We're going to stuff someone soon, warns Darts boss

Tony Burman believes his side will pick up enough points during the business end of the season - starting with Saturday’s Bourne Park showdown against Ryman League Division One South leaders Maidstone United, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Dartford boss saw his side share the points in an exciting 2-2 draw against Tooting & Mitcham United at Princes Park last night.

Goals from Brendon Cass - his 25^th goal of the season - and Eddie McClements gave the Kent side a two goal advantage inside the opening eighteen minutes.

But Tooting & Mitcham United, unbeaten in their last eleven games, winning their last eight, gained a point courtesy of Vernon Francis taking his goalscoring tally to fifteen with a three minute brace during a thrilling first half.

“We’ve done well today to go two-nil up and then concede,” Burman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the match.

“One of the goals seemed a crazy goal, a clearance has hit their player and gone in.

“But to be fair to the players they could have come in at half-time well down and just thrown in the towel and I thought second half we were all over them really.

“We created enough chances and just felt we done enough to deserve the three points but it wasn’t too be.”

Burman feels his side, still fourth in the table, are threatening to give one of their rivals one hell of a beating.

He said: “I’ve been saying for the last few weeks (that) we’ve been unfortunate and I’ll say it again.

“I think it’s going to happen to someone soon. The way we’ve played, especially in the last two games, I thought we’ve been excellent.

“First half hour (at Dover Athletic) on Saturday and I thought basically for the first half tonight and all of the second half I’ve got to say we were first class.

“They’ve come back from 2-0 down and they’re thinking our dressing room isn’t going to be good but I’ve said to the lads “we’ve got to go and match them again” because they’re a good side and they will come at us and I thought we handled them very, very well second half.”

Prolific striker Cass squandered an excellent chance late in the game to win a vital three points for the Darts but after latching onto Jay May’s defence splitting pass, he shot straight at visiting goalkeeper Dave King.

“I don’t want to knock Brendon or anything like that but on another day he could have had four goals today but he’s been brilliant for us all season and it just goes like that sometimes,” said Burman.

“We’ve played a team who gets quoted as being one of the best sides in this league and we’ve given them a game and a half as it happens and I think we’ve slaughtered them second half.

“First half I thought they were very good on the floor. I’ve been over to watch them when they’ve played Dover.

“They get the ball forward early on and all their midfield go running forward and they put you under pressure and they try to win that next ball and they’ve done well and second half I don’t think they done that at all.

“Second half they were more concerned about us than we were about them.

After locking horns with promotion rivals Fleet Town, Dover Athletic and Tooting & Mitcham United in the past two weeks, collecting two points, Burman takes his side to Sittingbourne on Saturday to play a Maidstone United side that are two points above second placed Hastings United - and five points clear of the Darts.

“We’ve had big games for the last four games,” explained Burman . “February was a big month for us, we’ve been playing most of the teams involved in the top of the league.

“Maidstone have done fantastically well to be where they are and full credit to them but we’ve got to go there and we’ll give them a good game and I’m sure they’ll give us a good game.

“We know about them, they know about us and we’ll do our best and at the moment that’s what the players have been doing and I’m delighted.”

But Burman hasn’t ruled out his side’s chances of winning the league.

He said: “I don’t think anything’s finished until it’s mathematically impossible. We’ve had a good December and didn’t have a bad January. We’ve possibly had a bad February but we’ve had all the top teams.

“March is a very important month not just for us but for everybody else up in the top five or six - or possibly top ten.

“We’ll give it a good go. I’m confident things will change as I said I think we’ve been unfortunate.

“When that changes to fortunate then I think we’ll get our points that we need.

“It’ not the best of pitches and I don’t want to be disrespectful to Sittingbourne because I know they’re doing their hardest to make the pitch good but unfortunately it seems it’s gone a bit too far at the moment.

“So it makes us change the way we might play. We’ve played on a near perfect pitch here tonight and we can play.”

The Darts are a very entertaining side to watch. During their 31 league games they have scored 67 goals but have leaked 50.

“I’m obviously disappointed we leak that many goals but it’s done now,” admitted Burman.

“I don’t think it’s how many goals we’re going to concede, its just how many we’re going to score.”

Burman has, however, ruled out the possibility of signing central defender Joe Vines from Tooting & Mitcham.

The former Cray Wanderers, Bromley and Welling United defender was speaking to Burman out on the pitch after the final whistle last night.

“I spoke to him when the ground was being built when he just came away from Welling and I never got round to showing him the ground,” revealed Burman.

“I just said to him “it’s the first time you’ve been here - I’m showing you round.”

“It’s not anything in it at all. He’s just someone I know and we just had a little chat and I wished him the best.”

The Darts have attracted four-figure crowds at all of their eleven games at Princes Park and Burman appreciates the backing from the Dartford public.

“We’re delighted to be where we are,” he said. “It’s a strange feeling but a fantastic feeling in that everyone’s behind us and the supporters have gone away tonight and they’ve seen a good game and really there’s no supporters having a go at the players.

“They know we’re trying and as long as we’re trying, they’ll get behind us.”

Dartford are without Mark Green and John Guest for Saturday’s showdown due to suspension.

Meanwhile, Princes Park stages it’s first ever Nationwide Conference South fixture next Tuesday, 6^th March when Welling United play their home fixture against Thurrock.

Darts travel to another of their Kentish rivals, Ashford Town.

Visit club websites:

www.maidstoneunited.co.uk

www.dartfordfc.co.uk & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering Saturday’s game at Bourne Park.

Maidstone United v Dartford
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 3^rd March 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Bourne Park, Central Park, Eurolink, Church Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SB