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SPORTS REPORTER: Ky Capel

WHAT a difference a year makes in football.

Dorchester Town chairman Eddie Mitchell has suffered all kinds of emotions over the past 12 months but appears to have finally started winning over more members of the Magpies' fan base.

When he arrived at the county town club in June 2007 after a successful takeover bid, some thought he would simply be a money-man prepared to pump cash into the playing squad thus seeing a large improvement in the club's Blue Square South fortunes.

But that wasn't to be the case. Mitchell has always left football-related matters to the man he brought with him - manager Shaun Brooks - and is determined to help the club become self-sufficient.

In today's current climate such freedom afforded to a manager can sometimes be a rarity. As seen with several clubs, the main investor has been known to stick his oar in and attempt to dictate what goes on.

Mitchell's arrival was met with plenty of scepticism, people wondering whether he was here to make a quick buck.

A year may not be a lifetime but given the difficult times the club faced both on and off the field last season, Mitchell hasn't shied away.

Over the last year Mitchell has been criticised for not being a local businessman despite working just 35 minutes away in Poole, verbally abused by some of the club's supporters, and lamented for his loyalty to Brooks, especially when the Magpies finished the previous campaign in the relegation zone.

But again, given the way managers come and go in this day-and-age, Mitchell has given Brooks the chance to prove himself over a longer period of time, particularly after he missed a large part of the season battling cancer.

And should the Magpies fail to deliver this time around Brooks has admitted he will be the first one to hold his hands up and walk away.

Dorchester got extremely lucky last month when they received a reprieve from relegation, ensuring their Blue Square South status for another year.

But Mitchell and Brooks have immediately used the ruling to great effect and learnt from the mistakes of last season - which were built around a severe lack of experienced players.

Signings such as Kevin Hill, Nick Crittenden and Danny Clay are big coups for the club, captures which Mitchell no doubt had to extend the budget for, and the arrivals have lifted the mood around the county town ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The affair involving AFC Bournemouth, by which Mitchell expressed an interest in joining a takeover consortium, didn't do the property developer any favours. But his hard work at the Jewson Stadium is undeniable and he deserves some credit for his efforts, as it is a lot easier to criticise than to give praise when its due.

TODAY'S derby between Weymouth and Dorchester at the Rec in the Dorset Funeral Plan Premier League is set to be a cracking encounter.

The Seasiders know that defeat will ultimately end their title hopes while a loss for the county town side could see their lead at the summit cut down to the smallest of margins, or even surpassed.

It's a tough one to call.

8:18am Saturday 19th July 2008

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