Dover Athletic goalkeeper Mitch Walker timed recovery from injury to perfection with threat of missing out on play-offs hanging over him

Winning promotion for a second time with Dover in the play-offs was something keeper Mitch Walker wasn’t going to miss out on.

Walker didn’t play from the end of November until the final league game of the season at Chichester.

But his presence makes such a positive impact on this Dover team that they were glad to have him back for the three biggest games of their season.

“It’s difficult to put into words because I think going up through the play-offs is the best way to get promoted,” said Walker.

“It’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s everything that you want it to be. As soon as we won at Chichester, I knew deep down that this was our play-offs.

“The boys have been absolutely fantastic all year. We finished fifth, we went through a sticky patch after Christmas, but it’s always the teams that finish strong come the end of the season that are the ones that put in the work.

“I’m over the moon for everyone involved. The players, the chairman, Jake Leberl in his first full season as manager, all the volunteers down the club, all the fans that backed us.”

Walker wasn’t meant to be back from injury until the day of the play-off final, but he made sure he was ready before then.

“Unfortunately, this season hasn’t gone as well as planned, personally,” he added. “I missed way too many games just through a very niggly injury, which unfortunately had to be operated on.

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“As soon as I got it operated on, they told me 12 weeks. But 10 weeks was my focus because I wanted to get back for the play-offs.

“Thankfully, I got back. I worked my socks off in those 10 weeks to get back and make the last game of the season.

“The 12 weeks was pretty much Monday so I got back in a little bit sooner than was