WALKING WITH THE DARTS by Chris Palmer,
Mens team photos by Carol White-Griffiths, Womens` Taur Everard
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.
crowds had the stadium rocking despite the cold weather that we’re all used to at this time of the year. Both results ensured that the Darts’ unbeaten home run increases to an amazing seventeen games in all competitions. Meanwhile, having lost just four times on the road in the league, the Darts returned to winning ways with two excellent victories at Tonbridge Angels and Havant & Waterlooville recently. And, despite this week’s trip to Hungerford Town being postponed due to the bad weather, the Darts have pulled themselves back into contention at the top end of the National League South table. With games coming thick and fast as we approach the final stages of the season, it’s going to be a nervous, yet exciting couple of months for everyone involved. Not to mention the small matter of the Kent Senior Cup, which sees us begin our defence of the trophy by hosting Dover Athletic.
Since last speaking with you all, I’m sad to report that Dartford fell to defeat in the Buildbase FA Trophy against an extremely difficult Needham Market side in Suffolk. There was very little to choose between the two sides over the course of ninety minutes, but a 76th minute penalty in favour of the Southern League Premier Central Division Marketman proved to be enough to send them through to the Quarter Finals stage at the expense of the Darts. However, I’m delighted to say that (at the time of writing) Steve King’s men have found a rich vein of form in the National League South, having registered four straight wins against tough opposition. This included hard-fought victories over local rivals Ebbsfleet and Welling United at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park, where bumper
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The last month has also seen some activity in the transfer market with several players arriving and leaving the football club. We sadly said goodbye to influential midfielder Noor Husin (Southend United) and long-serving defender Ronnie Vint (Dulwich Hamlet), while Dan Roberts (Carshalton) and Luke Wanadio (Folkestone Invicta) have gone out on loan for a month to gain minutes and match fitness. However, Ody Alfie (on loan from QPR), Marcus Dinanga (on loan from Altrincham), Che Krabbendam (signed from St Albans City), and Junior Tiensia (on loan from Millwall) have arrived and will surely add even more quality to Steve King’s side. Connor Dymond’s Dartford Women’s side, meanwhile, are still flying high in second place in the London & South East Regional Women’s League table. Having fallen to a 2-0 defeat away at league leaders Ashford Middlesex WFC at the
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