Dartford manager Tony Burman says some of his young players have started to do their own thing
00:00, 28 January 2016
Tony Burman is concerned some of Dartford’s younger players have started to believe their own hype and are feeling the pressure.
The Darts boss is considering changing personnel and formation for Saturday’s crucial trip to Gosport after back-to-back defeats this week.
Burman admitted Dartford were beaten by the better side at Sutton on Saturday but it was a different story at home to Wealdstone on Tuesday. Dartford threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1, ending a four-month unbeaten home run in the league.
Burman said: "This is what happens when you have younger, inexperienced players in your side. As much as we’ve done really well, maybe some of them have got to stop reading the papers.
"This is a wake-up call. Maybe one or two of them have been reading too much into what’s going on instead of concentrating on their game.
"I think they went back to what they want to do instead of what I want them to do.
"There’s people on the bench and they’ve seen what’s gone on. Maybe it’s time for one or two to have a little break.
"Maybe there’s too much pressure on them in the respect they had to win on Tuesday night. It was a game they should be winning and maybe that pressure is telling."
Four players in Dartford’s starting XI on Tuesday were 24 or under, with Lee Noble, Lee Burns and Danny Harris missing through injury.
Burman named Barry Cogan and Tom Bradbrook on the bench, so there are different options for the trip to sixth-placed Gosport – who are one place and one point below the Darts with a game in hand.
Burman said: "This formation (4-2-3-1) has been all right to us, but we might have to change it. We might have to change something else to get back on another run.
"(The young players) all show their disappointment. They start hitting the ground and having a go at each other once the ball’s in the back of the net, but we shouldn’t even be getting into those situations.
"They’ve worked ever so hard, they were in on Monday night doing a bit of training, but it’s a game we should win."
Read the full story in the Dartford Messenger.
