Manager Steve King wants Deal’s final pre-season friendly at home to higher-division Dover to set them up for their opening league game this weekend.

The Hoops welcome Mitch Brundle’s National League South outfit to the Charles Sports Ground tonight (7.30pm kick-off), ahead of Saturday’s Southern Counties East Premier Division trip to Fisher.

King, who works at a Dover school, said: “It’s a really tough game. We’re playing a team three divisions above us.

“They - pleasingly - have picked up and had a couple of nice results. We’re going to have a good crowd in but we will have a few missing, who are away on holiday.

“Again, the result doesn’t matter but, hopefully, we give a good account of ourselves and that sets us up nicely for Fisher on Saturday.”

Deal were beaten 2-1 at home to last season’s Division 1 Play-off Semi-Finalists Faversham Strike Force at the weekend.