Dorchester boss Mark Morris has lined up pre-season friendlies with Premiership Southampton and Third Division Torquay.

The game against what is expected to be predominantly a Southampton reserve squad, takes place at The Avenue Stadium on Saturday, July 20.

The West Country side, who recently apppointed former Merthyr Tydfil manager and Gloucester City player Leroy Rosenior as their new boss, will make their visit to Dorchester on Saturday August 3.

In between those matches the Magpies will travel to play newly-promoted Conference side Kettering at Rockingham Road on Saturday, July 27 in the annual Southern League Championship match between last season's Premier Division champions and League Cup winners.

Morris' side collected the League Cup for the first time in the club's history with a comprehensive 4-0 aggregate victory over King's Lynn in last season's two-leg final.

The Magpies' boss is also hopeful that there will be more pre-season Football League opposition at The Avenue Stadium in the shape of one of his former clubs Brighton and Hove Albion, who won promotion to the Nationwide Division One last season.

"I have provisionally arranged for them to come down for a friendly before they begin their season but at the moment they haven't appointed their new manager and it will probably depend on who it is," said Morris.

He has his sights set on arranging half a dozen pre-season matches for his senior squad with away games against Jewson Wessex League sides Lymington and New Milton and Wimborne Town also planned.

"I think half a dozen games pre-season is quite enough," he said.

The Magpies have also agreed to take a side squad to Marnhull on Wednesday, July 31 to join in the 20th anniversary celebrations of the village's successful Sunday League club Palace Court.

The Courtiers, who recently won the Dorset Sunday Minor Cup when they beat the

Royal Arms from Portland at Dorchester's Avenue Stadium, will provide the opposition at Marnhull Rec, kick-off 6.45pm.