Defender Connor Essam has put pen to paper on a two-year deal after agreeing to a fourth stint at Dover.

The former Gillingham and Leyton Orient centre-back, 24, played 15 games, scoring once, on loan at Crabble from Eastleigh between January and April.

Essam skippered Dover in his first spell in 2014/15, playing 42 games before turning down a new deal and signing for Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee after the season.

He returned on loan to Crabble from Orient at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, making another nine appearances, and after a summer switch to National League Eastlaigh, he agreed a third spell on loan in January.

Essam came through the ranks at Gillingham and has also had loan spells at Dartford, Crawley and Luton.

He is boss Chris Kinnear’s fifth new signing this summer following the arrival of Manny Parry, Kane Richards, Mitch Brundle and Jamie Allen while keeper Mitch Walker has signed a new deal.

Mitch Pinnock is the only other senior face remaining from last season’s squad, which finished sixth in National League, falling just short of a second successive play-off campaign.