Dartford face their most important game so far this season when they travel to fellow strugglers AFC Telford on Saturday.

The clubs are separated by a single point in the Vanarama Conference relegation zone and have a near-identical goal difference, having both played 31 games.

Dartford would move four points clear of Telford with a win, although defeat in Shropshire would see the Bucks climb above them in the fight for survival.

Darts boss Tony Burman said: "It’s a big game. They’re in that league we’re in down there and I’d be disappointed if we get nothing from the game.

"But if it doesn’t go our way, it won’t be the end of the world. It’s three points we’ve got to try to get and we’ll do our best.

"We’ve got 15 big games now to pull ourselves out of trouble.

"I don’t want to get relegated. I want to stay in this league for as long as we can.

"I’m sure we can do something but we’ve got to get some results on the board early in that run of 15 games."

The next month will go a long way to determining whether or not Dartford finish in the bottom four for a second season running.

Three of their next four games are against sides in the bottom third of the table, with trips to Alfreton and Aldershot following next Saturday’s home game against Gateshead.

"We’ve got to close the gap," said Burman, whose side are seven points from safety.

"If we can win our next two or three games, it could be a different picture. But if we lose those games, it becomes more drastic and it will be difficult."

Read the full story in the Dartford Messenger.