Dial travel to central Berkshire on Saturday (3 August) to play Thames Valley Premier League (step 7) side Finchampstead in a pre-season friendly at Ryeish Green Sports Hub. 1:15pm k.o.

Despite being narrowly edged out 3-2 against Wessex Football League Division One (step 6) side Cove last weekend, boss Steve Brown was able to draw enough positives from the warm-up fixture to start to plot Dial's course ahead of the new league campaign in three weeks' time.

The Finch will be Dial's ninth opponents of a busy and hard-fought pre-season campaign. The villagers have been a mainstay at step 7 since they gained promotion from the Thames Valley Football League Division One (step 8) in 2019, and have gone onto win the Premier League (step 7) twice in the past four years.

After fielding an understrength 14-man squad against Cove, Brown is hoping to have a full squad available to get a true feel for players' fitness, coupled with their ability to effect the game at the higher level.

Speaking to DialSquareFC.com earlier in the week, Brown said: "I thought we held our own against a decent Cove side, who fielded a nigh on full-strength team. While it would have been nice to win, the players worked really hard and put their bodies on the line more than in recent weeks.

"However, we still need to show more quality in possession and work on our shape. The players know that and what they need to do, so it's down to them, both individually and collectively, to show that.

"We need to maximise what we get out of our next three pre-season fixtures so we can hit the ground running when the new Surrey Premier [County Football] League begins against Cranleigh on 24 August," he added.

For fans travelling to Ryeish Green Sports Hub (adjoining to Oakbank Secondary School) by car, there is plenty of parking available on-site. Limited curb-side parking is also available along Hyde End Lane. The nearest rail station to the venue is Mortimer, which is 5.2 miles away. Check route planner here.

For the full list of pre-season fixtures, please click here.