2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Thomas Reeves)
Captain Josh Hill has called on Dartford’s squad to “grow up” as their miserable form continues. The Darts lost for the sixth straight game in all competitions on Saturday, going down 3-2 at home to Wingate & Finchley in Isthmian Premier after they had found themselves 3-0 behind inside 21 minutes. Defender Hill issued a passionate post-match interview, describing the recent performances the club have delivered as “disrespectful”.
“It’s six weeks since we won a game,” he said. “We have pretty much beaten ourselves in the first 15 minutes every single game, apart from maybe the Dulwich game. “I thought we battered them and were unlucky and maybe apart from the previous week here against Hendon where we battered them and were unlucky.
But that’s two games out of six that we have not won. It’s just not good enough. “There will be a lot of talking.
We spent 30 minutes after the game on Saturday, with a lot of talking and a lot of voices, but we don’t hear it on the pitch enough. “We need to grow up as a team. I’m including myself in that, I’m including every single player - no matter how old they are and where they have played.
“I can’t remember exactly when I was last interviewed but, even then, I said we need to change and we need to change quickly. So, there’s even more pressure now. “A lot of people are treating it like they are going to be here forever.
They can just turn up, do what they do and have a kick-about on a Saturday afternoon. But I think that’s disrespectful. “There’s a few younger players, a few older players - there’s quite a good mix - but it’s disrespectful when we have 800, 900 or even 1,000 fans come every week.
They pay their hard-earned money and even travel around the country.” But Hill reckons Dartford’s players are letting down more than just their loyal supporters. The 33-year-old added: “We have got kit men, physios and a lot of other support staff that help us.
But it’s all about the 11 players or 16 players on a Saturday or a Tuesday. “It’s easier for me because I’m at the end of my career, although I’ve got a couple of years left. But the boys that are younger need to realise quickly it’s not good enough.
“People will react differently to that - whether it’s looking at themselves in the mirror, working hard in the gym or resting more - whatever it might be, a lot of people need to do that. And do that quickly. “It’s not a nice place to be with where we’re at.
The only people that can get ourselves out of it are the players. “The management is doing everything they can. They have been fair to us, they have been respectful, but I think there’s some players that are not responding to that.
“That’s not on them - that’s on us as a group of players and a squad. “We need to figure it out and need to figure it out quickly.” Midfielder Olly Box and striker Ade Yusuff came off the substitutes’ bench to score in front of an 825-strong crowd on Saturday but the damage had already been done.
“One of the management team just said in there (the changing room) that we’re almost a [better] first 15 minutes of the game away from winning every week,” revealed Hill in a club interview. “We almost shoot ourselves in the foot every single week. “It’s easy to play well, it’s easy to run around more, it’s easy to pass the ball around the back if you’re 2-0 or 3-0 down because, if you concede another one, there’s no pressure.
“When you’re chasing a game, everyone is brave. But we need to be brave when it’s 0-0. “Once the 15 minutes have gone and it’s still 0-0 and we have earned the right to start playing, we can do that.
“But we’re just not doing that.” Darts have a fixture-free weekend before they travel to Isthmian South East Erith Town in the Velocity Cup on Tuesday. They return to league action at home to Cray Valley four days later.
But Hill stated: “I’d rather play Tuesday, personally. “That’s the good thing about football a lot of the time, that you have a chance to put it right, very quickly after. It’s going to be a long two weeks.
“But I fully expect that everyone will be raring to go. "If it does do anything for us, that break, it’ll allow us to have more of a reflection and work out together, as a group, how we’re going to change it around and improve.”.
