Signing for Dartford has reignited the fire within Paul Lorraine.

He was a free agent, having left Whitehawk earlier this month, when Darts assistant manager Paul Sawyer phoned to invite him along to training.

Lorraine accepted the offer and after two sessions, was asked by boss Tony Burman if he'd consider signing a short-team deal with the National League South club.

Lorraine said: "I’ve known Tony for a long time and I’ve always liked Dartford Football Club. They were two great training sessions and the tempo was very good.

"It really works well for me because it’s a big Kent club, it’s local and I know the management and the players. I’m training with a smile on my face again.

"Playing for Dartford gives me that hunger to do well, which is what I need.

"When you’re playing for a manager who’s wanted you for such a long time, you don’t want to disappoint him and that’s the way I’m looking at it."

Burman tried to sign Lorraine three years running before finally getting his man in 2014.

But the centre-half had to walk away from the club when they were reprieved from relegation because work and family commitments clashed with the travelling in Conference Premier.

It was an amicable split, with Burman thanking Lorraine for his honesty.

He joined Whitehawk although his time there was curtailed by a serious knee injury and Lorraine was one of several players to leave following the departure of manager Steve King.

"Tony’s put no pressure on me," he said. "We’ll play it by ear and when we both feel I’m ready to play, I’ll play. I’ll get the training sessions under my belt and then we’ll have a chat.

"We haven’t put a fixed on time on when he wants me to come back. We’re both quite open-minded as to when I’m going to come back and play.

"Since I’ve left Whitehawk, these last two or three weeks, my head does feel a lot clearer and I've been back in the gym, strengthening my body, which is what I needed to do."