Dover’s Conference Premier fixtures will be released at 3pm on Friday but Nathan Elder admitted he’s not worried about who Whites get first up on their return to non-league’s top-flight after a 12-year absence.

The big striker said: “I am not too fussed. Don’t get me wrong though. It’s just that there are no easy games in the league, so it doesn’t matter who we play first.

“Sure we may get a tough start, but all that concerns me, and my team-mates, is that we are ready to go from the off and we will be.”

Elder, 29, who scored the winner in Whites’ 1-0 play-off final victory at his former club Ebbsfleet in May, said there is no doubt Whites will be in top physical shape for the big kick-off given how pre-season training has started.

He said: “We’ve had four sessions so far and well, let’s just say we’ve only seen a ball a couple of times and then it was only for a short time.

“It’s been running, running, and even more running – but I am not complaining.

“We all know that because we are part-timers we have to train that extra bit harder as we’ll be playing against teams that are full-time and train five days a week in Conference Premier now.

“We have got to put it in week in, week out to make sure we compete on a level playing field.”

Make sure you visit www.kentonline.co.uk for Dover’s fixtures.

Read the full story in Thursday's Dover Mercury