DAVE Allen stands by his decision to take a break from football earlier this season and insists he can “do a job” for Dorchester Town.

The 31-year-old started a third spell at the Avenue on Boxing Day as an unused substitute for the derby defeat to Weymouth, more than four years after last appearing for the Magpies.

Allen, then a Terras’ player, broke his foot in December 2013, an injury which pretty much wrote off the rest of his campaign.

He returned to the Bob Lucas Stadium for pre-season training last summer but decided he wasn’t quite up to the mark physically following surgery on his foot that February.

Then, after sitting out the first half of the term, Allen jumped at the chance to go back to Dorchester after getting a call from Magpies’ boss Graham Kemp to see if he would help the Southern League strugglers.

“Jason Matthews was really good to me,” said Allen, who was also on the bench for the draw at Poole. “He gave me the chance to go to Weymouth for pre-season.

“But from my point of view things were moving too fast and I didn’t feel comfortable. I had to make sure I looked after my foot.

“Sometimes it’s nice to take a step back and see things from afar, and it was critical I got my foot right as I’d broken it a few times before as well.

“Taking a break did help my foot get better and if I had continued it could have ended in disaster.”

Allen has never worked with Kemp before but does know a lot of the faces at the Avenue from his time there previously.

And after a break from the game, Allen is ready to get back into the swing of things.

He added: “Graham rang me last month and asked if I’d be interested in getting on board.

“I’d never played for Graham before but I’d heard a lot of good things from when he managed in the Wessex League.

“There are still players at the club from my time there before, and I knew Jack Odam and Jason Brookes from Totton. All of that makes life a bit easier.

“I certainly missed football when I wasn’t involved. There’s no better feeling for me than playing.

“I’m still lacking a bit of match fitness but that will only come with playing games.

“I believe I can do a job for Dorchester, I wouldn’t have taken the opportunity if I didn’t think I could.

“I’ve gone down with a bit of flu which hasn’t helped, but once I get that out of the way, I want to get in as many games as I can.”

*Dorchester’s home game against Arlesey Town has been rearranged for Tuesday, February 3 (7.45pm), while Weymouth’s trip to Hungerford Town will now take place on Tuesday, January 27 (7.45pm).