The race for an Isthmian Premier playoff place heats up this weekend as Dartford visit Chichester City in the penultimate game of the season.
Adrian Pennock’s side have just two matches to try and topple those above them and extend their campaign. Unbeaten in seven, the Darts are two points adrift of fifth place and one more slip up could be costly.
Chichester City are guaranteed Isthmian Premier football next term. The Sussex side can still finish inside the top ten, but they are winless in their previous three home matches.
Darts Find Form
Dartford are in the best form of their season with five wins and two draws during their current unbeaten run. The Darts have been more prolific in attack recently averaging four goals a game in their previous five outings.
Last weekend they hit already relegated Canvey Island for four. The comfortable victory preserved Dartford’s perfect away record against the Essex side in league meetings. Pennock’s team dominated from start to finish with Callum Jones opening the scoring on nine minutes. Olly Box was on the scoresheet again with his 17th goal of the season to give the Darts a two goal lead at the break. It took Jones six minutes into the second half to complete his brace and a fourth was added when Eddie Dsane slotted home.
The Darts have been on a roll since their 1-0 away win at Cheshunt just over a month ago. A decent draw on the road at champions Folkestone Invicta before brushing aside Lewes and Hashtag United back at Princes Park. The only slight blemish was conceding a last minute equaliser at Carshalton Athletic to start April. However, Dartford got through a crucial Kent derby versus Chatham Town before last weekend’s triumph.
How Can Dartford Stay in the Playoff Picture?
A Dartford win will take their chances to the final day.
A draw means the Darts will need Brentwood Town or Chatham Town to drop points in their games against already safe Cheshunt and relegated Potters Bar Town respectively.
A defeat for the Darts will require Brentwood Town to lose and realistically Chatham Town to be beaten too. Mathematically, a draw for Chatham Town will mean Pennock’s side can go level on points with the Chats on the final day, but the Darts will also need a 14 goal swing in their last two games.
Current Standings
| Position | Team | Pld | Pts | GD |
| 4 | Brentwood Town | 40 | 74 | +17 |
| 5 | Chatham Town | 40 | 73 | +41 |
| 6 | DARTFORD | 40 | 71 | +27 |
| 7 | Cray Wanderers | 40 | 67 | +11 |
Remaining Fixtures
|
Brentwood Town |
Chatham Town |
Dartford |
|
Cheshunt (A) – 13th |
Potters Bar (A) – 21st |
Chichester City (A) – 12th |
|
Chichester City (H) – 15th |
Lewes (H) – 15th |
Cray Valley (PM) (H) – 20th |
Smith’s Double
Dan Smith was the difference maker earlier in the season when the Darts hosted Chichester City. The striker’s calmness and hard work paid dividends in front of goal. First, he kept his cool after being put through on goal by Jez Pinder to put the Darts ahead. Then in the second half, Smith’s endeavour resulted in another goal. After closing goalkeeper Kieran MaGee down, all Smith had to do was tap the ball into an empty net.
Stalemates
Dartford’s only previous visit to Oaklands Park ended in a 2-2 draw with the Darts squandering a two goal lead. Box opened the scoring before an own goal from Ben Pashley. In the second half the hosts fought back to earn a point. First, Ethan Prichard started the comeback, then Isaac Bello equalised.
The only other time the two sides met was when Chichester City denied the Darts a club record. Dartford were bidding to set a run of 11 straight league wins, but the streak was ended in a 0-0 draw at Princes Park.
Highlights courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Potential Disruptors
Chichester City haven’t been able to replicate their debut campaign in the Isthmian Premier league when they took their playoff push to the final day. They lost out in the winner takes all match against Dover Athletic to finish three points shy of the top five. Although the Sussex club look set to finish mid-table, they could have a big say in this season’s playoff lineup. After this weekend’s fixture Chichester City finish the campaign away at fourth place Brentwood Town, who the Darts are aiming to chase down.
Last weekend, Chi condemned Potters Bar Town to relegation with a 1-0 win. Jimmy Wild netted the only goal of the game to end a run of three straight loses. The striker got on the end of Bello’s long throw to score the decider.
Assistant Manager’s View
Although Dartford cruised to a 4-0 win over Canvey Island on Saturday, Roland Edge described the match as tough due to the hardness of the pitch and the windy conditions. The assistant boss told Dartford FC TV: “I know we could have been out of sight by half time but the pitch, you had to be on it to believe it really”.
Despite the state of the playing surface he was pleased with how the team performed, he added: “The actual quality the boys played was very good”. Yet, Edge still feels there was room for improvement, especially in the first half, he commented: “The only thing was the boys chose wrong choices in their box. We went in 2-0, but realistically on the day that half deserved to be four or five. So we went in knowing we had a job to do in the second half”.
Now the goals are flowing, Edge has drawn experience from last season, he explained: “Points are vitally important but the goals. Last year it affected our run in, this year it’s great because the last few games we’ve topped that up, so that could be worth a point or two”.
Momentum has been growing over the past few weeks, but with two more challenges to go Edge is not expecting an easy ride, he described Chichester City as: “A very tough team, especially at home, they play the right way. They have got a good side, good players”, he continued: “We’ve just got to go to Chichester and perform again as good as we can and see where we end up”.
Interview courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Team News
Samir Carruthers and Dean Nayler will be out for the rest of the season. Denzelle Olopade and Sam Okoye picked up injuries last weekend, but will hopefully be available.
Current League Form
| Dartford (DWWDWW) | Chichester City (DWLLLW) | ||||
| Canvey Island | A | 4-0 | Potters Bar Town | A | 1-0 |
| Chatham Town | H | 3-2 | Burgess Hill Town | H | 0-2 |
| Carshalton Athletic | A | 2-2 | Welling United | A | 1-3 |
| Hashtag United | H | 7-0 | Ramsgate | H | 1-2 |
| Lewes | H | 4-1 | Cray Valley Paper Mills | A | 4-1 |
| Folkestone Invicta | A | 2-2 | St Albans City | H | 1-1 |
Head to Head
Dartford wins: 1 / Chichester City wins: 0 / Draws: 2
Previous Meetings
Dartford 2 – 0 Chichester City (15/11/2025 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 0 – 0 Chichester City (11/02/2025 – Isthmian Premier)
Chichester City 2 – 2 Dartford (26/11/2024 – Isthmian Premier)
Statistics
- Dartford are unbeaten against Chichester City after three previous meetings
- The Darts could go five unbeaten away games in the league for the first time this season
- Dartford have scored in each of their last 11 league games including in their last six away games
- Jez Pinder could make his 50th start for the club. The midfielder has made 86 appearances for the Darts, scoring 7 goals.
On This Day
Dartford set up a decisive Southern League Cup Final second leg on this day with a 1-1 home draw with Burton Albion in 1989. Defending that title, the Darts reached the halfway point level. A week later they went up to Burton and secured a 2-0 win to lift the cup again.
Last season, the Darts beat Kent rivals Dover Athletic 3-1 at Princes Park to keep their Isthmian Premier League title hops alive. Samir Carruthers, Denzelle Olopade and Josh Hill put the hosts in a commanding position before Dover’s Ruben Soares-Junior scored a consolation.
On the road, Dartford are winless in their last seven on 18 April, losing four in the league as well as two Kent Senior Cup semi-finals. The only league away point picked up in that time was the local derby versus Gravesend and Northfleet in 1992, a game that finished 1-1.
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