Defender Jack Parkinson says Dover’s players can’t wait to get back on the field as they launch their pre-season campaign this weekend.

Whites’ season begins with the visit of Billericay on Saturday (3pm) with newly-promoted League 1 side AFC Wimbledon heading to Kent to face Chris Kinnear’s side on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Parkinson, who turns 27 later this month, revealed the squad were looking forward to crossing the white line after a gruelling pre-season with fitness coach and former Welling boss Loui Fazakerley.

He joked: “We’ve had three weeks of pre-season with Faz so I already feel like I’ve played a full season.

“We’ll see the benefit of our hard work during the season though and while it’s good to train, there’s only so much you can do – it’s not the same as playing games. We’re looking forward to getting going.”

He said: “Billericay will be a tough one, but a good one for us. I’ve played against them plenty of times.

“The way they set up will be similar to the types of games we’re going to be facing in our league. They will be aggressive and direct.

“We’ve had some new faces at training, some of the trialists I know from having played against them in the past but you never really know what the thinking is until after you start playing games.”

Wimbledon are joined on Dover’s pre-season calendar by Leyton Orient (July 16) and a newly-arranged clash with Millwall, which will take place on Tuesday, July 26 (7.30pm).

Parkinson added: “The games against the pro clubs are a little different because you might not see the ball for 45 minutes at a time so it’s a totally different sort of exercise.

“I’m looking forward to the Millwall game in particular as I’ve a lot of mates who play there.”