Dover Athletic will play in Conference National next season after winning promotion from Conference South by way of the play offs. The club came into being in 1983 after Dover FC went into liquidation. The new club took over Dover’s place in the Southern League Southern Division, where Dover had finished in 13th place. Two seasons later, the new club dropped as far as 19th, second from bottom. However, things improved and in 1988, they won the Southern Division title and were promoted to the Premier Division, finishing 6th in their first season. The following season, 1989/90, they were Southern League Champions but were refused promotion to the Conference as their ground was deemed not up to standard.
After finishing as runners up in 1992, they were champions again in 1992/93 and, this time, were promoted to the Conference, finishing 8th in their first season. In 1995/96, they finished 3rd from bottom and would have been relegated but for the fact Boston United, who won the Northern Premier League, were refused promotion. In 2002, Dover finished bottom and were relegated back to the Southern League.
The club finished 3rd the following season but slumped the following season to 19th and were then moved to the Isthmian League Premier Division and were relegated the following season after finishing second from bottom. The following season, they reached the play offs but lost to Tonbridge Angels in the final and reached the play offs again in 2006/07 but lost to Hastings United in the semi-final but the club won the title by a margin of 12 points in 2007/08 and were promoted back to the Premier Division and the following season won the Premier Division title by 22 points to gain promotion to Conference South.
In 2009/10, they finished 2nd and made the play-offs but lost to Woking in the semi-final. In 2012/13, they finished 3rd to reach the play-offs again but lost to Salisbury City in the final. Last season, Dover finished 5th to make the play-offs again and this time won promotion by beating Ebbsfleet 1-0 in the final after knocking out Sutton United in the semi-final.
Barnet will be player Dover Athletic for the first time since 2004 next season. The last time the two clubs met was in the 3rd round of the FA Trophy at Underhill. Barnet won 3-2 with go two goals from Geoff Pitcher and one from Lee Roache, but then Barnet were expelled from the tournament after playing an ineligible player, Adam Campion, who had already played for Aylesbury earlier in the competition that season.
The first time the two clubs met was in 1989 in the 3rd round of the Club Call tournament at Underhill with the bees winning 5-1, Nicky Evans coring twice and Nicky Ironton, Dave Sansomand Paul Shinners getting one goal apiece.
Barnet and Dover Athletic have met twice before in the Conference, in season 2001/02 after Barnet had been relegated from the Football League the previous season. Barnet won 2-0 in the opening home game of the season with goals from Ben Strevens and Neil Midgeley, while the match at the Crabble ended in a 2-2 draw after substitute Frazer Toms, coming on for the injured Lee Flynn, had put Barnet ahead in the first half. Dover scored twice after that to take the lead but the Bees gained a point with an own goal following a cross from Mark Gower. Dover were relegated at the end of the season. Earlier this season, Barnet won 3-0 at the Crabble with two goals from Luke Gambin and one from Luisma Villa.
Dover Athletic had been formed in 1983 after Dover FC went into liquidation. Barnet and Dover met on a number of occasions, the first being in April 1966 in the Southern League 1st Division, Barnet’s first professional season. The two clubs played out a goalless draw at the Crabble and 9 days later met again at Underhill, this time Barnet winning 1-0, Les Eason scoring. Barnet were Division One Champions that season and were promoted to the Premier Division.
In 1966/67 the two clubs met in the 3rd round of the Southern League Cup and Barnet won 3-0 at Underhill, Eason, Roger Figg and Don Whyte scoring. At the end of that season, Dover were promoted to the Premier Division after winning the Division One title.
In 1967/68, the two clubs met in the space of a fortnight in the league. Dover beat Barnet for the first time winning 2-0 at the Crabble, but Barnet won 4-2 a fortnight later at Underhill, Gerry Ward scoring two penalties and Figg and Tony Turley getting one goal each.
The following season, both games, played in the space of a week just before Christmas, ended in draws; 1-1 at Dover, Figg scoring and 2-2 at Underhill, Figg and Billy Meadows getting the Barnet goals.
The match at the Crabble in 1969/70 ended goalless but Barnet won 1-0 at Underhill through Ward. Barnet completed the double over Dover in 1970/71 early in the season, winning 2-0 at Underhill with goals from Lou Adams and Eason and 1-0 at the Crabble thanks to a Dickie Plume goal.
In 1971/72, Barnet and Dover met three times. The Bees comprehensively beat Dover 6-0 at the Crabble in the 1st round of the FA Trophy, on the way to the final, with a hat trick from Adams, two from Colin Powell and one from Eason. In the league, the match at Underhill was drawn 1-1, Adams scoring for the Bees and Dover won at home, 1-0.
In 1972/73, the match at Underhill ended goalless, while Dover won 2-0 at the Crabble. The following season, both meetings took place in September and both were drawn; 1-1 at Underhill, Plume scoring and 2-2 at the Crabble, Barry Silkman and Dave Bibby scoring for the Bees.
1974/75 saw the Bees relegated after finishing second from bottom. Billy Holmes scored in a 1-1 draw at the Crabble and Barnet won by the largest ever margin in a match against Dover as Ricky George, Blackaller, Holmes and Bibby scored as the game ended 4-0 to the home side.
In 1977 Barnet were promoted back to the Premier Division and the two clubs met in 1977/78, the Bees completing a league double over Dover, winning 4-0 at the Crabble, Les Eason scoring a hat trick alongside a Jimmy Greaves goal and a goal from Greaves and two from John Fairbrother gave Barnet a 3-1 win at Underhill. Dover finished 3rd from bottom at the end of the season and were relegated and the following year, Barnet became founder members of the new Alliance Premier League.
Players who have played for both Barnet and Dover include Joe Tabiri, Daniel Leach, Elliott Charles, Nicky Nicolau, Udo Onwere, Adam Birchall, Andy Hassenthaler, Ross Flitney and Barnet legend, Guiliano Grazioli, who played for Dover at the end of his career after leaving Barnet, having played such a huge part in helping the Bees regain their league status in 2005 as Conference Champions. Graz was leading scorer and player of the year for 2003/04 and 2004/05.