Dartford manager Steve King urges team to score from all areas rather than rely on strikers Darren McQueen and Elliott Romain

By: Matthew Panting mpanting@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 06:00, 28 February 2020

Dartford boss Steve King has told his squad to chip in with their fair share of goals.

Debutant midfielder Jack Jebb found the net for Darts in last weekend’s win over Eastbourne – but King wants others to follow his lead.

Jack Jebb - scored on his Dartford debut against Eastbourne last Saturday. Picture: Chris Davey FM29882262

Strikers Darren McQueen and Elliott Romain have spearheaded Dartford’s rise to the National League South play-off spots.

But, especially with Jebb’s precise delivery from set pieces, King wants to see goals from all areas during the run-in.

“We’re relying on Darren McQueen and Elliott Romain to score the goals – and we can’t rely on them all the time,” said King.

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“There’s more to come all round. They need to come from centre-halves as well, they all need to chip in.

“You can’t rely on the two strikers, other people need to contribute as well.

“I feel that we are a front-foot team, and we win a lot of free-kicks in the final third.

“Having good delivery, like what Jack Jebb provides, gives us a better chance to get goals from those now.”

Jebb showed his class with a stunning 25-yard free-kick to put Darts ahead against Eastbourne at Princes Park.

King worked with the midfielder at Welling and knows how to get the best out of him.

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“I got him to play forwards a lot more, he used to play sideways and backwards,” said the Darts boss.

“In the first 11 games at Welling he scored five goals and had 10 assists so it shows how influential he was.

“He brings something that no one else brings, they’ve all got different strengths and weaknesses.

“What a free-kick – he did that for me a number of times so I know that he is capable of it.

“That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to sign him. We haven’t had anyone who can get close to doing that.

“His delivery from free-kicks and corners is going to be massive for us. Some people don’t have that ability but he has that plus he is a good player.”

Jebb can’t feature against his former club Wealdstone this Saturday under the terms of the transfer which saw him move to Princes Park last week.

Defender Nick Arnold is also ineligible to face his former side so Sanchez Ming will return at right-back having recovered from a bruised foot. Romain leads the line after serving a one-match suspension.

Striker Charlie Sheringham joined Leatherhead on loan last week and Andy Pugh is expected to link up with Ryan Hayes at Isthmian South East Sevenoaks after a spell on the sidelines.

Midfielder Lee Noble returned to action against Eastbourne but, having been out since October, his lack of match sharpness was noticeable and he could also benefit from a loan move before returning ahead of potential play-off matches.