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Dover summer signing Kurtis Cumberbatch insists his step into non-league football has moulded him into a more accomplished player.
Spells with Tottenham, Watford and Charlton’s youth systems early in his career were followed by a move to Spartan South Midlands League Hadley Town in 2015.
From there Cumberbatch had a brief stay at National League Welling before moving to Isthmian League club Harrow in December 2016 and then Farnborough in July 2018.
Cumberbatch said: “For anyone being, as they would say, ‘mollycoddled’ by a big club for such a long time, going there (Hadley) was a culture shock.
“I think it’s made me a better player, it’s made me more versatile and ready for non-league and league football.
“When you start playing men’s football there is a lot of stuff you aren’t taught at youth level so in the long run it got me ready for it.
“After coming from Welling I think non-league was still quite fresh to me, that was my first taste of non-league football since coming out of the under-23s and development football.
“It was always my ambition to go down and then claw my way back up again.
“I don’t think you’re ever due anything in football, you’ve just got to get your head down and work hard. Hopefully if you get seen by the right people and keep doing the right things you’ll get where you want to.”
Cumberbatch is one of 11 new faces to arrive at Crabble ahead of the big kick-off, forming a squad with which he feels capable of pursuing his Football League ambitions.
He added: “I’m buzzing to just get it over the line. It’s a big opportunity now for me to kick on and try and work my way up the leagues.
“I had offers from elsewhere but after meeting (Dover boss) Andy Hessenthaler I was just happy to get going.
“The main thing was me playing in a team that was pushing to do something in the league. That’s our mentality, we’re going into every game trying to win it.
“With the squad we’ve put together play-offs should be a minimum, so that was the main thing. Obviously being in the National League as well, it’s a great platform to play on.
“I think any player you ask they’d want to play at the highest level. Definitely (playing in the Football League) is a dream of mine but you have to take each step as it comes.
“I think we’ve got a very good chance (of promotion). A lot of the boys that have come in are experienced and have played at this level and much higher. I'm very excited to see where we end up.”
Cumberbatch, who prides himself as a goalscoring box-to-box midfielder, has meanwhile welcomed the gruelling fitness work implemented by Hessenthaler this pre-season.
“He does work us hard but that's what you want,” he admitted.
“Talking for me in general, I've been out of full-time football for a few seasons so it's a bit of a culture shock but I'm happy to get back.
“The sessions are hard but the balls will start coming out a bit more now. The running is needed, if you ask all the boys, they don't love the running but it is needed at this level.”
The 23-year-old got off the mark for his new club last midweek when he scored in a 3-0 friendly win over Maidstone.
Dover beat Welling 2-1 on Saturday thanks to strikes from Nassim N’Ghoul and Oscar Gobern, before playing out a 2-2 draw with Gillingham on Tuesday courtesy of goals from Inih Effiong and Alfie Pavey.
Whites are at home to Colchester on Saturday and they then welcome Millwall to Crabble on Monday.
