Tony Burman expects to remain in caretaker charge of Dartford this weekend.

Darts have started interviewing for a successor to Jamie Coyle and Adam Flanagan but the new man is unlikely to be in the dugout at Oxford City on Saturday.

The directors like what they’ve heard so far but won’t be rushed into an appointment.

It means Burman, who also sits on the board, is set to take the team once again.

He said: “We’ve started our interviews this week and they’re going really well.

“We’ve had some decent applicants, that’s for sure, and that’s shown in the interviews we’ve had.

“It will take as long as it takes. The directors have got to be happy with the appointment and that’s why we’re taking our time.

“It’s also given applicants time to prepare for their meeting with us and they’ve done that brilliantly.

“It’s very important we all feel we’ve made the right decision.

“As far as I know, I’m in charge on Saturday. If that’s the case, fine, not a problem, I’m happy to do that.

“If it goes on further than Saturday, so be it, but we’re hoping to come to a decision sooner rather than later.”

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Dartford sit 17th after 12 games of the National League South season, two points clear of the relegation zone.

And while Burman believes the new manager will inherit a decent squad, the board won’t be making unrealistic demands.

He said: “You’ve got to be careful with that because we’re not in a great position at the moment but there’s still time.

“We have to look at things between now and Christmas, see what happens in that time and how many points we get.

“Then you’re at another stage in the season to look at things again and hopefully we’ll be in a much better position to judge where we might finish.

“I’m sure everyone’s doing their best to help us move up the table and gain more points.

"That’s what we want and that’s what we’ll endeavour to do.

“The players in the squad, barring injuries, are decent guys but unfortunately things happen in football and when results aren’t going right it affects everybody and players become down.

“All we’ve asked them to do is go back to basics. It hasn’t been perfect but we’ve got one or two good results since I’ve been here, which is a plus for everybody.

“Hopefully the new manager comes in, stabilises it and manages to pick up a few more results.”

On-loan Southend defender Rob Howard returns for Saturday, while left-back Mark Onyemah could be fit after a knee injury.

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