Dartford aim to reach the quarter final of the Kent Senior Cup when they host League One side Bromley on Tuesday night.
A place in the last eight is on offer and the Darts will be hoping to progress like they did in the F.A Trophy on the weekend. In the previous round of the competition Ben Greenhalgh made ten changes to the side.
It is likely the player manager will use the squad once again, which could include the long awaited return of Joe Tennent. The experienced central defender has been out since August after a cheekbone fracture in the Kent derby with Welling United.
Bromley are also expected to give their youngsters an opportunity. The Ravens are 22nd in League One and will no doubt be prioritising their status in the division. The six time Kent Senior Cup winners managed to reach the quarter final in their last two campaigns.
Fiddes is Back
Greenhalgh’s side needed a pick up on Saturday after consecutive league losses. Four defeats in five had swung momentum the wrong way after a near perfect September. So hanging onto a victory on the weekend to progress in the F.A Trophy was just the tonic. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing when a commanding three goal lead turned into a nervy finish against Three Bridges.
The late introduction of Vladimir Paternoster to the starting lineup benefitted the hosts when the defender opened the scoring. Top goalscorer, Max Fiddes was also recalled to the side and had a bigger impact by netting a brace. It looked as though the Darts were cruising through until Ade Adeyinka and Noel Leaighton set up a tense final 13 minutes.
Highlights courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Young Darts Paye
Adrian Pennock was in charge of the Darts when they last met Bromley two years ago. In the Kent Senior Cup second round the Ravens won 3-1 at Hayes Lane. The former Dartford boss used the competition to rotate the squad changing the whole lineup. A youthful Darts side were two down inside 13 minutes when Charlie Paye scored twice. George Whitefield halved the deficit, but Bromley’s under 21’s restored their two goal cushion courtesy of Emmanuel Deh.
Charlie Double, Brandon Brace
At the same stage a year earlier Dartford thrashed Bromley 5-1 at Princes Park. Charlie Sheringham and Brandon Barzey both bagged a couple of goals with Luke Allen getting in on the act as well.
Highlights courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Academy Shines
The Darts faced former manager Pennock in the previous round when they hosted Ramsgate. Both Lorenzo Duncan and Louis Atkins scored their first goal for the Darts in a 2-0 win.
Greenhalgh made ten changes to the lineup handing full debuts to academy players George Boulton and Maybin Calvert. Later in the cup tie Harvey Smith, Kane Stewart, Finley Williams and Fred Moore all came on as substitutes, adding to the names making their journey through Dartford’s youth set up.
Ravens Rise
Fourteen years ago the Darts were taking on Bromley in the National South. Now the gap between the pair is four divisions. Under the now departed Andy Woodman, the South London club added the League Two championship to their honours to accompany a National League playoff triumph and the F.A Trophy. The Ravens also won the National South prior Woodman’s successful time as boss.
This season Bromley are third from bottom with Byron Webster now the interim manager. In his first match in charge Webster guided the Ravens to a 1-1 draw with Peterborough United, ending a five game losing streak in all competitions.
Manager’s View
In tough weather conditions, the Darts didn’t find the F.A Trophy win as breezy as they would have hoped after going three goals up. Ben Greenhalgh spoke to Dartford FC TV after the game and said: “I thought we were brilliant for sixty minutes…we were sharp, I think there were good patterns of play”, he added: “In general it was getting back to winning ways that was important. There was a lot of positives to take and hopefully we can get a bit of a run together now”.
Interview courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Team News
Ben Greenhalgh is expecting Dan Smith to be available next week. Sam Odaudu was set to be captain on the weekend, but pulled out through injury. The defender is hoping to return as well and so is Adrian Gyamera. Vice captain, Joe Tennent has been back in training and has been given the all clear so could feature. Ben Swift is another who has been sidelined and currently regaining fitness.
Current Form
| DARTFORD (LLWLLW) | BROMLEY (LLLLLD) | ||||
| Three Bridges (FAT) | H | 3-2 | Peterborough United | H | 1-1 |
| Brentwood Town | A | 0-3 | Leicester City | H | 0-4 |
| AFC Whyteleafe | A | 1-2 | Stockport County | A | 0-1 |
| Wingate & Finchley | H | 2-1 | Mansfield Town | A | 1-2 |
| Ramsgate | H | 1-2 | Crawley Town (EFLT) | A | 0-4 |
| Tadley Calleva (FAC) | A | 1-2 | Brentford U21 (EFLT) | H | 0-1 |
FAC – F.A Cup / FAT – F.A Trophy / EFLT – EFL Trophy
Head to Head
Dartford wins: 26 / Bromley wins: 29 / Draws: 12
Previous Meeting
Bromley 2 – 3 Dartford (15/10/2024 – Kent Senior Cup)
Dartford 5 – 1 Bromley (28/11/2023 – Kent Senior Cup)
Bromley 3 – 4 Dartford (08/11/2014 – F.A Cup)
Dartford 4 – 2 Bromley (12/01/2013 – F.A Trophy)
Bromley 1 – 2 Dartford (09/04/2012 – National South)
Dartford 1 – 2 Bromley (29/10/2011 – F.A Cup)
Statistics
- The head to head record in the Kent Senior Cup between the two sides is all square. Dartford wins: 11 / Bromley wins: 11 / Draws: 5
- Dartford have won just two of the last seven Kent Senior Cup ties against Bromley including the 2011 final (L5)
- In all competitions, the Darts have lost just two of the previous eight fixtures versus the Ravens (W6)
- At home, Dartford have lost just once against Bromley in the last 11 outings in all competitions (W8, D2)
On This Day
Tom Bonner scored the winner against Chippenham Town on this day in 2020. Played behind closed doors during the Covid season, the Darts led through Moussa Bakayoko. The hosts levelled when Joe Hanks netted, but Bonner found the decisive goal with eight minutes to go.
Dartford made in 11 wins from 12 Isthmian Premier matches back in 2009 with a 4-1 victory over Ashford Town (Middlesex). The future title winners strolled to three points with four different scorers, Lee Noble, Ryan Hayes, Danny Harris and Jay May.
Two years earlier the Darts put four past Potters Bar Town with May on the scoresheet again. Brendon Cass, Junior Kadi and Tom Bradbrook also scored. Dartford went on to claim the Isthmian Division One North that season.
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