National League football returns with a bang on Saturday when ambitious Ebbsfleet host relegated Chesterfield.

In what will be the Spireites' first match outside the Football League for almost 100 years, Fleet are bidding to kickstart another promotion push.

They reached the play-off semi-finals last season and begin the new campaign with an even stronger squad.

But manager Daryl McMahon knows their card will be marked in a division which looks stronger than ever.

He said: "Hopefully we can get somewhere near what we did last year and a bit further if we can.

"We know this year's probably going to be a lot tougher than last year. We might have been an unknown quantity coming into the league but this year, I don't expect Leyton Orient or Hartlepool to do what they did last year (struggle).

"The teams who got relegated (Barnet and Chesterfield) have instantly brought in two of the most experienced managers in the division, Salford are having a go and they've appointed a good manager and there are many other teams who will be tough to play against.

"The last three years have all been quite eventful. They've been enjoyable and we've been pretty successful in that time.

"We want to be successful again and we're driven to be successful again. We know it's going to be tough but we're looking forward to it."

Chesterfield, who finished bottom of League 2 last season, brought in Martin Allen to replace Jack Lester as manager.

McMahon said: "It's a great game for us. If you were to pull something out of the hat, you probably do want one of the new sides at home. I imagine they'll bring a big crowd down.

"When the fixtures came out, seeing the first six games we've got sharpens the mind straight away.

"Chesterfield are still getting used to each other. They've signed quite a few players that have played in this league before and they've got a manager who knows the league but I'm more interested in us to be honest.

"I can only control the controllables for Ebbsfleet and I've got to ensure we're ready to be the best Ebbsfleet we can be on Saturday."

Fleet won three of their pre-season friendlies, drawing the other three.

McMahon said: "When we went away on the pre-season tour we set out how we want to play, what we want to achieve and got everyone to buy into that.

"The majority of players I've had over the last two or three years, so they know what I expect and what we expect of each other."

Club captain Dave Winfield is suspended while injuries rule out fellow defender Kenny Clark and midfielder Dean Rance.

Fleet are away to Leyton Orient on Tuesday.