Paul Rooney wants Dartford to use their weekend draw with Hemel Hempstead as the springboard for a late survival charge.

The Darts remain in the bottom four in National League South but face a crunch Tuesday night trip to face Truro at Gloucester’s Meadow Park ground.

They’ve got just seven games left to avoid relegation but Rooney’s second-half equaliser against Hemel.

“After this point, if we can make it four on Tuesday, then we can kick on from there,” stated defender Rooney.

“We need to beat the teams around us to stay up.

“We need to be on the frontfoot and go at teams, we have the quality to do that and when we get one win that will be it, hopefully it comes on Tuesday and we can kick on from there and go on a little run.

“It hurts, nobody wants to be relegated and no-one wants to be down there. I’ve always been at the other end of the table, that’s why I came to Dartford, to get promoted.

“It does hurt but we have to man up and keep going, we’ve got to get a win.

“With the quality that we’ve got in that dressing room, we can’t be down there. People say you can’t be saying that but we really shouldn’t be down there.”

Rooney was delighted to get on the scoresheet against Hemel but felt it was a game Dartford should have won.

The Darts had an early chance cleared off the line, missed a sitter in the second half and had at least one good penalty appeal turned down.

“We started really well but their goal came in the period when they were on top,” reflected Rooney. “We were the better team throughout the whole game, we just need to take our chances.

“Ady Pennock’s a really calm manager, he told us to relax and said that we would score. We had the better players on the pitch and we needed to be more composed.

“Fumnaya Shomotun should have scored and it came back out and when it got to me it was just below me so I chucked my leg at it and was unfortunate it went straight at him.

“For the goal it was the same sort of thing but at least it dropped to me as I was running towards goal and it was a nice little finish.

“It’s the thing we’re lacking, in front of goal. We have the players, the last couple of weeks people don’t believe when we keep saying the rub of the green but it’s really been like that.

“The one before our goal was pinball, I thought we should have had a penalty for a foul on me as well, but we never seem to get them.

“A few of the boys up top, they just need a goal to get going. They were excellent against Hemel, they destroyed them in the first half but it was just lacking the finish.

“That will come as it’s not like we’re not getting chances, that’s what the gaffer said, that he’d be worried if we weren’t creating them. We limited Hemel and that’s been the theme of the season.

“It looked much better against Maidstone, good again on Tuesday night with the kids, and then it improved again against Hemel.”

Rooney was the experienced head in a new-look Dartford defence which included on-loan trio Ronnie Nelson, Harrison Sodje and keeper Rhys Byrne.

Tommy Block also impressed at right-back and Rooney, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, underlined the right-back’s impact on the side.

“It was my birthday yesterday, I’m 27 now already,” he smiled. “I need to be loud and keep talking to the boys, Blocky is a great speaker as well, he’s a good leader at the back.

“We need more people to keep digging in like we did. Hopefully, we score first next time, I think when we do score first we’ll win the game as we are solid.

“It’s been the story of the last few weeks, even the games that we’ve lost they’ve mainly been by the odd goal and it’s down to us. At least we came back and showed some character, we got the goal and then we came under pressure as we were going for it but we stayed strong at the back, Ronnie and Blocky were excellent, along with Harrison and Rhys in goal.”

Report: Dartford 1-1 Hemel Hempstead

The Hemel game also marked a return to Princes Park for former Darts boss Alan Dowson, albeit he wasn’t in the dugout for the visitors due to a one-match touchline ban.

“It was better that he wasn’t on the bench!” said Rooney. “It’s always weird playing against your former manager or former team, you’ve just got to block out that noise and carry on.”