The new season for Dover Athletic is already upon us, and with one preseason game left to go against Lancing FC, there’s no better time to look at what’s ahead in this new season for the Whites.

Dover will be looking to try and bounce back this season, after last season’s relegation from the National League South. Joining the Whites in step 3 are Dartford, who will be eager to correct their wrongs last season and jump straight back into the National League South. The two fixtures between Dover and Dartford will be tasty ones indeed, particularly if there are certain league places up for grabs at the end of the season, with the two facing off in the third to last match of the season. 

Ties against the likes Hastings United, Hashtag United, promotion chasing Billericay and, of course, local rivals Folkestone Invicta gives the fans plenty to look forward too. The local derby against Folkestone is less than two weeks away, with the two coming head to head against each other on Tuesday 13th August, and again on the 5th November, which is also controversially on a Tuesday night. 

There are also plenty of new faces around the club, with new signings coming in to try and push Jake Leberl’s Whites to a much better season than last. Mitch Walker returning will also inject a positive atmosphere in and around the club, on and off the pitch, and his history at the club and experience is no doubt going to be vital for the team in this upcoming season.

Joining him from Whitehawk are the defensive duo of Joe Tennent and Luca Cocoracchio, who will add solidity to the defence, alongside Gyebi. 

There’s also some familiar faces who have signed for another season, with Baptiste, Nikaj and Wilkinson all confirmed to be staying on for the season, alongside others like Young, Holness, Hatcher and Roman Charles-Cook. These names will give continuity in the team and, having been at the club for some time now, they will bring with them huge amounts of passion and will undoubtably be playing for the badge. 

Dover head to Potters Bar for the first game of the season, which kicks off at 3pm on August 10th, which is just next week. The Whites will be looking to make a good start to the season at a tricky place, with the hopes of picking up all 3 points on the road. 

I hope it will be an incredible season for Dover, but first, the final preseason game against Lancing FC takes place at Crabble this Saturday with kick off at 3pm. Can the Whites end a positive preseason with a win?