Dartford host Isthmian South Central runners up Westfield in the F.A Cup first qualifying round replay on Tuesday night.
Ben Greenhalgh’s first F.A Cup game as Darts boss ended all square on the weekend to take the tie back to Princes Park. The player manager will be hoping to progress to the next round and spark a long awaited cup run for the club.
Westfield will have other ideas and be aiming to cause an upset in Kent. The Field will equal a club record should they go through to the second qualifying round.
Still in the Cup
The Darts were trailing at the break and another upset was on the cards. In his 100th game for the club George Whitefield gave away the foul which led to the hosts taking the lead. James Roberts struck a wonderful free-kick leaving goalkeeper, Ryan Sandford with no chance. A better second half performance and another set piece was pivotal in keeping the visitors in the cup. Max Fiddes finished well to make sure Dartford get a second chance.
Defensive options were limited on Saturday meaning Greenhalgh had to shuffle his side. Five changes were made to the side that beat Chatham Town partly caused by Emmanuel Oke’s suspension and Ben Swift’s injury. Adrian Gyamera lined up in defence and Tyler Ibe made his first start. Greenhalgh and Brandon Davey returned to the midfield and Dan Smith up front.
Getting Results
The draw at Woking Park was Dartford’s first of the season having won four out of six league fixtures. The Kent side won their opening three Isthmian Premier games beating Three Bridges, Brentwood Town and Maldon and Tiptree along the way. Consecutive defeats to Welling United and Burgess Hill Town set the Darts back, but they overcame Chatham Town on Bank holiday to leave them fifth in the table.
Another Replay
Westfield have played as many cup matches as league games so far this season. The Surrey side opened their campaign with a draw against AFC Portchester, lost to Winchester City before beating Littlehampton Town. In the F.A Cup, the Field needed two attempts to get past Hassocks, then in the F.A Trophy they went out to Egham Town. Westfield avenged their trophy exit by beating the Sarnies in the league.
Assistant Manager’s View
Although Dartford’s second-half pressure after the equalising goal didn’t result in a win, Adam Flanagan is ‘pleased to still be in the draw’. The assistant manager drew on past experience whilst at Margate and told Dartford FC TV after Saturday’s game: “Previously at our other club we’ve been here a couple of times, so we knew this is a very difficult place to come and traditionally Dartford have struggled against teams lower down the pyramid”.
The squad showed flexibility as the defence needed reshuffling and Flanagan praised the back line as well as the substitutes, he commented: “I thought the defenders did really well”, he continued: “We’ve got lads that were playing wing back a few weeks ago playing right centre half and they’ve done really well. George (Whitefield) was good in the middle and he was our only established centre half”.
Interview courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Team News
Defender, Emmanuel Oke will return after serving his one match ban. Joe Tennent is out for the long term and Ben Swift will be unavailable through injury too.
Current Form
| DARTFORD (WWWLLW) | WESTFIELD (LWDWLW) | ||||
| Westfield (FAC) | A | 1-1 | Dartford (FAC) | H | 1-1 |
| Chatham Town | H | 1-0 | Egham Town | H | 4-0 |
| Burgess Hill Town | A | 1-2 | Egham Town (FAT) | A | 1-2 |
| Welling United | H | 0-3 | Hassocks (FAC) | A | 3-1 |
| Maldon & Tiptree | A | 2-1 | Hassocks (FAC) | H | 1-1 |
| Brentwood Town | H | 1-0 | Littlehampton Town | A | 3-1 |
FAC – F.A Cup / FAT – F.A Trophy
Head to Head
Dartford wins: 0 / Westfield wins: 0 / Draws: 1
Previous Meetings
Westfield 1 – 1 Dartford (05/09/2026 – F.A Cup)
Statistics
- The Darts have progressed from one of their last four F.A Cup replays beating Ebbsfleet United 1-0 in 2013
- Dartford’s exit at this stage last year was the first time in 19 years they failed to get beyond the first qualifying round
- Prior last season’s F.A Cup defeat, the Darts had progressed from their previous four first qualifying round ties, scoring 20 goals in those victories.
- Westfield have played in the first qualifying six times. The Field have progressed on two occasions, in 2022 and last year
On This Day
Dartford have played two F.A Cup ties on this day. After a 2-2 draw with Redhill, the Darts lost the replay 1-0 in 1981. Seventy years ago, Dartford drew a Kent derby against local rivals Gravesend and Northfleet. The preliminary round tie ended 2-2, before Dartford lost the replay. In the space of a fortnight, the two sides met four times having drawn each other in the Southern League Cup as well.
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