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Dartford boss Tony Burman devastated after defeat to Tamworth confirms relegation from Skrill Premier

Tony Burman Picture: Andy Payton
Tony Burman Picture: Andy Payton

Dartford manager Tony Burman said he was "devastated" after his side were relegated from Skrill Premier on Monday.

A 3-2 defeat at home to already relegated Tamworth sent the Darts tumbling through the trap-door into Conference South after two seasons in the Premier.

Burman said: "It’s a very disappointing day for us and a disappointing season all round.

"I hope it’s a little blip. For me, I think it’s a major blip. Personally, I’m devastated that I’ve put the club in this position. Relegation’s not a nice thing to happen.

"When you’re winning, you’re the best manager or coach in non-league football and when you’re not, you’re the worst. There are lots of people who tell you what you should do but you you have to keep with your beliefs.

"After eight years or so, we’ve taken the club a long way. But today’s hurting. It’s hurting like mad. I don’t want supporters, who’ve supported me for years and years and years, I don’t want them to feel to hurt. But it’s football and it’s a fact of life."

Dartford led 1-0 at half-time but they never got going in the second half and three goals for Tamworth put the game - and survival - completely beyond them.

Burman said: "I thought in the first half we were OK. We were bubbly and we were alert in what we did. I thought we were OK.

"We said to the guys (at half-time) 'in the second half, you’ve got to play with a bit of intelligence, you’ve got to want to win the game and you’ve got to be very careful that all of a sudden, you’re not 2-1 down'.

"I’m disappointed with the boys today in the respect that I made a substitution (Mikel Suarez for Jim Stevenson) and we changed certain things to make it 4-4-2, but a lot of the lads out there lost their discipline. They started to do what they wanted to do. When you play 4-4-2, you have your two banks of four but a couple of them were going on runs and walking back. That was disappointing for me.

"People decided to do what they wanted – and that’s wrong."

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