Dartford assistant manager Roland Edge makes no apologies for his positive outlook.

The Darts have failed to build on an impressive start to life in Isthmian Premier this season under boss Ady Pennock.

But it’s not all gloom and doom with performances deserving more points and a new-look squad still learning about each other.

Last Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Cheshunt was a first league win since August and Darts rescued a point in a 3-3 draw at Hashtag United on Tuesday - Olly Box scoring a 90th-minute leveller after goals from Sam Odaudu and Denzelle Olopade.

“You don’t want to see or read the negatives as you can flip anything the way you want,” said Edge.

“We’ve gone on the positives and sometimes the papers go on the negative. We can see progress as the staff. It was excellent, overdue and we deserved it.

“Everyone goes to a game, they want to see a 3-0 win and away you go. But football’s not like that and deep down that’s why we love it, that pain of loss followed by the love of winning is why we stay involved in it and watch it.

“That win has been overdue in the league and we need to push on.”

While it was a first win in eight league games, the Darts have now lost just once in six matches.

“I think it was taking its toll,” admitted Edge on the long wait for a victory. “Ady has freshened up in certain areas, the draw with Cray Valley who are a decent side was followed by Potters Bar where we should have won, and then Cheshunt where we have won.

“I think we can see we’re making progress. It’s easy to say you haven’t won in seven but we won against Erith Town, drawn twice and have won on Saturday.

“It’s easy to look at the losses but as a manager or a coach, we look at it and say we’ve kept a couple of clean sheets and haven’t been beaten in four.

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“Others look at it in another way, but we have to look at it like that because if you say we’ve lost, we’ve lost and we’ve lost, it’s going to come on top of you and you’re never going to win. The win was overdue in my opinion and we’ve got to build on that.”

Dartford, who enjoyed their best FA Cup run since 2021 this season, feel their displays have warranted more points. But they haven’t always had that rub of the green on their side according to Edge.

“I think it’s a mixture of fortune sometimes,” he explained. “We haven’t had it hit someone’s shin and go in yet, we hit the post - post and in? No, post and wide.

“Sometimes you’ve got to hold hands up and there’s been some very good goalkeeping displays here. All of that together prevents you from winning games and the Cheshunt goalkeeper was absolutely outstanding on Saturday and it took a top- drawer finish to win the game.

“Should that have been the case? No, but that’s what it took and that’s what has been happening this year.

“The worst thing about the run is that it doesn’t tell a true story. The problem now is every game gets videoed.

“Against Hendon we scored two goals that were both wiped out, we had a player sent off at the start of the second half and you think that’s harsh. When you watch it back, both goals are onside and the red card was overturned on appeal. That’s three points gone.

“It adds pressure on when are you going to win. The other day at Potters Bar we should have been 5-0 up, he sent Duane [Ofori-Acheampong] off and I’m not saying that shouldn’t have happened, but it’s a game we should have won. There’s been games here when you say it’s got to be three points.”

Dartford are without a league fixture this weekend.