Maidstone United 0-1 Dartford - We lacked passion and fight, fumes angry Stones boss

“Disappointed in both the result and the performance” he admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game. 

“I thought we lacked passion, desire, commitment – we went a goal down early before we stemmed the flow and that was it! 

“We’d got ourselves back into it – wed taken the heat out of the game and then we just sat back!  We had a right old session with them at half time “it’s a Kent derby – you need to get out there and fight – they’ve lost three of their last six yet we just didn’t -  well we didn’t create one real chance did we!”
 
If the Stones boss was down hearted, then Tony Burman was a happy man – the Darts boss told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, “Pleased tonight with the result and this is always a difficult place to come to.  The ground was heavy and it was nice to get back to winning ways especially after getting beat by Billericay on Saturday! 

“We had to get back on track tonight and we know that we put in a poor performance at the weekend, but it wasn’t to be.  But tonight showed why they’re good players bouncing back like that – we’ve been consistent all season and we’ve managed to get the points with a cracking goal. 

“But the longer its stayed one nil, we ran the risk of them levelling.  But to be fair we had to put Elliott Bradbrook back at centre half tonight and I don’t think we allowed them a shot all game. 

“And that’s not meant disrespectfully but we haven’t allowed them a single shot all night and that shows how good a night we’ve had – sure I’d have liked another goal but three points is three points and means that we’re eleven points clear again!”
 
And in all honesty both managers hit the nail on the head.  But for Burns’ fine volley at the back post, this game would have been forgotten about before the fans even reached the bar for their post match drinks. 

Not even the presence of watching Gillingham boss Mark Stimson could raise this game from its low entertainment level – Stimson was on hand to watch his son Charlie make his home debut for the Stones, but to be fair to young Stimson and his strike partner Lynden Rowland, their service left an awful lot to be desired!
 
Anyway, Burns’ strike was good enough to win any game and could have been taken out of any coaching manual. 

Ryan Hayes broke clear down the right and his deep far post cross found Burns pulling away from his marker to volley home past a statuesque Andy Walker in the Maidstone goal. 

Walker in all honesty didn’t stand a chance, and in truth after that moment, neither sadly did the Stones. 

Hayes nearly double the Darts lead on 37 minutes when Walker made a smart save at his near post and that was that as far as the first half went.
 
And really the second wasn’t much better as the League leaders controlled the game without really threatening Walker. 

Billy Burgess saw an acrobatic flying header (from Danny Harris’ corner) fly a yard wide, before Walker produced a very brave save to deny a combination of Darts subs – Allan Tait and Carl Rook – after Tait had produced fantastic skill to beat three defenders only to be beaten by one poor touch that allowed the keeper time to block and the somehow knock the ball away from Rook. 

The best that the home side could muster was an Ant Bodle 25 yard shot that troubled the fans behind the goal more that Darts stopper Andrew Young.
 
So the Stones now move onto another Kent derby at the weekend, when Cray Wanderers visit Homelands, and indeed both Ian Jenkins and Joe Francis were present to watch this game; a point that had Nott smiling for the first time in the evening. 

“If Ian and Joe were down here tonight and seen us play as badly as that they must be convinced that they’re going to get the points on Saturday,” Nott said. 

“It’s a massive game for both clubs on Saturday – we told the boys that we needed to take something out of tonight’s game and sadly I don’t think that our players believed in themselves enough tonight, and now its my job to get them right up for the weekend and we must, we must win that game.”
 
For Burman and the Darts, they head to Tooting for what many consider to be their own make or break week. 

“Tooting have fallen into the same trap that a lot of teams in this league have this season – they win two or three and then lose two or three.  But we know we’re in for another tough game on Saturday and it always is. 

“But it’s the start of our week from hell when we play Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, which is going to be a really tough week for us, that’s for sure and I’m going to have to use all the squad if we’re going to get through it! 

“That said, we’ll go to Tooting and knowing what we’re got to do.”  Burman then admitted, “We’ve averaged two points a game this season and that was our target at the start of the season.  We feel that if we go over 70 points you’ve a chance of being in the Play offs and if you get over 80 you’ve a chance of winning the whole thing and that’s what we’ll endeavour to do. 

“There’s a long way to go yet – I cannot emphasise just how big a week it is for us next week – four defeats and everyone will be on out case, whilst four victories may just break the back of it.”
 
Maidstone United: Andy Walker, Ashley Ulph, Jermaine Darlington, Roland Edge, Peter Hawkins, James Peacock, Chris Saunders (Ant Bodle 50), Dean Hernandez Bradshaw (Antonio Gonnella 46), Charlie Stimson, Lynden Rowland, Steven Elliott (Alex Tiesse 68).
Subs: Craig Stone, Richard Knell.

Dartford: Andrew Young, Billy Burgess, Adam Gross, Elliott Bradbrook, John Beales, Danny Dafter, Ryan Hayes, James White, Rob Haworth (Allan Tait 78), Lee Burns (Carl Rook 68), Danny Harris.
Subs: Lee Noble, Ryan Johnson, Adam Malloy.
 
Goal: Lee Burns 10
 
Attendance: 371
Referee: Mr M McCoy
Assistants: Mr L Dyson and Mr A Bakalarz