Dartford need to show their defensive resolve if they concede the first goal in matches.

That’s the verdict of joint-boss Jamie Coyle after they shipped four goals for the second successive away match in Monday’s 4-0 reverse at Chelmsford.

Coyle admitted his side already have a ‘soft under-belly’ after failing to record a victory in their first four National League South games.

“We conceded a goal early (in the second half) and it looked like it knocked the stuffing out of us but we’ve got to be more resilient than that,” said Coyle.

“We will go behind this season and we’ve got to show the character to get back into games.

“We’ve shown a real soft under-belly and conceded from a second phase at a set-piece.

“We’ve got to be a lot more resilient than what we’ve shown. I know we had 10 men in the second half but we shouldn’t have lost the game 4-0.”

Coyle was also left to rue Dartford’s poor finishing in the first half at Chelmsford - but he knows that attacking prowess will count for little if they keep conceding soft goals.

“We were brilliant in the first half but just didn’t take our chances,” said Coyle.

“That’s going to happen so we’ve just got to be patient, stick to the game plan. Unfortunately we conceded a soft goal from nowhere and we were fighting a losing battle again.

“I’d rather nick a scrappy set piece and go one-nil up. When we go ahead, it looks like we build a bit of momentum, gain more confidence and are a better side.

“We’ve got to be patient, we will have halves where we dominate and don’t score a goal.

“It’s frustrating and we’ll take positives from the first half but it’s exactly the same as Saturday.

“We’ve created some golden chances in both games and not taken them so it’s something we need to address.”

• Sloppy Darts concern Coyle
• Report: Chelmsford 4 Dartford 0

Coyle added: “There were signs in the first half that we’ll be okay. It’s going to take a bit of time.

“We’re frustrated at the other end. We’ve got pace in attack and we’re delivering great balls.

“I think Adam Cunnington is a brilliant addition to the side and he worked really well at Chelmsford, but we’ve got to defend better as a side.

“We can be great going forward but if we concede sloppy goals like we have done this year then it’s going to be a problem.”

Lee Noble (hamstring) should return for Saturday’s trip to Weymouth while Luke Allen missed Monday’s defeat with a knee injury.

“It’s another tough opposition,” said Coyle. “They’re a strong side and we’ll have to be more resilient.

“We need to be more reliable collectively and individually when defending set-pieces. If we do that, we’ve got threats in the final third and good quality. We’ve got to defend first and then push on from there.”

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