Ebbsfleet United manager Liam Daish has confirmed they will retain their part-time status next season.

They will be the exception rather than the rule in Blue Square Bet Premier, with as many as 17 of the 24 clubs operating on a full-time basis.

Daish said: "It will be tough but we haven’t got the infrastructure, in terms of budget and training facilities to do it."

With seven players already signed up, Daish has clearly wasted no time in preparing for the new campaign.

He added: "I have been given a starting budget, with a view to it hopefully being increased at some stage.

"It is something to work with but we are going into a league with a number of full-time ex-Football League clubs which makes it difficult. I know the areas I need to strengthen and it’s a case of putting the jigsaw together piece by piece."