Dartford appoint Steve King as their new manager

DARTFORD have unveiled Steve King as their new manager.

 

Joint-managers Jamie Coyle and Adam Flanagan resigned from their roles on Tuesday 3 September 2019 following their 3-2 defeat at Tonbridge Angels.

Dartford were in the bottom three in the Vanarama National League South with seven points from their opening nine games.

Former manager Tony Burman stepped back into the role in a temporary basis and Saturday’s trip to Oxford City will be his last in charge.

Burman has been back in charge for five games, winning three and losing two in all competitions and former Eastbourne Borough and Welling United boss King will take charge of the home FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie against Kingstonian on Saturday 19 October.

A club statement, which was posted on www.dartfordfc.com said: “The directors of Dartford Football Club are delighted to announce that Steve King has been appointed as first team manager in a deal that will see him steer the club’s promotion and community development ambitions until the end of the 2022 season. 

“Steve needs little introduction in the world of league and non-league football. He has overseen significant progress at a number of clubs and has an extraordinary track record of securing league and cup success.

“He left Welling United in June 2019 having delivered on his remit to steer the club to the National League South play-offs and narrowly missing out on promotion to Woking.” 

Dartford’s co-chairman Steve Irving added: ““No-one should have any doubt that Steve’s arrival is a statement that the football club we all love, and some of us have served for decades, is determined not to stand still but to grow steadily and surely towards our goal of League football.

“Running this club has never been about riding a wave of boom and bust but about taking stewardship of a club that has been around since 1888 and steering it professionally so that we are a credit to our supporters, our community and our sport.

“Steve has achieved success at club’s with similar budgets to ours. Today, he has been given, and accepted, the challenge of securing success within the resources we have to reach the level we want to be.

“He gave the board an impressive, credible and deliverable vision to provide not just the success we deserve but also to extend our reputation as a club with strong values and a belief that football can transform lives and communities.

“I would like to add my appreciation to all those fine candidates who applied for the position and especially to the number we invited to meet us. The standard of professionalism, enthusiasm and love for the sport that we encountered through many hours of interview was astonishing and it has renewed all of us with a sense that we are part of a game that attracts some of the finest and most decent people in sport.

“Steve King will take over from Tony Burman as first team manager with immediate effect but the board have asked Tony to see-through the preparations for Saturday’s league fixture and oversee the game against Oxford City. The manager will begin preparations for the important FA Cup Tie against Kingstonian FC to be be played on 19th October. 

“The manager has welcomed the opportunity to continue with the successful supporter forums at Princes Park and information about the first of these will follow in due course.”

Dartford are now in seventeenth-place in the Vanarama National League South table with 10 points from 12 league games and Oxford City are one place below them with the same number of points.

Visit Dartford’s website: www.dartfordfc.com