Dartford boss Alan Dowson has admitted their two festive derbies with Welling are now must-win games for him. KentOnline understands Dowson retains the support of the Dartford board but many fans left early during Saturday’s 3-0 home loss to St Albans and boos greeted the final whistle from those that remained in the ground.
While Dartford sit six points outside the play-off places, they are the same distance away from the relegation zone and are 18th in the table.
The St Albans defeat followed a 4-0 humbling at Tonbridge seven days earlier. Dowson knows his team have to deliver against Welling, who knocked them out of the FA Cup earlier this season as well. “Obviously, it’s big for me, if people look at it then I’m going down the table a bit,” admitted Dowson. “The honest truth is we can’t not get results forever, we can’t get beat by fours and threes and keep losing. “Of course, there’s going to be a few shouts about that, I respect that and understand that, and I feel sorry for people.
They’ve paid good money to watch and it doesn’t look good on me. So, yes, I think I need to win these two games as well. “I think everybody knows how big they are now, for me and for them.