Manager Tony Burman has spoken of his relief at signing two Football League strikers on loan to help Dartford through their exhausting run-in.

The arrival of Charlie Sheringham and Jason Prior on month-long deals comes as the Darts are preparing to tackle eight Blue Square Bet Premier fixtures in three weeks.

Burman (pictured) was thwarted in his attempts to sign the injury-hit pair two months ago but his luck turned last week.

He said: "I tried to go in for Charlie in January, the same as I did for Jason but the pair of them weren’t quite ready with their injuries.

"Charlie has had operation after operation and it wasn’t quite right. Then, all of a sudden, we were notified they would be available, Jason first and then Charlie came after I’d already signed Jason. I thought ‘let’s do it, let’s bring another two players in’.

"After Saturday’s game, we’ve got eight games in 20 days and it’s going to be tough. That’s why I’ve brought people in."

Burman takes his side to Newport this weekend before Woking visit Princes Park on Easter Monday. The Darts still have 1,500 miles of travelling to do before the season ends on April 20.

Their hectic schedule means Sheringham, recovering from a serious foot injury, could play as many as 10 games during his loan spell from AFC Bournemouth.

Burman said: "He’s been out for so long but I could tell in his voice, in the phone calls we’ve had, that he just wanted to play and wanted to play here.

"I want to help them (Sheringham and Prior) and they’ve helped me, Charlie especially has helped this club. If there was an opportunity to help him, I felt we should give it to him."

Read more on the Darts in this week's Dartford Messenger, including an interview with Jason Prior.