I want to guide the Darts back into the Conference, says Burman

Sunday 20th June 2010

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman says he is going into Blue Square Bet South football not to just make up the numbers, writes Stephen McCartney.

Since the opening of Princes Park Stadium in 2006, Burman has guided the Kent club to the Ryman League Division One North and Ryman Premier League titles.

Burman has signed players from Essex based club’s that play at their current level of football to enable the side to compete.

“I’m expecting it to be very tough,” warned Burman, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “I’ve got no illusions that it’s going to be easy. I feel we’re going to be up against some quality players and some top teams but having said that we want to compete.

“We’re going to go up there and enjoy ourselves as much as we can. We want to compete. I would be disappointed finishing fifth-from-bottom. I would be very upset if that was going to happen. We want to go up and we want to compete in this league and do as well as we can.

“If Blackpool can get in the Premiership and Dagenham & Redbridge and Millwall can get promoted, they have all worked their socks off, their players, squad and management have worked really hard.

“Last season we worked as hard as any team I’ve had under me and that’s the ethos.

“All the players know what I want. We can’t finish as high as we can with 11 players all season, you’ve got to have a good squad and will do our best.

“The players know they have to work hard under me this season and that’s what we’ll endeavour to do.

Dartford have previously attracted the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Millwall to Princes Park for pre-season games and this summer is no different.

The Darts can look forward to lucrative home games against Dagenham & Redbridge (10 July), Gillingham (13 July), Southend United (16 July), Millwall (27 July) and Leyton Orient (3 August).

Such friendlies kept the club in the black during the cold snap last season.

Burman said: “We’ve managed to get some good clubs, who have approached us, and that’s the nice thing, they’ve asked us to play with us.

“I make it clear now, I’m not interested in any results against these clubs. The fitness that we get playing the pro players does us a really good turn.

“I can only thank them for giving us good games. Many more will want to play at the facilities that we’ve got.

“It’s good preparation, anyone that says playing against the pro clubs doesn’t do you any good, they don’t know what they are talking about. It does you really good, as you’re working hard for 45-90 minutes.”

Two fixtures that everyone is looking forward to are the games against local rivals Ebbsfleet United, which will attract bumper gates to both Princes Park and Stonebridge Road.

The Fleet have dropped out of the top flight of non-league football after eight seasons and will lock horns with the Darts on a level footing.

“It’s obviously a long time since the two clubs have played each other,” said Burman. “We’ve come up, Ebbsfleet have come down.

“I’d love to be in their position for the last eight years being in the Conference. They’ve done fantastically well to be playing at the highest level.

“It’s unfortunate they’ve been relegated but I’m sure they’re going to be a force in this division, whatever players they manage to get in.

“Liam Daish (the Ebbsfleet manager) will get things going over there and they’ll be a good side and I think they want to get back into the league.

“I hope one day I hope to be able to get back there as well.”

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