Dartford manager Alan Dowson brings players in for extra training session after fourth defeat in five games

Dartford’s players are in for extra training this week - but boss Alan Dowson insisted it’s not a punishment.

A run of four defeats in five National League South games, including a last-gasp 2-1 reverse at Chippenham last Saturday, have left Dowson questioning his squad.

So, ahead of successive derbies against Welling and Dover, the Darts are training three nights this week instead of the usual two.

“We’re training Monday, Tuesday and Thursday,” said Dowson. “It’s not punishment.

“It’s what it takes to be a player at Dartford if you want to compete. All the championships I’ve won, it’s always been about hard work from the players, there’s no secret there at all.

“I’ve got no secret, I’m just a kid from the street who demands hard-working players. I’ve got creative players, talented players, but have we got hard-working ones? I’m not so sure.

“We’ve got to work. A lot of these players go away from here and go to work but we’re paying them decent money.

“Work has got to be here as well. I’m not having them just concentrate on their jobs and say well I’ve got work tomorrow night. This is work as well. If you don’t want to dig in and work that little bit harder… If I can work that bit harder and come in then you have to work that little bit harder too.”

Dowson insists it’s not fitness that is lacking. He just wants to win football matches.

He added: “If I thought it was fitness, I would do more fitness work but it’s not that.

“They’ve had two good years down here, I’ve got a reputation to get out of this league so you’re going to get people asking what’s going on now.

“But we’re getting this football club together, that’s going well, and now we’ve got to make sure we win football matches on the pitch.”