Dartford boss Alan Dowson says everyone has to work harder to turn their season around - including himself.

Dowson turned into Mr Angry this week, furious that his side are dropping points in games they should be winning. But there’s only one way they are going to show an upturn in form.

“I’m annoyed and angry,” stated Dowson, whose side went down 2-1 at Chippenham last weekend. “I’ve come into the club, for the first time since I’ve had the job, angry.

“It’s hard coming in new and I wanted people to show something. I’ll take full responsibility for results and we’ll be fine but at the moment I am angry. I feel we’ve let people at the club down.

“I’ve got to do my job a little bit better, the players have got to perform better. Everyone says how great it is now, the atmosphere’s good and we’re having overnight stays, the prep is spot-on so we’ve all got to give a little bit more.

“There’s some good footballers here but without that extra battling quality and I’ve realised that. I’ve got to put that right.

“In 17 years I’ve only had two bad seasons and at the minute it looks like this is going to be tough but it can change if you work harder. I’m not good enough myself not to work harder, so I’ve got to do that and do my job better.

“I’m my worst critic. I didn’t sleep all weekend. I demand a lot out of people but I’m not getting what I want at the minute. I need to demand more out of myself and more out of my players.”

Dowson has dismissed suggestions Dartford’s last-gasp defeats are down to a lack of fitness.

Worthing and Chippenham have both scored injury-time winners against the Darts while two late goals ensured they suffered defeat at Taunton. Chesham also netted in injury time when they lost at Princes Park earlier this season.

It’s a worrying trend but Dowson is putting it down to concentration levels instead.

“It’s 100% concentration,” stated the Darts boss. “If you look at the goals there’s no one being outrun, it’s concentration levels.

“The goals on Saturday, it’s a ball over the top towards my right-back and the second one is a foul. It’s two stupid fouls that have cost us.

“They never had a shot on target to test our keeper, not one shot at all apart from that and we didn’t get any points.

“We’ve gone clean through twice, the keeper made a good save from Luke Coulson, we had a free-kick, that’s four or five chances away from home and we never ended up scoring them yet they’ve not had another shot and have won the game. It’s nothing to do with fitness at all.

“We can go to the training ground and work hard on the shape but if we haven’t got the concentration levels right that’s something the players have got to do themselves.”

Dowson has made no secret of his desire to strengthen the squad.

The Darts boss was taking in matches again this week to look at potential targets.

“I’ve got to get these additions that are going to make us better,” he added.

“I can’t make any mistakes in the transfer market. The players that come in have to improve us.

“I feel we’ve all got to give that bit more. Talent-wise, a good group of lads - no problem at all - but I feel they can all give that little bit more.

“I want to get people in before the weekend. I want to try and get some permanent ones in, too.

“People ask why was I so late judging them but I had to sign them late, too. I had to sign some players when I came here.

“I had to take a couple of gambles because in the first wave of players I lost out on all of them as I was four weeks late into the job. We didn’t know if we were going full-time or part-time so it was difficult.

“I’m not saying I got everything right because I didn’t. It’s not going to be all right unless I make the squad stronger and better but that’s my responsibility. I’ve got to do it. In hindsight, I should have done it a couple a weeks ago. I thought the lads were good enough but they’re not.

“I need competition all around the pitch as some people are automatically playing and I don’t like that, I’ve never liked that.”