Suffolk Showdown: This isn't the title decider, says Burman - EXCLUSIVE

TABLE TOPPING Dartford boss Tony Burman has tonight played down the importance of the “Suffolk Showdown” at AFC Sudbury on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Darts stretched their unbeaten run to 12 league games on Tuesday night with a battling performance at Brentwood Town.

Goals from Brendon Cass and John Guest’s looping header earned a 2-2 draw in torrential rain in Essex - but Burman was perplexed over striker Jay May’s sixth minute red card.

“I think after Jay had been sent off we would have been happy (with a point) but to be fair, I think it’s two points dropped,” Burman said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“I felt we still could have won it. At half-time we felt we could have won the game, despite being down to ten-men.

“We had a couple of chances in the first half that gave us heart and at half-time we felt we would win the game.

“At 2-1, conceding the goal just two minutes after was the most disappointing thing of the night.”

But Burman criticised the over-zealous reactions from the Brentwood players that ensued May collected his second red card of the season.

That means the former Tonbridge Angels striker will now face a FOUR match suspension.

And Burman said: “Well, for me, I’ve looked at it now on the video evidence, I felt it could have gone either way.

“I thought it was too early in the game for a red card. I felt the referee could not have seen the incident properly and without any shadow of the doubt the Brentwood players were instrumental in getting Jay sent off.

“Well, the lad who was involved in the tackle, fair play to him, he got up straight away. He wasn’t hurt one little bit. It was his team-mates that got involved.

“Yes, Jay did lunge, it was a bit of a one-footed reckless challenge. In the end, he didn’t get over the top of the ball - he won the ball - to me it should have been a yellow card.”

And Burman added: “We can appeal because we have video evidence but because of the lunge I feel it may be a waste of time.

“I feel it was definitely a yellow card and I just feel the Brentwood players contributed to the sending off, rather than the player involved in the incident, fair play to him, he got up, but Jay didn’t touch his leg.”

All attention turns to the mouth-watering clash up at the King’s Marsh Stadium - and Darts can move eight points clear of the Suffolk side with victory on Saturday.

But Burman has ruled this game out as the Ryman League Division One North title decider.

He said: “I think it’s a difficult game, obviously it’s a big game but we’ve still got 14 games to go.

“If we beat Sudbury it doesn’t guarantee us the league title and if we lose against Sudbury it doesn’t mean we lose the title.”

The Kent side, however, hold the upper hand, having scored the only goal of the game, courtesy of defender Adam Flanagan, when the two sides met on 22^nd September.

“It’s top and the team whose second and it’s going to be a good game,” predicted Burman.

“I feel they’re not a bad side, one of the better sides that we’ve played this year but I feel we’re the best side in the league. If we put out a 7 out of 10 performance - or above - then we’ll win the game.

“We want to keep our 12 match unbeaten run going and we want three points but it doesn’t mean we’re going to win the league on this particular game - there’s a long way to go.

“We beat them at home one-nil, they had a lot of possession that day,” recalled the Darts boss.

“We’ve had a few changes in our side but we’re playing a lot better now. Sudbury haven’t seen the best of us and we know it’s going to be difficult.”

Burman revealed Flanagan should recover from his bout of cramp that he suffered in his native Essex in midweek, but midfield general Alex O’Brien is rated as “very doubtful.”

Speaking BEFORE tonight’s training session, Burman said: “O’Brien is definitely struggling, he pulled a calf muscle before the Brentwood game but the character that he is he wanted to start the game and have a go.

“He was in a lot of pain for 90 minutes, yes, rightly or wrongly, without him Tuesday night we might have lost.

He added: “We think Flanagan will be ok, he’s got a much better chance of playing.”

BBC Radio Kent will be covering this game on Saturday - listen to Mike Green and Paul Parkinson on 96.7FM.

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

AFC Sudbury v Dartford
Ryman League Division One North
Saturday 9^th February 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At King’s Marsh Stadium, Brundon Lane, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 1XR