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*BS*New Dover Athletic signing Jack Parkinson speaks to Jack O’Sullivan, explaining his reason for rejecting Football League interest to sign for the club – and outlining his ambitions for the season ahead.*BF*

Parkinson, 25, was unveiled on Thursday evening – much to the delight of Whites supporters. Having been heavily linked with a move to League Two side Leyton Orient – and The O’s putting an offer on the table – Parkinson was expected to agree terms, however Whites stepped in and sealed a deal.

He said: “I have played a couple of games for Orient in pre-season and they offered me a deal, but it didn’t feel like the right move for me. I want to be playing football and doing well in the side, and once I heard the ambitions of Dover and what they are looking to achieve I knew this was right for me.”

The ex-Maidstone United man also paid tribute to last season’s captain Connor Essam, who has recently moved to Orient: “I spoke to Connor about Dover and he spoke very highly of the club. I know a few of the boys here already – Liam Bellamy, Stefan Payne and Mitch Walker – and everyone has had only good things to say about the setup here.”

He continued: “What Dover achieved last season was incredible and it is my aim to help the club improve on that. I hope to be in contention for Saturday, I have been training full-time for the last few weeks so I feel ready. It is a long trip for us to start off with (to Barrow), but it is great to see the club approach it properly by flying up there. It is good for me, coming in from the outside, to see things are being done the right way.

“Everyone would like to play in the Football League, but that is not on my mind at the moment. I have just signed a deal with Dover and am very happy to be here. I want to have a good season, play as many games as I can and help us finish as high as we can.”

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*BS*Football fans up and down the country can barely contain their excitement with the season less than 48 hours away.*BF*

Whites supporters will no doubt be full of optimism as Dover look to build on their impressive 8th place finish in the Vanarama National League last time around.

Athletic start their campaign with a daunting trip to newly promoted Barrow, but captain Jamie Grimes – already donning the armband after marshalling the defence so impressively in preseason – is unperturbed by the tough obstacle facing his side. He said: “No doubt they will be bang up for it – but then so are we. They will be adapting to the league and I believe we can make our experience count. I think we have enough to knock them off their stride.”

Whites warmed up for Saturday’s match with a 3-0 win over Havant and Waterlooville and according to Grimes it was the perfect way to end an indifferent pre season: “We were so strong and organised and quickly sussed out Havant. We made them make mistakes through our pressure and ended up with three easy finishes.”

The skipper was quick to stress that any of the defeats suffered over the last month will have no bearing on the season ahead, adding: “Of course we want to win, but the games we lost were with trialists playing and we were also trying new things. Any losses have been a valuable learning experience for the team.”

The former Kidderminster man is also revelling in his new role as skipper. He concluded :”It’s a really nice responsibility and I am enjoying all aspects of it.”

*IS**BS*VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE*BF*
*BS*Date:*BF* Saturday 8 August
*BS*Kick off:*BF* 15:00
*BS*Venue:*BF* Holker Street*IF*

*BS*The Vanarama National League commences on Saturday, with Dover Athletic already making their longest journey of the season to last season’s Conference North winners Barrow.*BF*

Whites’ pre-season campaign concluded with a 3-0 victory at Vanarama National League South outfit Havant & Waterlooville, with Tom Murphy, Stefan Payne and Nick Deverdics on target for the visitors at West Leigh Park.

It was their third win of pre-season, which included a respectable draw against League One club Gillingham, and Chris Kinnear’s side will be up and firing ahead of their Vanarama National League opener.

They start with a near 750-mile round trip to Barrow, who won the Conference North on the final day of the season with a 3-2 win at Lowestoft Town which saw them finish two points ahead of runners-up AFC Fylde.

*Lpic1**BS*TEAM NEWS*BF*
Ricky Miller was in fine form during pre-season, with the striker scoring four goals and often showing flashes of brilliance and sharpness, and he is likely to start up front for Dover.

The ex-Luton Town player scored five goals in ten appearances for Whites while on loan from the Hatters last season, as he helped Kinnear’s side start to find form which eventually saw the club finish a fantastic 8th place in their first season back in the Conference.

Defender Sam Magri is also expected to be included in the starting line-up while fellow new signings Duane Ofori-Acheampong and Naby Diallo may also feature at Barrow.

*BS*MORE ON THE OPPOSITION*BF*
Barrow’s Conference North title win ensured promotion back to the Vanarama National League for the Cumbrian side after a two-year absence from non-league’s top flight.

Since Barrow’s relegation from the Football League in 1972, they have endured somewhat of a yoyo ride between the top two divisions of non-league over the last 43 years without playing in any other division, with last season’s promotion being their fifth during that spell.

After finishing 11th in their first season back in the Conference North in 2013/14, they won the Conference North after a long two-horse race with AFC Fylde – who failed to gain promotion through via the play-offs before Guiseley defeated Chorley in the final.

Their best ever finish in the Conference since being relegated from the Football League was 8th in the 1981/82 season, although they finished 28 points behind winners Runcorn – who were denied promotion to the Football League due to not receiving enough votes from league members.

*BS*HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD*BF*
Many Whites fans will remember the famous FA Trophy Quarter-Final tie against Barrow in 1997/98, before Dover were defeated by Cheltenham in the semi-final in controversial circumstances.

After initially been drawn at Crabble, Liburd Henry scored in a 1-1 draw to force a replay at Holker Street, where Whites triumphed 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.

The Cumbrian side did enjoy some revenge the following season after beating Dover 1-0 at Holker Street in 1998/99, while the reverse scoreline at Crabble was a 1-1 draw again.

*Lpic2**BS*GOING TO THE GAME?*BF*
The Dover Athletic Supporters Club are running a coach to Barrow, and seats are still available for any Whites fans wishing to travel to support Dover in their first game of the season.

Fans must contact Andy Fisher on 07934 300335 ASAP to book their place on the coach, with prices as follows:

*BS*Adult Member:*BF* £37
*BS*Adult Non-Member:*BF* £40
*BS*Accompanied (U16):*BF* £25

Fans travelling by train must depart at Barrow-in-Furness station, before exiting on Holker Street and turning right, with the ground being located approximately half a mile away.

Fans driving to the ground must travel along the A590 from the M6 Junction 36, before entering Barrow via the industrial route along Park Road towards the Town Centre. Pass the fire station on the right then take the next left into Wilkie Road, with the ground being located on the right hand side.

The postcode for the ground is LA14 5UW.

Fans unable to make the game can follow live text coverage on Twitter via @DAFCLiveText.

*BS*OTHER VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES*BF*
Aldershot Town v Gateshead
Altrincham v Forest Green Rovers
Boreham Wood v FC Halifax Town
Bromley v Wrexham
Chester v Braintree Town
Kidderminster Harriers v Grimsby Town
Lincoln City v Cheltenham Town
Southport v Eastleigh
Torquay United v Macclesfield Town
Tranmere Rovers v Woking
Welling United v Guiseley

*BS*New Dover Athletic signing Jack Parkinson speaks to Jack O’Sullivan, explaining his reason for rejecting Football League interest to sign for the club – and outlining his ambitions for the season ahead.*BF*

Parkinson, 25, was unveiled on Thursday evening – much to the delight of Whites supporters. Having been heavily linked with a move to League Two side Leyton Orient – and The O’s putting an offer on the table – Parkinson was expected to agree terms, however Whites stepped in and sealed a deal.

He said: “I have played a couple of games for Orient in pre-season and they offered me a deal, but it didn’t feel like the right move for me. I want to be playing football and doing well in the side, and once I heard the ambitions of Dover and what they are looking to achieve I knew this was right for me.”

The ex-Maidstone United man also paid tribute to last season’s captain Connor Essam, who has recently moved to Orient: “I spoke to Connor about Dover and he spoke very highly of the club. I know a few of the boys here already – Liam Bellamy, Stefan Payne and Mitch Walker – and everyone has had only good things to say about the setup here.”

He continued: “What Dover achieved last season was incredible and it is my aim to help the club improve on that. I hope to be in contention for Saturday, I have been training full-time for the last few weeks so I feel ready. It is a long trip for us to start off with (to Barrow), but it is great to see the club approach it properly by flying up there. It is good for me, coming in from the outside, to see things are being done the right way.

“Everyone would like to play in the Football League, but that is not on my mind at the moment. I have just signed a deal with Dover and am very happy to be here. I want to have a good season, play as many games as I can and help us finish as high as we can.”