Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler has challenged Inih Effiong to play a key role in the upcoming season.

The striker entered Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Maidstone at Crabble having scored three goals in the club’s opening four pre-season friendlies.

Effiong finished as Whites’ top scorer last season with nine in the National League, despite his goal on the final day against Sutton marking his first since Boxing Day.

Hessenthaler said: “It’s a big one, he’s already said to me it’s a big year for him and I think it is.

“He is one of these players that you have to keep his confidence levels up, keep telling him, keep working him, keep getting him to believe that he’s going to score goals.

“You’re going to miss chances but you don’t want him to lose confidence when he does miss. We’ve just got to keep working with him. He’s scoring and long may that continue and hopefully he takes that into the season ahead.”

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Both Effiong and Alfie Pavey face new competition this season in the form of Steven Rigg following his summer move from Gateshead.

Pre-season has served as an opportunity for Hessenthaler to experiment with variations of the trio as he prepares for Dover’s opener at Chesterfield on August 3.

On Effiong’s best position, the Dover boss added: “I think he’s done really well as a one up-top with one in-behind, he seems to thrive on that responsibility of looking after two centre-backs.

“Nine times out of 10 that’s what he plays against but he can also play with a partner. It’s about getting that right partner.”

An interesting season also looms for 21-year-old Joe Bedford, who finds himself in a battle for midfield places after signing a new two-year deal at the club.

Hessenthaler said: “It’s a big chance for him in pre-season, he looked good on Saturday (against K Sports) when he came on.

“He’s a good footballer, he’s only a young boy, he’s got to grow and get stronger and get a run in the team, that’s got to come from him really.

“He’s training well, he missed about 10 days of training after picking up an ankle problem against Bearsted. It’s a big season for him to try and get in the team.

“Pre-season is about getting into the team on August 3 so people have got to train well and impress me in the games.

“There are a few doing that and there’s a few that need to step their game up a little bit as well and they were told that on Saturday.”

Besides Bedford, Dover have also seen the likes of Pavey, Oscar Gobern, Jai Reason, Will De Havilland and Paul Rooney all pick up knocks so far in pre-season.

Hessenthaler’s men built on their winning start to pre-season against Maidstone thanks to goals from Gobern, Rigg and Kurtis Cumberbatch.

They are now set to visit Welling United on Saturday.

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