Chevron McLean on returning to Dover Athletic’s side in National League South 1-1 draw with Chippenham Town, being dropped at Dartford and where he thinks Whites could finish

Recalled Dover defender Chevron McLean felt he had a point to prove in their weekend home draw against Chippenham - but conceded manager Mitch Brundle had been right to drop him!

McLean, formerly of Kingstonian, Cheshunt and Cray Wanderers, returned for Saturday’s 1-1 draw after being left out of the Whites squad which lost 2-0 at Dartford five days earlier.

Honest McLean said: “Every player wants to play every game. But in my opinion, I don’t think I deserved to play that [Dartford] game.

“I don’t think I’d played well in the two games before that. I’ve got the utmost respect for the gaffer.

“He’s honest with me, he’s real with me, and I think I needed to sit out that game to sit down and get the fire back in my belly.”

It’s fair to say many other footballers would not have taken such news as well as McLean did.

But the left-back said: “It’s football. It happens.

Report: Dover 1-1 Chippenham

Boss Brundle rues missed chances

“I’m quite honest with myself first. I’ll never pass the blame to anybody or ever blame anybody else. If anything happens on my side, I tend to take responsibility.

“I didn’t feel like I should be playing - but I didn’t need to say anything to him [Brundle]. He’d made the decision already so fair play.

“When I got my chance again, I just wanted to show what I’m about.”

That’s something many in the 596-strong crowd at Crabble felt McLean did, despite surviving a first-half penalty appeal for a handball against him.

“I felt like I had a point to prove,” he reflected. “Obviously, when you get back in, you want to prove to the gaffer why you should be playing.

“But obviously, there’s a lot I can still work on. I don’t think I played the perfect game.”

The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines