A CUP CLASH WORTH SO MUCH MORE

Saturday sees the first round proper tie's from this seasons FA cup, and there is one fixture that will hold so much more passion than any usual cup game between two rivals.

At 3pm on Saturday at the Priestfield stadium, Kent rivals Gillingham FC and Dover Athletic will lock horns for a place in the second round proper of the competition......but there will be an added spice to this one.

After realeasing former boss Mark Stimson last season, the Gills needed a new man at the helm, and there was only one person in their sights, and that was the former Gills boss and then current Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler.

'Hess' had been charge of the Gills from 2000 until 2004 when he left after relegation, three years later and he found himself at near neighbours Dover Athletic in the Ryman Division One. With a good squad, Dover won two promotions in a row and then made the play-offs in his third season in charge.

After Stimson's sacking following the relegation from League One last season, Gillingham set about getting their former boss back. With permission granted to speak to Gillingham it was clear that Hess was going to take the reigns back over at the Medway club, however, it was the days to follow the announcement that will make this weekends cup game all that little bit more fiery.

With Hessenthaler back in Gillingham, Dover set about appointing their new man. A statement realeased from the club announced that former Barnet manager Ian Hendon would be taking charge at the Crabble. Just a wek into his new job though Hendon decided he no longer wanted the job, instead he followed Hess to the Priestfield to become his number two.

So with Hendon gone, Dover announced their second manager of that week as they appointed Martin Hayes as the man tasked with taking the ambitious club to the top of the Non-league pyramid. Dover then announced that their player-coach Nicky Southall was heading to Priestfield to take up the same position with Gillingham.

So after an eventful summer between the two sides, which has seen fall out galore, you can bet that tomorrow's clash will be epic, and maybe, just maybe that Dover can get one over on their Kent counterparts in their own backyard.