WALKING WITH THE DARTS

by Chris Palmer

Hello again, welcome to another edition of Walking With The Darts, a monthly update on all things related to Dartford FC, courtesy of Dartford Living Magazine.

We have reached what’s commonly referred to as the “business end of the campaign”, in what has been another extremely competitive National League South season. And, as the fixtures come thick and fast, the next two months will prove to be vital for the Darts’ future, with our fate more than likely being determined via the play-off route.

Since last writing in these pages, we have been a little inconsistent, particularly on the road. On our travels, the lads have had to deal with a few injury setbacks, as well as the odd suspension to key players. And, with two draws and a defeat away from Kent, Tom Bonner and Co have been relying a little on their excellent home form to maintain second place in the table.

That home form has seen Dartford collect two good victories over Slough Town and Farnborough, as well as a hard-fought stalemate against an in-form Oxford City side.

If the lads can keep up the momentum, starting with tomorrow’s trip to Concord Rangers, and then what has the potential to be a tasty encounter against Chelmsford City here at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park next weekend (25th of March), then we’ll remain in control of our own destiny on the pitch.

Plus, at the time of writing, the Darts are still within mathematical touching distance of Ebbsfleet United and, as we all know, anything can happen in football! So, there’s still lots to play for.

To help that cause, Alan Dowson recently completed the loan signing of striker Harvey Bradbury from

Dorchester Town. Harvey will remain at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park until the end of April and made an immediate impact on his debut in last weekend’s victory over Farnborough, after coming off the bench to score the final Dartford goal in a 3-1 win!

In-between the recent league games, a young and inexperienced Dartford side succumbed to defeat in the London Senior Cup. After edging past the Metropolitan Police in the previous round, the Darts faced a strong Haringey Borough a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, despite Marvin Herschel’s excellent opener, the visitors managed to turn the game around before controlling the second-half to go through to the next round with a deserved 2-1 win. The result means that the Darts no longer must deal with the healthy distraction of cup competitions, so can now put all their efforts towards securing promotion to the National League.

Meanwhile, Connor Dymond’s Dartford FC Women’s side have also experienced a mixed bag of results during the past month. Their league form has become more consistent in recent weeks, as they continue to prove to be competitive in the London & South-East Regional Women’s Premier League. Recent fixtures saw Lizzie Adams and Co smash five goals past Fulham, only to then be a little unfortunate to lose 2-0 at Worthing.

However, the ladies’ defence of the League Cup continues to gather momentum after they put on a superb display at Northolt at the beginning of March. Emily Vaughan bagged four goals and Paris Smith also bagged a hat-trick, while Nicha Dyett and Shauni Griffiths both netted twice in an emphatic 11-0 victory over Benfica London Ladies. The result ensures that Lizzie Adams and Co will once again play in the League Cup Final, so be sure to look out for the fixture and go along and show your support to the team!

Finally, with that being said, please do continue to show your excellent support to Tom Bonner and Co. Your support is of paramount importance to the success of this wonderful football club and it never goes unnoticed.

As always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading.