Captain Mitch Walker’s experience will be crucial as Dover return to National League South football, according to assistant manager Mike Sandmann.

Experienced keeper Walker played a vital role in Whites’ promotion-winning 2024/25 Isthmian Premier play-off-winning team.

It’s no surprise Dover endured their more difficult times of the campaign while the England C international was out for five months with a knee injury, leaving Jordan Gillmore to replace him between the sticks and forward Ruben Soares-Junior as skipper.

But the 33-year-old became the first to commit to stay this summer as he looks to build on the 300 club appearances he has made, with young midfielder George Wilkinson, midfielder Alfie Matthews and forward Kieron Agbebi having also confirmed they are to remain.

“I know a lot of people spoke about Mitch and, to be honest, it’s difficult to speak highly of Mitch without mentioning Jordan,” said Sandmann.

“Jordan did a fantastic job and it’s not a slight on Jordan at all.

“But we’re a young group and Mitch’s experience was invaluable for us in those key moments, taking that little bit of pressure, just talking to the boys in set-pieces, just that calming influence.

“When you’ve got someone like Mitch who is an extremely good person, as well, a family person, it’s infectious. It rubs off on people.

“We wanted to make sure that we got him done first because we felt that actually he was integral to our success towards the end of the year and at the start of the year, as well.

“That calming influence will be key because we are going to be a young team again next year.

“Obviously, we’re going to add a little bit of experience in there, but we only want players that are young, hungry and want to kick on and move up the football chain rather than lads that are on their way down or have been there and done it for many years.

"We want lads that have still got a point to prove.

“I think Mitch is massive to help these type of lads.”

As well as Soares-Junior, Academy products George Nikaj - the club’s 2024/25 top scorer - and fellow forward Luke Baptiste were key to free-scoring Whites’ promotion.

Sandmann took a photo alongside youth-team players he has successfully helped get into senior football following the 2-0 play-off final victory at Dartford.

That picture also included teenage midfielder Henry Young, who was on loan at Hythe in 2023/24, defender Matty Holness - who got first-team experience at Lordswood - and Agbebi, with Nikaj, Baptiste and Wilkinson.

But asked if he had been able to reflect on what that crop of youngsters had achieved, he replied: “I think I’d love to do that, but you go onto the next and you’ve already started preparing for the next.

"Of course, we enjoyed the moment. You still think back to Dartford and think back to those boys that have come through.

"But you’re already now thinking ‘How are we going to push them again?’. I think you’ve always got to want to keep pushing.

“As much as you enjoyed the moment, you’re now thinking ‘Onto the next’. With them boys, it hasn’t surprised me how successful they’ve been.

"If you see how hard they work behind the scenes and doing their extra stuff, it’s absolutely incredible.

“Even though they’re part-time, these boys train, prepare, like they’re full-time. I see every single effort behind the scenes that they put themselves through to have the seasons they do.

“Credit to them boys they’ve had the seasons that their work ethic deserves. I think that’s why I take it so personally when that work ethic gets questioned.

“I do take it personally because I see how much they care behind the scenes, how hard they work behind the scenes.”

Nikaj, Baptiste and Wilkinson, particularly, have been around the senior squad for the fall-out of two relegations in three years.

They have shown maturity beyond their years to deal with that, though, and Sandmann believes they have got their rewards.

He added: “They’ve had tough moments already at this football club.

“Actually, the moments they’ve been through in the last few years and the relegations, it’s quite difficult for a young lad to take it. But it’s certainly put them in good stead.

“I’m really pleased they’ve got their rewards this year and have something to celebrate because there’s no one else that deserves it as much as them.”

And Sandmann reckons they will head into the upcoming season with a point to prove as they aim to show they belong at Step 2 football.

“This year is going to give them massive confidence and they’ve all got a point to prove,” he said.

“If we can keep a big core of this group together, there’s no reason why they can’t start to turn a few heads.

“Like this year when our expectations were extremely low, the expectations on us next year are going to be extremely low.

“I think we quite like that because it’s almost like we want to prove a point, we want to turn heads and we want to prove people wrong. These young boys, they’re hungry.

“It was disappointment last time these young boys had that opportunity.

"I know they’re going to be extremely hungry to prove a few people wrong and actually prove it wasn’t just a one-season wonder.”