JOHN Coventry says he is looking forward to the start of the new season - even though he will not be here to see it.

The Rocks chief will miss the first match against Woking on August 4 along with his captain Sam Higgins, who is getting married abroad.

Higgins will also miss the following four matches of the campaign.

And Coventry admits he is disappointed to miss out on a match against Woking.

“I am looking forward to the season although I am not here for the start of it,” he said. “I have been invited to Sam Higgins’ wedding in Santorini and I don’t get back until Sunday.

“It is not ideal but I don’t want to tell my wife these plans have changed!”

Rocks host Concord Rangers on Boxing Day before the return match on New Year’s Day. Matches against Billericay Town are on October 30 and March 2.

“This league is very good this season,” he said. “We are a National League South club but we are still looking up at a lot of these clubs.

“And it works out that on FA Cup days we have home league matches so people will have to travel to us if there are postponements.”

East Thurrock United fixtures:

August: 4 Woking (H), 8 Dulwich Hamlet (A), 11 Torquay United (A), 14 Eastbourne Borough (H), 18 Gloucester City (A), 25 Slough Town (H), 27 Dartford (A)

September: 1 Bath City (H), 8 St Albans City (H), 15 Welling United (A), 29 Wealdstone (H)

October: 13 Weston-super-Mare (A), 20 Hungerford Town (H), 27 Chippenham Town (A), 30 Billericay Town (A)

November: 3 Truro City (H), 10 Oxford City (A), 17 Hemel Hempstead Town (H)

December: 1 Hampton & Richmond Borough (A), 8 Chelmsford City (H), 22 Slough Town (A), 26 Concord Rangers (H), 29 Dartford (H)

January: 1 Concord Rangers (A), 5 Gloucester City (H), 12 Bath City (A), 19 Dulwich Hamlet (H), 26 Eastbourne Borough (A)

February: 2 Torquay United (H), 9 Woking (A), 16 Chelmsford City (A), 23 Hampton & Richmond (H)

March: 2 Billericay Town (H), 9 Truro City (A), 16 Oxford City (H), 23 Hemel Hempstead Town (A), 30 Chippenham Town (H)

April: 6 Wealdstone (A), 13 Weston-super-Mare (H), 20 St Albans City (A), 22 Welling United (H), 27 Hungerford Town (A)