in December; however, they will be looking to start 2026 positively against Hemel, who currently hold the final playoff position.

LAST FIVE:

🔴 LOSS 1-2 vs Ebbsfleet United - 30/12/25

🔴 LOSS 1-0 vs Maidstone United - 26/12/25

🔴 LOSS 2-5 vs Eastbourne Borough - 20/12/25

🔴 LOSS 1 - 4 vs Hornchurch - 13/12/25 (FA Trophy)

🟢 WIN 0-1 vs Chesham United (6/12/25)

Name: Alfie Matthews

Joined: August 2024

Position: Forward

Alfie Matthews is a name which is recognisable for many Tudors’ supporters, having played for the club during the 2023/24 season. During his time at the club, Matthews picked up 23 appearances and showed glimpses of quality whilst he played. Despite statistics only recording 1 goal for the Tudors, Matthews poses a key threat on the ball and scored 13 goals last season, including goals in both the Playoff Semi Final and Playoff Final.

Name: Ruben Soares-Junior

Joined: July 2024

Position: Forward

Dover Athletic boasted an extremely clinical strike force, as Ruben Soares-Junior played an integral role in achieving promotion for the Whites. Having experience at non-league clubs has been key, as Soares-Junior has represented Tonbridge Angels, Billericay and Folkestone Invicta prior to his arrival at the Whites. His pace, quality and composure made him a force to be feared, recording 25 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, as well as being named the Manager’s Player and Player’s Player of the Season. This season, he is currently Dover’s top scorer with 6 goals in 12 league appearances - an average of one goal every two games.

Name: Jalen Jones

Joined: July 2025

Position: Centre Back

Joining ahead of this campaign, Jalen Jones has proved his importance to Dover Athletic over the first half of the campaign, playing in all of the 24 league appearances so far. Following his departure from the Crystal Palace youth setup at the beginning of the 2017/18 season, Jones has shown his ability at the non-league level as he represented clubs including Worthing, Braintree, Aveley and Oxford City. Since joining, Jones has proved to be a defender who can contribute towards goals, with five goal contributions this season. Whilst also representing Guyana at international level, Jones looks to remain consistent throughout the rest of the season and is a key asset to Dover’s backline.