Anderson, 21, sustained a season-ending injury with a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula in the Rocks’ 1-1 draw at home to  Cheshunt in February.

Surgery to fix the injuries was a success but it has been slow progress for the former Horndean schemer. At the time he was quick to thank well-wishers who raised £4,000 to support the self-employed plasterer through a funding page set up by team-mate Calvin Davies.

Now he says he can’t wait to get back to action. He said: “Progress has been a bit slow at times and I have had to be patient but I am getting there and it’s looking more towards the end of September. Hopefully, I can start running within the next few weeks and we will see how it goes.

“At the time of the injury I was feeling confident with every game that came along and I was really enjoying my football — but that’s what can happen, that’s football, and it’s how you deal with it that is important. I’m still only 21 so hopefully I can come back stronger.”

Anderson says he has been impressed with new recruits Doug Tuck and Tommy Block, adding: “There is no doubt they have quality and they bring different aspects to the game for us; we are looking stronger this year and I think we can improve on last season when we were a little inconsistent.”

Meanwhile, Blake — who saw his side lose 2-0 to Pompey in front of 2,500 fans last Saturday in a pre-season friendly — says he will assess the suitability of a clutch of trialists in the two remaining summer matches.

Rocks go to Horndean on Saturday, July 27, 3pm, and then host Worthing on August 4, 2pm. Blake said: “The Pompey game was quite encouraging given the strength of the players we were up against.

“We still have options in terms of recruitment and we’re keen to add to the squad but will be careful not to rush in. We still have lots of time to finalise things.”