Dartford manager Tony Burman wants to sign a new defender after losing Tyrone Sterling to a hamstring injury.

Sterling's problem is not believed to be long-term but Burman is keen to strengthen a part of his squad where he has lost four players since the end of last season.

"I’m looking to bring in another defender," he said. "I’m sure that we can, it’s just getting the right one. I like the back-four that we’ve got at the moment and we’ll work with them to improve them.

"You’ve got to look at other options as well when you get injuries. I’ve not rushed into anything and I’m not going to rush into anything."

Former Crystal Palace and QPR centre-back Gary Borrowdale, who finished last season with Carrick Rangers in Northern Ireland, played 45 minutes for the Darts against a Reading XI on Tuesday night.

Burman said: "Gary's looking for a club. He’s nowhere near, fitness-wise, but I asked him to come along and he’s done that. He hasn’t trained but by him playing, Matt Fry had a bit of a break. He played 45 minutes and I thought Matt Fry was excellent."

The young Royals side were 4-0 up at half-time on Tuesday and that's how it stayed at Princes Park. Burman praised the opposition and felt there were positives to take from his side's display.

"We’re trying to improve and they’re one of the better sides we’ve played," he said. "They moved the ball about very well and we had to work hard to win it back.

"They had some good young players in their side but having said that, they’ve taken their chances and we’ve taken none.

"When the season starts, we’ll put people under pressure because we’ll be a lot fitter, but at this stage we’re not ready to do that. When we drew with Dagenham and Wimbledon, I didn't get too excited. We lost on Tuesday but I’m not that downhearted because I think the guys have worked hard."

Dartford face Bromley at Hayes Lane on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.