Following an unbeaten pre-season campaign, Erith Town start the new term in earnest on Saturday with an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie at home to Sporting Bengal United.

Victories for the Dockers in friendlies at home to Holmesdale, Sutton Athletic and Kennington were followed by wins at Stansted and FC Elmstead. They then draw at Newmarket Town before a come from behind win at Erith and Belvedere and a home draw with Witham Town.

Their first season in the Isthmian League South East finished with them in a comfortable fourteenth place and manager Adam Woodward will be looking to build on that.

They have kept the core of last season’s squad supplemented by the likes of new signings Dexter Peter and Mecca Maxime-Samuels. They are a club that takes great pride in their youth pathway and Brandon Hatega has stepped up into the full squad from the Under 23s.

Visitors Sporting Bengal were relegated from the Isthmian League North last season and will be looking to bounce back up from the Essex Senior League at the first attempt.

Their league season commenced last week with a visit to Halstead Town. They went one-nil up through a twenty-fourth minute goal by Andre Embalo but had to settle for a point when conceding midway through the second period.

Although Woodward’s main objective will be based around Erith’s league campaign, a good cup run can raise the club’s profile and accumulate prize money.

Therefore, he will be pulling out all the stops to progress, and a good turnout is expected at the Stanmore Stadium for the 3pm kick off.