WITHAM Town manager Adam Flint is pleased with the tests that he has lined up for his team in their pre-season fixture schedule.

Town have games against sides both below and at the same level of the non-league pyramid arranged ahead of the start of the Ryman League division north season and Flint is happy with the balance of what he has set up so far.

Witham kick off their pre-season schedule at Coggeshall Town on July 11, with a trip to another Thurlow Nunn League premier division side, FC Clacton, on July 15 and then have a trip to Great Wakering Rovers, who they faced in the league last year, on July 18.

A journey to Thurlow Nunn League division one side Halstead Town comes on July 22, before Flint takes his team to Sussex to face Shoreham FC.

The current list then concludes with another lengthy trip to face Ryman League division south side Whyteleaf on August 5 and the Town boss feels it will be a good way to head into the season.

He said: "I'm really pleased with how it's come together and I think it's a better pre-season than we were able to put together last year.

"We will build up quite quickly and we're looking forward to finishing at Whyteleaf.

"They play on a 3G (artificial) surface and that will put us in good stead as we'll come across that at Sudbury, Grays, Aveley and Haringey Borough in the league this year.

"It will be a good test for us and both teams will be up to speed by then."

Flint said he was happy with how his squad was shaping up for the coming campaign and was confident that he would have the majority of last year's side kept together, although he said things wouldn't be set in stone until players returned to training on July 1.

One doubt for the start of next season, though, is striker Scott Kemp, who is having a scan on a knee problem in the next week to see if an injury picked up at the end of last season is potential damage to his anterior cruciate ligament.