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Dover Athletic called on club staff, volunteers and a match saving pitch protection cover to ensure their game went ahead at the weekend.

Despite the best efforts of the Beast from the East and Storm Emma volunteers responded to a call to action by the south coast club to ensure the game against Leyton Orient went ahead, the only fixture to survive the weather in the Vanarama National League at the weekend.

 

 

The club used a Matchsaver pitch cover to protect the pitch from the worst of the weather but a plea from the club for volunteers to help uncover the pitch meant over 1,348 hardy fans (including 299 Leyton Orient diehards), were able to enjoy the action which saw Dover take all three points in a 1-0 win.

 

With 3 points secured Dover move up into the top seven in the league and avoid a potential fixture pile up later in the season as others succumbed to the conditions.

 

Speaking on the club’s website, manager Chris Kinnear said: “People raised their eyebrows and said there was no way the game should be on but it was the right decision – and three points shows how important it was that we did manage to get it on.

 

“The pitch wasn’t the easiest and we had to adapt. Our goalkeeper had to have a good game but you expect that against a club as big as Leyton Orient.”