Nikki Bull is happy to stay patient in his hunt to find a new goalkeeper.

The Margate boss revealed that he has spoken to a host of potential No.1s but has so far been unable to find the right candidate.

The Blues start pre-season training at Kidbrooke on Saturday and Bull says he is happy to sit tight and see how the situation unfolds in the next couple of weeks.

He explained:"I've been trawling through lists of goalkeepers who are available and spoke to four or five this morning (Friday).

"I could have done a loan deal by now but it did not feel right. For me it's definitely the most important position so we need to be sure we are totally happy with whoever we sign.

"A lot of the keepers I've spoken to have been released from League 2 or National League clubs and they are keeping their options open in the hope that they may get back to that level.

"At the moment, for them, signing for a Conference South club seems like a big drop but it maybe that in a couple of weeks we will be able to talk to some of them again."

Bull remains adamant that he will not don the gloves on a regular basis and plans to cast his eye over a couple of trialist keepers at Kidbrooke this weekend.

He also has several other players he will be running the rule over, including a couple of strikers, plus trialists from Holland and the Czech Republic.

He added: "I'm really excited about starting training. I made it clear to all the players when they signed that I'm not wasting pre-season trying to get people fit because it's important we get straight into ballwork and how we're going to play. I've said that if they don't come back in good shape they'll be found out."

Meanwhile, Bull says a statement released this week by Billericay suggesting they are owed a fee for striker Mike Fondop-Talom is 'misleading.'

The FA have emailed both clubs saying they have seven days to resolve the situation themselves. If they can't the matter will go to a tribunal.

However, Bull says as far as the Blues are concerned they never went through with the signing of the 22-year-old striker and no compensation is due.