Jim Parmenter is showing little sign of slowing down as he reflects on 20 years at Dover’s helm.

Whites chairman Parmenter reached the major milestone last week, having saved the club from the brink of extinction on January 6, 2005.

While Dover have endured four tough campaigns which have seen them drop from National League regulars to adapting to life in Isthmian Premier, things are looking up again under boss Jake Leberl.

Parmenter would be open-minded to any approaches from potential investors but, in the meantime, intends to keep things as they are.

“Nobody is telling me any different so, as far as I know, I’m fit and healthy enough to carry on for a long time,” he said.

“If someone came in with a plan, that would be considered. But nobody has done that in 20 years!

“Until that happens, I will just keep on going.”

Parmenter has dedicated even more to Dover’s cause in recent years, too, following his retirement.

He added: “That’s given me a bit more time at the club.

“I think my wife [Sally] is just glad I’ve got an office at the club and I’m not at home all day!”

There have been plenty of highs and lows during Parmenter’s 20 years at Crabble.

The chairman, who almost walked away from a shareholders’ meeting due to fans’ initial reluctance to hand over their shares to him, recalled: “A week is a long time in football - let alone 20 years!

“The story is well-known that the club was in Isthmian Premier, just about to get relegated to Isthmian South and about £480,000 in debt. That took a couple of years to sort out.

“But we did quite well after that and got through to the National League play-offs where we lost out by one goal [to Forest Green Rovers] in 2016 and we have had some great cup runs.

“Since then, Covid has hit and, financially, it’s got so much harder that it’s got ridiculous.

“The National League is really a fourth division [in the Football League]. Clubs are quite often backed by millionaires and billionaires so it’s difficult for clubs like Dover to compete against them.

“But now, we’re on the up again and we have never owed anybody a penny after those initial debts.”

Among the highlights from Whites’ recent history have been back-to-back promotions in 2007/08 and 2008/09, as well as FA Cup clashes against higher-division clubs.

Parmenter said: “There’s been so many - Huddersfield, MK Dons and the Gillingham FA Cup win, as well as playing Crystal Palace at home in 2015.

“The Huddersfield game, I got invited on the pitch at half-time to do the raffle. They said ‘What do you make of the game so far?’ and I said ‘Well, I think your first goal was offside’ - so I remember coming off the pitch there to quite a lot of boos!

“Winning two promotions on the trot is up there. There’s been so many highlights.

“But you cannot be successful all the time, just look at Manchester City. The most important thing for us is we have been able to integrate more into the community.

“We’re not a football club that attracts supporters from hundreds of miles away. They’re from our catchment area, as well as a few from just outside.

"I’m sure some people would like me to go and splash a few hundred thousand.

“But that’s not the way I do things and that all ends in tears, anyway.”

Dover moved out of the Isthmian League - only dropping back to the level for the first time in more than 15 years this term - during Andy Hessenthaler’s first stint in charge of Whites alongside brother-in-law Darren Hare.

“I had approached Andy two years before,” revealed Parmenter. “When he and Darren came in, they brought in some great players. We really were a great side.

"We have had some great players and some of them have moved on.”

Among the cream of Dover’s recent crop have been defender Sean Raggett, now at Rotherham, and midfielder Mitch Pinnock. He plies his trade at League 1 Northampton.

With plenty of their recent youth-team graduates impressing, Parmenter admitted: “When you’re at this level, you cannot hold your players back.

“All you can do is hope you’re in a position where you’re rewarded financially for their development, particularly those that have been at the club for five or six years. There’s the Bosman rule - but that’s all.

“I did push for automatic compensation for non-league clubs for players that move on when I was on the National League board, but I didn’t achieve that.”

Those in Dover’s current first-team squad will aim to follow in Raggett’s footsteps as they head out of their successful Academy - now led by Mike Sandmann - and into professional football.

“It has been very successful,” said Parmenter. “It’s probably one of the best in the country.

“The lads get a very good education through it and they come out with great attitudes, which is testament to what Mike does.

"Two of our top-scorers [George Nikaj and Luke Baptiste] in the first team have come through our Academy.”

Dover still lead Isthmian Premier after last weekend’s home game against Lewes fell victim to the weather.

Parmenter said: “When you’re winning, you kind of want to maintain the momentum.

“But the pitch certainly needed a break after the Horsham game on New Year’s Day. It looked like a plough field and froze over on top of that!

“We have got a real issue with the pitch and that’s what we’re concentrating on. Financially as well, we have lost that income and now we’re away for the next two weeks so that’s something we have got to consider that we aren’t at home again until February.

“But we’ve now got a bit of the spirit back in the club again. Covid hit the club more than people realise - both financially and on the pitch.

“But the club has steadied itself and we’re on the up again, and we’re lucky to have a fantastic sponsor in Megger.”

Whites will visit play-off chasing Hashtag United this Saturday, looking to do the double after a 4-2 victory in October.

Teenage midfielder Henry Young has joined Hythe on loan and defender Joe Tennent has rejoined Whitehawk on loan, playing in Monday's 2-2 draw at Carshalton as they struck an injury-time equaliser.

Forward Jayden Silcott-Brown has departed the club.