'No, I'm not suspended!'

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Dartford boss Ady Pennock has explained why he watched their league game on Saturday from the terraces.

Pennock opted not to stand in the dugout for their 1-1 draw at Aveley - but not because he was serving any suspension.

The dugouts at Aveley are positioned closer to the corner flag than the halfway line so Pennock opted to stand on the other side of the ground.

"I didn't even bother going in the technical area," said Pennock.

"The way they've done the dugouts mean it's right in the corner and you can't really see anything. I just wanted to be involved and get closer to our boys.

"People came up to me and asked 'have I been suspended?'. No, I haven't. I just wanted to be closer and that's all it was.

"You also are not allowed on the pitch without boots and I haven't had boots on for 18 years!"

"I don't know if anyone else has done it before at Aveley, but I think everyone should do it because it's allowed.

"Normally at other stadiums, you're in the middle of the pitch - like our stadium - but this was right in the far corner.

"I'd advise everyone to do that. I went over the far side and was closer to the players in the middle of the pitch."

Read more: Boss responds to fifth red in four away games

It was another step in the right direction for Dartford performance-wise but they'll be looking to build on that point at home to Cheshunt on Saturday and Burgess Hill on Tuesday night.

It's an ideal chance to climb up the Isthmian Premier table with the Darts currently languishing in the bottom eight.

"I don't even look at the league at this time of the year," added Pennock. "I didn't last year, I won't this year.

"We've obviously had problems with injuries and suspensions, and that's our biggest problem. To go to Aveley and get a point away from home, if you can win at home, then it's four points in two games and it can snowball from there. Things can change very quickly.

"That was one of our best performances of the season at Aveley and it shows we're going in the right direction. That was with youngsters, not the so-called experienced players. They were really hungry and I'm really pleased with that."