Dover Athletic v AFC Wimbledon
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Qualifying
3pm, Saturday 11 October 2008
Winning clubs will receive £7,500 from The FA
Andy Hessenthaler, Dover Athletic's player-manager, is relishing AFC Wimbledon's arrival at Perrys Crabble on Saturday in The FA Cup - a competition he cherishes and shone in during his playing career. He knows that a good run will place his team firmly on the footballing map.
The former Watford and Gillingham midfielder took the reins of the south coast side last year and he is proving an inspiration. Athletic, only established in 1993, are currently topping the Ryman League Premier Division and have dropped only two points in 11 league games.
The 43-year-old, who worked his way up from the non-League as a player and even appeared for England as a semi-professional, knows that an impressive run in the world's oldest cup competition will make people aware that Dover is not just a place where you can catch a ferry to France.
And what better way to advance to the Fourth Qualifying Round than at the expense of AFC Wimbledon, currently fourth in the league above, the Blue Square South?
Hessenthaler, who starred when Second Division (League One) Gillingham reached the quarter-final of The FA Cup in 2000 before they were knocked out by Premier League Chelsea, said: "I love The FA Cup. It puts clubs on the map.
"It certainly did that for us at Gillingham and, if Dover were to have a run in this competition, it would really make people stand up and notice.
"This club deserves a cup run. All the ambition it has shown off the pitch, with the investment made and the way debts were cleared, as well as the terrific fans - to reach the First Round, or maybe further, would be just the tonic."
His opposite man in the dugout at the weekend will be Terry Brown, who is in his second season in charge of the Dons. He wants to invoke the "Crazy Gang" spirit of old.
The club, which formed in 2002 as a consequence of the fallout of former Premier League club Wimbledon's demise, is close to attaining a Football League spot. And Brown knows that this tie offers another chance to underline their credentials, though he was not particularly happy with the calibre of opposition.
He said: "Dover away in The FA Cup? Not exactly the tie I was looking for when the draw was made, I have to admit.
"We've had them watched and Dover are, without a doubt, a comfortable outfit. Hessenthaler has done a terrific job down there and, like my club, Dover are ambitious to get into the Football League.
"Once we get into the Blue Square Premier, things will change. For the first time in years, we'll be the underdogs again - and that's when this team will really thrive. We want to recapture that Crazy Gang spirit."
On Dover Athletic, Brown added: "The club is set up to reach that level, no doubt about that. The fanbase is big and the playing surface is one of the best in non-League. So, in that respect, it's great to be playing another big club - but the draw could've been kinder!"