WITH Dover Athletic's relegation from the Ryman League Premier Division now confirmed, Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter is already planning a promotion challenge for next season.

Whites' new habitat has yet to be finalised, but it is likely that Dover will be competing in a very Kent-based Ryman League Division 1 in 2005-6.

The other possible destination is Southern League Division 1 East, depending on how the FA eventually redraws boundaries in the close season.

Mr Parmenter said: "I’ve accepted it. You have to take a step back and look at what we expected to get out of this season when we took over the club in January, realistically. It was always odds on that we were going to get relegated.

"But if you look at what has been achieved in the past three months, we’re on target to revive Dover Athletic. We were 15 points adrift in January and to have taken the relegation fight to the last couple of weeks was a fantastic effort.

"If you transfer this side into the league below, add some experienced quality to the side, I’d say we are in with an excellent shout of winning the Ryman 1 title next season."

Mr Parmenter added: "We set out to do two things when we took charge. We set out to stabilise the club financially and improve things on the pitch.

"We’ve paid the club’s bills, are servicing the CVA and bank overdraft, and we’ve seen a phenomenal improvement on the field. Okay, it wasn’t quite enough for us to stay in this division, but we were nearly there.

"Every match since January has been like a cup final. And, with so many cup finals in three months, that ultimately ended up being too much pressure for our young, inexperienced players."