TONY Burman has described Saturday's shock 4-0 defeat for his Dartford side at Ware as a "major disappointment".

Despite a bright start, Dartford went on to suffer a heavy loss and the manager was far from impressed afterwards.

He said: "We had two shots cleared off the line in the first 20 minutes, but from this point on I can only say our performance was very poor.

"The heat didn't do us any favours whereas it seemed to galvanise Ware and fair play to them because they deserved their win.

"It was a major disappointment bearing in mind how brightly we started the game and to concede four goals in this league is not acceptable."

The Darts quickly put the disappointment behind them on Monday with a 4-0 success against Aveley at Princes Park, but the manager wasn't entirely convinced by the outcome.

He added: "The main thing was to bounce back with a win, whether it be 1-0 or 4-0, so I am pleased with the win and result.

"It wasn't a fantastic performance by any means, but the players did well to score four goals."

Jay May was chief contributor with a hat-trick, although the manager revealed he could just as easily have been dropped after the Ware display.

Burman explained: "Jay was one of the lads who didn't play well on Saturday and it could be because he is three weeks behind everyone else in terms of match fitness at the moment.

"I had to ask him before the Aveley game if he was up for it because there was a real chance he might not have made the starting XI, but he responded really well."

Dartford's other goal came courtesy of Brendan Cass and the manager is convinced the strike duo will be a real handful once they are back to their best.

He added: "Jay is only 60 to 70 percent fit at the moment and the chemistry isn't quite right between him and Brendan at the moment, but it is getting very close.

"When they do find it again, they will be the best forward partnership in this division."

Dartford begin their FA Cup run on Saturday with a home game against Leatherhead and the boss is expecting a tough test against a side with a proven record in the competition.

He said: "We have had them watched and it isn't going to be easy, despite them picking up a few injuries.

"They had a very good cup run last year and I think it ultimately cost them a place in the play-offs because they had so many games to play in the final third of the season."

Dartford will be without Andrew Sam (ligaments), Tommy Osborne (ligaments), Steve Norman (bruised knee) and Alex O'Brien (suspension).

Loan signings Alex Martin and Matt Bodkin are also unavailable because their parent clubs do not want them cup-tied.

Meanwhile, Burman has added former Carshalton midfielder Dave Moore to the Darts' ranks.

The manager said: "Dave Moore will be a very useful addition to the squad."