Isthmian South East side Deal Town are back training after a summer of stability – midfielder George McIlroy is a new addition to Steve King’s squad

Deal Town returned to training earlier this week and the manager hopes they're well-positioned to be ahead of the game.

Hoops boss Steve King hasn’t had to do too much work on a squad that once again finished just outside the play-off places in Isthmian Division 1 South East.

He’s added local lad George McIlroy to bolster his midfield options and would like to add a couple more - but most of the players from last season were back for more when pre-season training began on Monday.

King said: “Our philosophy has always been to try and keep a stable squad and to build on that, so it does make for a nice summer.

“It's still a difficult period, because you're still obviously talking to players who can improve you, and it's been quite a tricky market, to be honest.

“We were hoping we might have maybe one or two more done at this stage, but we're certainly not in a position where we need to force anything, and I think there's still a lot of things that are going to change over the next couple of months before we get going properly.”

Speaking ahead of that first session, King said: “It’s always an exciting time. I think when you've not been in with the boys with the boots on for a couple of months, you miss that side of it. It's the most enjoyable part of the job.”

The countdown to the first pre-season game is on, with fans being welcomed back to The Charles Ground on Saturday, July 4 when Deal kick off their pre-season campaign at home to Faversham Strike Force.

A settled squad means the players know what to expect on their return.

King said: “A lot of them have done quite a few pre-seasons with me, so I've got a pretty tried and trusted method. We get the balls out straight away, that's the way we work.

“We're working with