There is more to come from my good squad, says Dartford boss Tony Burman

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman wants his side to replicate last season’s FA Cup run, writes Stephen McCartney.


The Darts are currently in second place in the Blue Square Bet South table, level on points with Woking, following their 3-1 home win over Kent rivals Tonbridge Angels yesterday, in front of a crowd of 1,385.

They begin their FA Cup campaign with a home game against Harrow Borough in the Second Qualifying Round next Saturday, knowing that three wins will get them to the first round again.

Dartford reached the first round of The FA Cup last season, when they came within minutes of knocking out League Two side Port Vale at Princes Park, but lost 4-0 in the replay.

Harrow, who were defeated in the play-off semi-final by Tonbridge Angels at the end of last season, have struggled so far and lie in the bottom four with their only league win coming on their travels.

When asked if the Harrow Borough game was a potential banana skin for his charges, Burman responded, “It is going to happen sometime.  The FA Cup was great to us last year. We’ve had some good times in it.  We’re looking forward to it because it’s a good competition for all to be involved in, players, supporters and off-the-field financially, it can mean money that the club can put into the kitty.

“It’s a rest now from the League and we’ll see what happens.”

The Dartford boss is pleased that his side have learned from their experiences of last year, when they only kicked on after Christmas.

“We want to be consistent and that’s one of the things we’ve tried to install in the players. Last year we were inconsistent, but we’ve learned from that,” said Burman.

“We felt we had a good squad of players, which is why we’ve only added three to that and I’m delighted with where we are.

“If you are averaging two points a game or more you know you are doing alright.  We’re in a decent position in the League but need to be consistent and see if we can get the same amount of points from the next ten games as in the first ten.

“The players who were with us last year have learned and know what is expected from them, and the penny has dropped.  They know what the club is about, it’s a good squad and there is more to come.  We’ve got an excellent seventeen-man squad where any player starting is good enough, so whether we make changes or not, whoever we play is capable of winning the game.”

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

Dartford  v  Harrow Borough
The FA Cup with Budweiser Second Qualifying Round
Saturday 1^st October 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Princes Park Stadium, Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1RT