Ebbsfleet’s pre-season has run into problems before it has even begun.

The newly-formed Fleet squad comes together for the first time on Saturday but the club’s training base at Fleet Leisure is not ready yet.

Bought out of administration as part of the KEH Sports takeover of Ebbsfleet, the complex is being brought up to Football League standard by the club’s new Kuwaiti owners.

That long-term vision has helped manager Steve Brown attract new players to the club but with just six weeks until the start of the Conference South season, the Fleet Leisure pitches are not up to scratch.

Brown said: “The training pitches aren’t ready, not to the standard we want and that is causing us a few issues. We’re scrambling around for a surface.

“The teams that use Fleet Leisure don’t need the pitches until September but we want them now.

“I didn’t think they would be ready. We’ve been trying for four weeks to find a pitch or an astro and it’s been a nightmare.

“We’ll have to make the best of what we’ve got. The players will understand. We will have a lovely training ground but it’s not going to happen overnight."