Dartford manager Tony Burman was left feeling disappointed with his side's attacking display after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Gosport Borough.

His side were dominant throughout the first half, with George Sykes, Ryan Hayes and Mark Onyemah all forcing Gosport's keeper Nathan Ashmore into making important saves, but were not clinical enough to find a way of putting the ball in the net.

Dartford were punished as a result five minutes before half-time when Lee Noble clumsily brought down Gosport's Perry Ryan in the box, gifting the away side a penalty which Justin Bennett duly converted.

Despite their continued pressing, Dartford were again punished for their inability to find the net as Gosport capitalised on a defensive mix-up which allowed Bennett to double his tally on the hour.

The home side hit back almost immediately, Ryan Hayes’ cross picking out the head of captain Elliot Bradbrook to pull one back.

But Darts’ high defensive line allowed Gosport to score a third when Lee Wort chipped keeper Deren Ibrahim with three minutes left.

A late fightback was sparked when Tom Bradbrook continued his scoring run with a looping header, but Dartford's earlier inability to convert chances into goals cost them dearly.

A disappointed Burman said: “At the end of the day in the final third we’ve got to score our chances.

“Things happen like this because it is a new side.

“I just felt our play in the final third should have been better and more intelligent.”

He added: “I thought we played reasonably well.

“On our first half performance I felt that if we had scored we would have won the game.”

Saturday’s match was played in sweltering conditions at Princes Park, with Burman suggesting the combination of the heat and conceding the first goal ultimately cost his side.

He explained: “I think it has an impact on both sides and if you score, a bit of adrenaline comes through the body.

“They got a goal just before half-time and the adrenaline ran through them.”

The Dartford boss now looks ahead to two important fixtures for his side over the Bank Holiday weekend, when they face Margate away on Saturday before hosting local rivals Ebbsfleet United on Monday.

Burman added: “We want to get as many points as we can, it is as simple as that.

“It’s a good test and it'll be good for some of the players in the side to play in front of big crowds and hopefully we can get something from the game.”

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