Matata wants to fire Dover straight back up
WALID MATATA has two targets for next season, writes Justin Allen.
First, he wants to help Dover Athletic bounce straight back up into the
Premier Division as champions of Ryman League Division One.
And, second, the young striker wants to score 20 goals -
and realise his belief that he can be a prolific goalscorer.
Walid, 20, was brought to the club by previous boss Steve
Browne but was given his first opportunity to play first-team football by
Clive Walker. Since breaking into the team, mainly coming on as a sub, he has
impressed fans, his team-mates and the club's coaching staff with his hunger
to succeed.
He may not have nailed down a first-team starting place just
yet but his team-mates reckon it's only going to be a matter of time.
Matt Carruthers, speaking before the Kent Senior Cup Final on
Monday, said: "Wali's a superb player. He's going to be a hit."
The shy Londoner, 20, is a product of the Arsenal youth academy
and came to Dover because he wanted to play for a big non-league club.
He said: "Dover, at this level, is a massive, massive
club. The fanbase is unbelievable.
"The fans are brilliant. The team just want to play for
the supporters. We can go to Yeading and there's only a few people there,
yet at Dover there's always 700-odd and that's when we're bottom of the
league.
"I had a few minutes in the big games. But, against
Folkestone, I started and the atmosphere was tremendous.
"It's lovely to hear the fans chant my name and I want
to play better for them and myself. I believe I can produce the goods on the
pitch, given a chance."
Wali signed a one-year contract last week and admits the
travelling from his London home is going to be a pain in the backside but it
will be worth it in long run.
He said: "I want to help Dover get back up and am aiming
to score 20 goals next season. I'm going to give myself the best chance
possible by starting pre-season early.
"I'm going to put my feet up for a few weeks but in
June I'm going to start doing some work and get myself fully fit. I'm
confident I can do well at Ryman Premier level and want to show that I can
get lots of goals in the level down.
"Clive has given me belief and told me to try and
express myself. That is what I hope to do next season - I can't wait."
www.doverathletic.com
