Boss Jake Leberl is urging Dover’s stay-away fans to give his new-look team a chance to impress.

Whites kick-off their Isthmian Premier season at Potters Bar this Saturday, aiming to bounce back after two relegations in three years, before a hotly-anticipated home derby with Folkestone on Tuesday.

Dover’s post-Covid concerns have meant many who were Crabble regulars when they competed at the top-end of the National League have largely decided against returning.

But Leberl said: “The environment and atmosphere is a lot more positive than it’s been for a long time.

“That’s not just coming from me - I’ve heard that from a lot of people around the club.

"That’s the big thing to come out of the whole pre-season. You cannot please everyone but I would like to think we have a set of boys that are going to give it a go.

“I reach out to those fans that have been away to give us a chance.

"We will need them more than ever.”

Whites ended their run of warm-up fixtures with a 7-1 home win against Isthmian South East Lancing last weekend. Hat-trick hero Luke Baptiste, George Wilkinson, George Nikaj, Jayden Silcott-Brown and Tamas Amgbaduba got on the scoresheet.

“We haven’t really played anyone at our level,” said Leberl.

“We haven’t been at this level for a while, so it’s difficult to gauge exactly where we’re at.

“We certainly cannot get carried away but it has been a positive pre-season. Like I’ve said from the beginning, with the players we have recruited, we will create chances.

“It was more about how many goals we could score on Saturday and in the Ramsgate game (a 5-1 victory) because we haven’t got many proven boys - we have lads who are more kind of trying to make a name for themselves.

“But I want to have players that can excite everyone.”

Midfielders Wilkinson and Jaiden Drakes-Thomas, as well as defender Fuad Sesay, are back at Dover while forward Alfie Matthews has also arrived, subject to clearance.

The 22-year-old began his youth career at Arsenal and has been capped for England at under-16 level.

“He’s very talented,” said Leberl. “From the very little I’ve seen of him, he’s above the level - talent-wise.

“All the boys have taken to him very well. I’m really interested to see where things can go for him.

"We’re really lucky to have Alfie, it looks like.”

While Whites perhaps have less financial clout than some of their divisional rivals, memories of the club’s recent glory days and their overall profile still seemingly help attract new recruits.

Leberl said: “Travel is always difficult but we’re training further up the line.

“It’s not ideal. As a Dover boy, I would like to train locally but, realistically, there’s not enough boys to do it.

“We’re travelling up the line to help attract players - and 100 per cent that helps - and a lot prefer to play on a good grass pitch, which is another big factor.”

Dover’s first opponents, Potters Bar, are led by Max Mitchell.

Leberl revealed: “I will know more about them this week.

"Someone went to watch them on Saturday (losing 2-1 to National League South side St Albans) and they have had a bit of a change-up there.

“I don’t know loads but, hopefully, we can set our players up accordingly once we know more.”

That journey is followed by the derby with Folkestone before Leberl’s team hit the road again at Billericay next weekend.

On this season's first league home game, Leberl admitted: “When the fixtures came out, I thought ‘That’s a tough test’.

“We have Potters Bar, then Folkestone and Billericay - who I would imagine are two of the bigger spenders in the league.

"But we have had a nice pre-season.

“Everyone is near-enough fit. There’s just Henry (Young) and Kieron (Agbebi) who would be unavailable as we speak.”