New Dover Athletic defender Charlie Naylor on the experience of working under an English coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College and aiming to defy critics with Whites this season

New Dover defender Charlie Naylor reckons playing football at a college in the United States has dramatically improved his game.

Centre-back Naylor was one of a number of debutants for Whites in their promising opening-day National League South 2-2 draw against Torquay last weekend.

He’s now back in the UK, though, after he earned a Sports Business degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College while he played under an English coach who has played senior football for Spalding United after youth stints with Derby County and Boston United.

“The facilities are really good,” Naylor said.

“I was at West Virginia Wesleyan. I had a good coach - Josh Spencer - an English guy from Nottingham. It was a good experience.

“It was like a professional club, really.”

He headed to the States aged 18.

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Naylor explained: “I knew the game but I wasn’t physical enough and I wasn’t vocal enough.

“I just thought ‘Let me go over there, get good coaching every day, get sharp, do my extras and, hopefully, come back over here and play.’

“Anyone who’d seen me before will tell you that I’ve improved tenfold.

“I just want to kick on now and keep improving.”

Whites were 2-0 behind inside 20 minutes against full-time outfit Torquay in front of a 798-strong crowd. One of their debutants, Chevron McLean, scored an own goal before skipper Asa Hall doubled the Gulls lead.

But Dover rapidly improved and frontman Zidan Sutherland cut the deficit in the first half before midfielder Roman Charles-Cook made it 2-2.

Naylor reflected: “It was a very poor start from us.

“The gaffer [Mitch Brundle] spoke about it in the dressing room, switching on and that kind of stuff, but, obviously, we didn’t