[NoSkillz]

2015/16 npower League 1 Results

There was a learning period for us in our first year of League 1 play last year, as it took quite a bit of time for us to adjust to the pace of the league. Thankfully, we started the 2015/16 season with much more assurance.

We'd lose only one of our first 12 contests in league play, with 6 wins and 5 draws putting us in 2nd place on the table at that point of the year.

One of the highlights of the year came in a wild home game against Brighton, a 5-5 draw that saw multiple lead changes and thrilled the masses at Crabble Athletic Ground. To this date (I'm in 2020 now), it's still the highest scoring game in club history (ie: total goals for both teams).

Near the end of the season, we were lying in third place, just outside the automatic promotion spots, as the top two teams move up to the Championship each year and the next four clubs battle it out in a playoff. At the time, I was just finishing some cup ties so I was having to field a tired squad for a few of the games and in the end, we'd go winless in our last six league games and drop all the way down to 5th on the table.

That meant a two-leg playoff date with MK Dons, who finished one spot ahead of us on the table.

Leg 1 was at Crabble Athletic Ground and the resulting game was very evenly played and fittingly ended in a 1-1 draw. That meant we'd need to get a result away to move on.

We'd give up a shocking goal in the 4th minute at Stadium MK but Aaron Greene would equalize two minutes later. Incredibly, we'd pile on the pressure and get goals from loanee Manuel Weinecker and Alexander Rattke, giving up a late half marker as well, to take a deserved 3-2 lead at the break.

We'd go to a more defensive style but whatever was said in the MK Dons dressing room worked, as they'd get three goals in the second half to our zero, winning the game 5-3 to move onto the League 1 playoff finals.

It was a devastating loss for our team and me personally as the manager of the club.

Could we ever take the next step? Could I ever get my board to match the players and manager's ambition? These were questions that I started to ask myself. More on this later...



npower League 1 2015-16 League Awards

Top Goalscorer: Teddy Gallo, Barnsley - 34
Most Assists: Robert Stoll, Crewe - 27
Highest Average Rating: Karim Toure, Colchester - 7.58 (38 apps)
Most Man of Match Awards: Karim Toure, Colchester - 12
Manager of the Year: Mark Fish, Crewe

npower League 1 Player's Team of the Year
GK - Ingo Wilke, Dover
DL - Shaun Cummings, Scunthorpe
DC - Billy Joe Burns, Crewe
DC - Sean O'Hanlon, MK Dons
DR - Mark Little, Brighton
ML - Lee Tomlin, Colchester
MC - Michael Zammama, Coventry
MC - Ravel Morrison, MK Dons
MR - Elliott Bennett, Peterborough
ST - Teddy Gallo, Barnsley
ST - Karim Toure, Colchester

New Dover goalkeeper Ingo Wilke was honoured as the best at his position by his peers in League 1. He took over the reigns quite quickly from Liam O'Brien, playing 35 league games in all.

Our hot start helped me win the League 1 Manager of the Month award for August and I'd win it again in January. However, I wouldn't be shortlisted for the yearly award this season.

Cup Competitions 2015-16

FA Cup -
We had a very tough draw in the FA Cup this season, with our first round opponent being fellow League 1 club Northampton away. We battle hard to come away with a draw, sending the replay back to Crabble Athletic Ground where we'd ease by them to get a date with another League 1 side, Crewe Alexandra. We'd win that game to set up perhaps the biggest game in the club's history to that point.

A third round matchup away against Premier League powerhouse Liverpool!

This was my first ever game managing against a Premier League opponent, at least in a game that counted for something! In front of over 35,000 supporters at Anfield, we'd battle hard but come out on the losing end due to a brace from Edinson Cavani in a 2-1 loss. Still, a great showing and a nice payday for the cup tie for our burgeoning club!

1st Round - Northampton 1 Dover 1
1st Round Replay - Dover 3 Northampton 0
2nd Round - Dover 2 Crewe 1
3rd Round - Liverpool 2 Dover 1

League Cup
We'd get a decent draw in round one, playing League 2 side Bournemouth but they came away with the shock victory, knocking us unceremoniously out of the competition.

1st Round - Bournemouth 2 Dover 1

Johnstone's Paint Trophy
We got off to a good start in this competition, winning by two goals at home versus Southend and by a single goal away at Leyton Orient. A 3rd round matchup at home versus Rushden & Diamonds proved tougher and we'd have to go to penalties before finally prevailing. The South Semi-Final was played at home versus Crystal Palace, a League 1 team that had been relegated from the Championship just last year. I figured it would be a tough match but they played like they didn't care and we throttled them 4-0 to set up a two leg divisional final against MK Dons. Yes, the same team that I'd run into at the end of the season in league play!

We'd draw 1-1 away and then hold on for a 1-0 win in leg 2 to move onto the actual finals against Coventry, another League 1 team just relegated from the Championship.

Like our three FA Trophy finals, the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final is played at Wembley Stadium and in front of the largest crowd I've ever seen, 72190 people (!), we battled to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, meaning we'd decide things in a dramatic penalty shootout.

We'd go eight players deep on both sides and it was veteran Bobby Hassell scoring the decisive goal that wouldn't be matched by Coventry, giving us the 6-5 penalty win and our first ever Johnstone Paint Trophy win!

1st Round - Dover 3 Southend 1
2nd Round - Leyton Orient 2 Dover 3
South Quarterfinal - Dover 2 Rushden 2 (Dover win 4-3 on penalties)
South Final (Leg 1) - MK Dons 1 Dover 1
South Final (Leg 2) - Dover 1 MK Dons 0 (Dover wins 2-1 on aggregate)
Final - Dover 1 Coventry 1 (Dover win 6-5 on penalties)
DOVER WINS THE 2015-16 JOHNSTONE'S PAINT TROPHY

2015-16 Overall Dover Statistics

Top Goalscorer: Alexander Rattke - 20
Top League Goalscorer: Alexander Rattke - 17
Most Assists: Arsene Bamba - 18
Highest Average Rating: Alexander Rattke - 7.16 (48 apps)
Most Man of Match Awards: Alexander Rattke - 6
Fans Player of the Year: Alexander Rattke

Rattke becomes the first Dover player to ever repeat as Fan's Player of the Year.

2015-16 Dover Best Eleven

GK - Ingo Wilke - 44 apps 0g 7.07 avg
DL - Aziz Deen-Conteh - 34 apps 0g 7.04 avg
DC - David Ogilby - 44 apps 1g 6.99 avg
DC - Oliver Nicholas - 42 apps 5g 7.08 avg
DR - Michael Raynes - 34 apps 3g 7.01 avg
ML - Arsene Bamba - 33 apps 4g 7.20 avg
MC - Joe Blake - 46 apps 2g 6.94 avg
MC - Mark Byrne - 38 apps 8g 6.96 avg
MR - Manuel Weinecker - 27 apps 7g 7.14 avg
ST - Aaron Greene - 43 apps 17g 7.07 avg
ST - Alexander Rattke - 48 apps 20g 7.16 avg

Other notables: GK Liam O'Brien 16 apps 0g 6.81; DC Luke McCullough 28 apps 1g 6.91; DR Conor Morrissey 40 apps 0g 6.95; ML Simon Bouwman 17 apps 3g 7.04; MR Keith King 32 apps 5g 6.91; ST Lee Cochrane 30 apps 11g 7.04; ST Craig Beattie 15 apps 7g 7.07

GK -
New signing Ingo Wilke was an absolute revelation! Incredible athleticism and composure and his 7.07 average rating is by far the best I've ever seen from my goalkeeping. Liam O'Brien is now expendable.

D -
We continue to find a way to get four very capable DCs in the lineup, with captain David Ogilby, Oliver Nicholas, Michael Raynes and Luke McCullough all seeing extensive action. Raynes played a number of games at DR and that was enough to get him into the Best Eleven over Conor Morrissey. Aziz Deen-Conteh was very good again at DL.

M -
The loanees dominated our midfield this year, with three of them finishing on our Best Eleven. Arsene Bamba plays with much more composure than you'd ever expect an 18 year old to have and Joe Blake was ever present in a holding position in the midfield. Manuel Weinecker split time capably with incumbent Keith King and the only club contracted player to find his way into the Best Eleven was Mark Byrne.

F -
Once again, it was the Aaron Greene and Alexander Rattke show. 37 more goals between them and another 18 from Lee Cochane and Craig Beattie combined gave us a potent strike force no matter the pairing. Beattie was complaining much of the year about lack of playing time though so he may not be around much longer.

Year-End Financials



Turnover was up significantly, as were expenditures but with a net gain of ~£600K in transfer activity, we showed our largest profit yet and our bank balance is well over £800,000. Hopefully some of this will be reallocated to our club next year.

Closing Thoughts

The year ended on a very sour note, with us losing a lead in the second leg of the League 1 playoff semi-finals to miss out on a chance at promotion. Two tough years in League 1 is fine - I never thought it would be easy to keep earning promotions but I'm starting to seriously wonder if the board is as anxious to promote as I am.

I have a discussion with the chairman after the season to talk about expanding the stadium or at the very least, improving our training facilities. I'm immediately shot down.

I practically beg him, saying that I feel it's absolutely necessary for some improvements to our grounds if we're to attract top players and make a serious push for the Championship.

They are sympathetic but still deny my request and I storm out of the office.

Soon, news out of Birmingham appears - their manager may be on the way out and the pundits say that I would be their top choice as a replacement…

I've just finished six years of management and this is the first time I've EVER been considered for another job.

Birmingham finished the 2015-16 season in 5th place in the Championship but weren't able to get though the playoffs. They had just been relegated from the Barclays Premier League the year before and have played countless years at the top level in English football. They are a big club by my standards…a very big club. They play at a grand old stadium, St. Andrews in Birmingham, which seats over 30,000.

30,000!!!

I really feel like I've hit a wall at Dover and declare interest in the position at Birmingham City.

The Dover fans are in shock but our board takes a more measured approach, saying they hope to be able to keep me at Dover and that they'll do whatever it takes to keep me there. Right!

I wait patiently for the job to open up but it never does…Birmingham ultimately decide to keep Luis Garcia Plaza at the helm and I feel let down once again.

They'd eventually fire Plaza in December of 2016 but by that point, there was no way I was leaving Dover for Birmingham…next year would be a very different year for fans of the Whites...