It's the lowest I've felt for a while, says Dartford boss Tony Burman

HURTING Dartford boss Tony Burman says he will pick up his battered troops ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Salisbury City.


The Darts put in a dismal performance during last night’s sorry 1-0 defeat away to Wealdstone, which denied the Kent club a trip to Blue Square Bet Premier side Cambridge United in the quarter-finals of The FA Carlsberg Trophy.

Wealdstone, who came away from Princes Park with a 2-2 draw seven days’ earlier, deservedly won their ninth FA Trophy tie of the season, courtesy of Lee Chappell’s 27^th minute strike.

Burman was a disconsolate figure at the final whistle at Grosvenor Vale and fans’ are saying that it was their worst performance since Burman returned to the managers hot-seat in 2006.

“We have got to pick up, it’s a Cup game, it’s nothing to do with the League,” said a depressed Burman.

“We’ll come to training on Thursday and we’ve got a tough game on Saturday and we’ve got a tough game on Monday and we have to get on with things and we have to get things going.”

Dartford won all seven of their games in January, but the frosty conditions put paid to that impressive form this month as they were held to a draw by Wealdstone in the first time of asking and then lost their top-of-the-table clash at Woking by a single goal.

This is the first time that the Darts have suffered back-to-back defeats in 38 games this season.

Burman said: “We’ve had a great January and we’re having a poor February at the moment and that’s football and that’s how quickly it can change.

“That’s why you don’t get too excited when you’re doing well and you don’t get too down when you’re not.

“It’s the lowest I’ve felt for a while because we’re having a good season and the players have done fantastically well and we all know that.

“There’s an opportunity that they’ve missed to get into the last eight – at home as well.  We didn’t do it at home and that’s it.  It’s just one of those things.

“The work that we’ve put into the Cup games is now out of the window now and we have to get on with it and concentrate on the league and pick ourselves up and see what we can do.”

Salisbury City arrive at Princes Park having bounced back from a 2-0 home defeat to Bromley last weekend to beat Eastleigh 2-0 last night.

Dartford’s home game against Basingstoke, Tonbridge Angels’ home game against Boreham Wood and Welling United’s trip to Staines Town have all been brought forward 24-hours to next Monday.

This is down to the England C International Challenge Trophy tie against Italy, being played at Fleetwood Town’s Highbury Stadium next Tuesday.

Burman added: “We’ve been told that’s what we’ve got to do so that’s it.”

Meanwhile, the Darts play eight games in March, including their Kent Senior Cup Sponsored by Portabefloodlights.com Semi-Final against Charlton Athletic on 27 March.

Visit Dartford’s websites: www.dartfordfconline.com  & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk  

Dartford  v  Salisbury City
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 25^th February 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Princes Park Stadium, Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1RT