A wire-covered doffer for feeding fibers to the needles of a sliver high pile fabric knitting machine, in which the card clothing is of generally rectangular configuration and envelops the doffer roll so that the longitudinally spaced ends of the segment are disposed in tight abutting relationship to each other on the roll. A pair of circumferentially spaced clamps mounted on the doffer roll tightly secure the segment of card clothing to the periphery of the roll, stretching the segment slightly to impart a slight tension thereto. Each clamp supports a row of spaced points for impalement and retention of the segment of card clothing. Each row of points extends transversely relative to the periphery of the doffer roll, and penetrates the segment of card clothing at a location spaced a short distance inwardly from one of the two abutting ends of the segment. Threaded connectors affix the clamps to the doffer roll.