JOSH Carmichael admitted Poole Town had been one of his toughest opponents from his time at Dorset rivals Weymouth.

The talented midfielder heaped praise on his new colleagues after making the switch to the Dorset club earlier this summer.

Dolphins last month announced Carmichael’s arrival alongside former Weymouth team-mate Harry Baker last month.

The Cherries academy graduate spent two years at the Terras and was part of their title-winning squad last campaign.

And he said the experience of playing against Tom Killick's side had helped his decision.

Carmichael said: “Poole are an extremely tough opponent, that’s why it was an easy decision to come here, I already knew the strength of the squad and the potential here to push on and go one better than last season.

“A lot of the guys have experience of promotion, I think that’s something Weymouth lacked at times, that ability to see us through matches.

“I’ve had a few chats with Tom [Killick], I think the main aim is promotion but we need to ensure we get ourselves off to the best possible start.”

Carmichael could feature in a busy pre-season schedule which includes Yeovil Town, Weymouth and a Chelsea XI side heading to Tatnam on July 20.

“As soon as the season ends, you start to look forward to the next one and being among some fresh faces it gives you an extra excitement to get going in pre-season," said Carmichael.

“It’s an exciting schedule, I’m looking forward to going back to Weymouth and seeing some old faces. It will be another really good test for us, it should be a close, hard fought game.

“The Chelsea game, regardless of what team they bring down, will be tough.

"They are always going to possess a lot of quality and it will be a good challenge preparing against full time players. It will hopefully be a great crowd and a great spectacle.”