Lowdown on Chesterfield's opening day opponents Dorking Wanderers

To find out how Wanderers are shaping up for the new campaign, we got in touch with reporter Dan Stobbart for his expert view...

How do Dorking reflect on their first season in the National League?

True to the club's nature and ambition, being competitive and targeting a finish as high up the table was the intention before a ball was kicked, but ultimately, in their inaugural season in the National League competing as a part-time side, the aim of the club was always to consolidate.

A tough run of form in the middle part of the campaign really put that aim under-threat and certainly made the back of the end of the season more of a survival mission that anyone would have liked, particularly after a positive opening couple of months. Key mid-season signings and a more pragmatic approach in the closing weeks consolidated Wanderers place though with two games to spare - the club only dropping into the bottom four for a 24 hour period during the whole campaign.

There were plenty of great memories which fans will cherish, defeating Notts County at home and producing brilliant comeback wins against Maidstone United, Torquay United and Altrincham being highlights amongst many other standout moments.

How have they got on in pre-season?

Manager Marc White acknowledged in his post-match interview after the final pre-season game against Farnborough that ahead of the opening day his side were 'not where they needed to be'. Whilst citing the timing and arrangement of the pre-season schedule as part of the issue, plus key players like Josh Taylor, Niall McManus and James McShane working their way back to full fitness, he has made it clear that performances across the team need to improve. That said, two wins and four draws has meant that Wanderers have finished pre-season without defeat, scoring plenty of goals, but also conceding many as well and failing to keep a clean sheet.

What are the expectations for this season?

Again the intention will be to compete and finish as high up the table as possible, but an improvement on last term in tandem with a decent cup run will be a marker of further progress and improvement which, whist the club transition from part-time to full-time, the majority of supporters I'm sure will be really pleased with.

Who have they signed? Anyone departed?

Among several departures early in the summer, the two key players who moved on who featured regularly for the first team last season were goalkeeper Dan Lincoln and winger Nicky Wheeler. The majority of the departures were based on certain players not being able to commit to the new mornings-rather-than-evenings training schedule as the club adopts a new hybrid training model.

Highly-rated Worthing goalkeeper Harrison Male was the club's first signing and will replace Lincoln as the first-choice keeper for the season ahead, the only other first team business being the signing of Tony Craig on a permanent deal having joined the club on loan from Crawley Town for the second-half of last season.

White stated early on in the summer that new signings would be minimal in consideration of the recruitment done in the second half of last season, Aaron Kuhl, George Francomb and Jason Prior alongside Craig all instrumental in Wanderers consolidating their place in the division and likely to be key again next term.

Do you think they will stick with their gung-ho style of play?

Conscious of their dip in form midway through last season and the number of goals being conceded, a more pragmatic approach was adopted within many of the games towards the back end of last season, and I think White will look to strike this same balance going into the new campaign, particularly with many of the same players retained and not many changes in personnel.

Who are the key men to look out for?

Midfielder Josh Taylor missed the middle part of last season through injury and was a big loss, his presence, composure and quality on the ball adds so much to the midfield. The experience and leadership of Craig was really key in the the defence becoming more resolute towards the back end of last season, and, as I think many Chesterfield fans appreciated in both games last season against Wanderers, McShane has that knack of producing moments of magic from midfield and was the club's top scorer last season.

Any injuries or suspensions for this one?

Defender's Isaac Philpot (hamstring) and Callum Kennedy (calf strain) and midfielder Luke Moore (hamstring) will all be absent having picked up injuries during the penultimate friendly of pre-season against Horsham. Winger Jimmy Muitt will also be side-lined, he is the one player not to have featured at all through pre-season and is currently awaiting the results of a scan.

Likely line-up and formation?

White hinted about being 'respectful' of Chesterfield in regards to the approach for this game, with pre-season form and acknowledgement of The Spireites strength in depth having retained and recruited players so well in the close season. This may lead to playing four at the back and setting up with a flexible 4-5-1/4-3-3, rather than the favoured 3-5-2 formation.