DARTFORD manager Tony Burman is hoping things will start improving in the coming weeks once he gets key personnel back and is able to field his strongest team again.

The Princes Park side took a tentative step in the right direction on Saturday by finally ending their seven-game losing run with a 1-1 home draw against Forest Green Rovers in the FA Trophy.

November’s alarming dip in form has left Darts in the relegation zone and things don’t get any easier this weekend with a trip to Barnet, the side who inflicted the seventh of those defeats last Tuesday with a 2-0 triumph at Princes Park.

But the boss believes once he is able to select a more settled starting XI the club can start to head in the right direction up the Conference table.

He explained: “We are confident we can turn things around. We’ve got to do a job.

“We are in a bad place at the moment but we’ve got to work hard to get out of it.

“There were a few positive signs on Saturday against Forest Green but we’ve had a really tough month and we’ve got to keep battling.

“It is always difficult when you are on a run like that but we’ve got to try and instil confidence in the players.

“At the minute it is tough with the number of injuries and suspensions we’ve had to deal with, but it looks like things might settle down in the next couple of weeks once we finally start getting some of those people back.”

Burman added Saturday’s Forest Green result was “a step in the right direction” after their recent struggles, even if he could do without the headache of tomorrow night’s Trophy replay with the winners set to face Chorley away in the second round.

But it is the league which remains the number one priority and Dartford will be looking to gain revenge this weekend at Barnet after losing 2-0 at home to the north Londoners last Tuesday.

The manager said: “Barnet away is a tough game for anyone in this division, they have only just come down from the Football League and like to pass the ball around.

“They are a full-time side and we know we are going to have to be ready from the word go and be at our best.

“It is just a coincidence we played them last week because that was a rearranged game.

“We’ve just got to put that result behind us and concentrate on what lies ahead.”

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