Dartford host league leaders Folkestone Invicta in an enticing Kent derby this weekend hoping to close the gap at the top.
The Darts have collected the most points at home in the division, whilst Invicta are number one in the away charts. Adrian Pennock’s side know victory will put them in a great position ahead of a tough fixture schedule this month.
Folkestone Invicta are flying at the moment, nine points clear at the summit and have won their last four games on the road. Jay Saunders has guided his team to eight consecutive victories in the league, winning a top of the table clash last time out.
Late Loss at Lewes
Dartford’s unbeaten run was brought to a last gasp end at the Dripping Pan. The Darts had put together a run of four matches without defeat before travelling to Sussex.
Adrian Pennock made two changes with Joe Tennent returning to replace the suspended Michael Olarewaju. The lack of fit strikers also meant there was no Dan Smith or Eddie Dsane, so Samir Carruthers took his place in the midfield. Full back Sam Odaudu was back in the squad and made a substitute appearance after being out through injury since mid-October.
A 95th minute winner from Bobby Unwin made sure the hosts came out on top in a closely fought game. Pennock felt his side lacked that cutting edge in front of goal, which ultimately cost his side.
Highlights courtesy of Lewes FC
Home Form Keeps Darts Challenging
Dartford’s home form is making sure they are hanging around the playoff places. The Darts finished last Saturday in fourth place, but by the time this weekend’s game comes around they could have dropped out.
At Princes Park, only Wingate and Finchley have gone home with maximum points and the Darts have scored in every league match on their own patch. Pennock’s side have won the last two home fixtures without conceding and will need to keep it tight at the back against a Folkestone Invicta side who have racked up 54 goals before the halfway point in the season.
Pennock told www.kentsportsnews.com last week that he thinks “the league is going to be tight behind Folkestone”. Although it’s hard to argue against his opinion, it’s down to Pennock to make sure the Darts remain in the playoff mix.
Bittersweet Draw
At the final whistle in this very fixture back in April, the Darts ended with mixed emotions. In the midst of a title race, Dartford went two down at Princes Park against Folkestone Invicta, drew 2-2 and results elsewhere meant somehow Pennock’s side extended their lead at the top by a point. Yet it still felt like two crucial points had been dropped.
Jon Henly was in goal for Invicta that day trying to prevent his current club from staying top of the league. However, it was Amadou Kassarate who stunned Princes Park with two first half goals and left the Darts with plenty of work to do.
It took Dartford an hour to finally break through the Invicta defence when George Whitefield pulled a goal back. With four minutes remaining Denzelle Olopade won a penalty and Carruthers kept his cool to level. In the final moments the Darts had an effort ruled out for offside, a close call that denied them a dramatic victory.
Highlights courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Jones Decides Outcome
Almost a year ago Dartford went to Cheriton Road and came home with all three points, Callum Jones scoring the decisive goal. In a scrappy contest their wasn’t much to write about, but in the end the Darts got what they wanted and at the time extended their unbeaten run to eleven matches.
Highlights courtesy of Invicta TV
Invicta Target Title
Preparation for this campaign started early for Folkestone Invicta. In fact it really began at the tail end of last term. Saunders was originally announced Invicta boss for 2025/2026, but his stint in charge was brought forward to see last season out. That allowed him to assess the squad and it wasn’t long after the season ended that wholesale changes were made.
The result is a title push and the prospect of reaching the National South for the first time since the non league pyramid was reformed. Should they be successful in achieving promotion, the club will be playing in step two for the first time since 2003, when they were relegated from the Southern Premier League after three years in the division.
Setting the Standard
Invicta went ten unbeaten to set a solid foundation and that included a 5-2 away victory at Aveley and a 6-0 home win versus Lewes. At the end of October, Hashtag United were and still are the only side to have beaten the league leaders. Since that loss Saunders’ side have won eight straight league games including the 8-1 thrashing of Cray Wanderers.
On Saturday, Folkestone Invicta claimed a statement win against their closest rivals Brentwood Town. The top two were separated by Ade Yusuff’s penalty to pull Invicta further clear. The forward could make a return to Princes Park having played six times under Pennock last season scoring once.
Another clean sheet means the Kent side have not conceded in their previous three games. Also featuring in last weekend’s triumph was Jack Jebb, who made 67 appearances for the Darts scoring nine and Adam Lovatt, who had a loan spell in 2022/2023 appearing five times.
Manager’s View
Pennock was pleased with last weekend’s defensive display, but felt the Darts didn’t make the most of attacking opportunities. He spoke to www.dartfordfc.com after the game and explained: “We had lots of good chances, but our decision making was poor in the final third. Either the pass was poor, or we didn’t shoot when we should have. We wanted to walk the ball in. That’s what messed us up. I thought we defended very well as a unit, but we had the chances to win and we weren’t at it.”
Looking towards this weekend’s Kent derby, the Dartford boss says Invicta deserve to be leading the division, he commented: “I’ve known Jay at Folkestone a long time so it will be good to see him. They are the league leaders on merit and I’m really looking forward to the game”.
For the full interview with Gareth Morgan click here
Team News
Michael Olarewaju was suspended last weekend due to picking up two red cards this season. Dan Smith is unlikely to feature against his former club due a hamstring issue. Eddie Dsane is back in training. Dan Carter has extended his loan spell and could be available, but is recovering from a minor injury. Dean Nayler remains out after his pre-season injury. Sam Smith is another who could face his former side on Saturday.
Current League Form
| Dartford (LWDWWL) | Folkestone Invicta (DWLLLDW) | ||||
| Lewes | A | 0-1 | Brentwood Town | H | 1-0 |
| Dulwich Hamlet | H | 1-0 | Chichester City | H | 3-0 |
| Whitehawk | A | 2-1 | Wingate & Finchley | A | 1-0 |
| Cray Valley PM | A | 1-1 | Cheshunt | A | 4-2 |
| Chichester City | H | 2-0 | Cray Wanderers | H | 8-1 |
| Billericay Town | A | 1-2 | Potters Bar Town | A | 3-0 |
Head to Head
Dartford wins: 8 / Folkestone Invicta wins: 10 / Draws: 5
Previous Meetings
Dartford 2 – 2 Folkestone Invicta (05/04/2025 – Isthmian Premier)
Folkestone Invicta 0 – 1 Dartford (21/12/2024 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 6 – 2 Folkestone Invicta (17/05/2022 – Kent Senior Cup Final)*
Dartford 4 – 0 Folkestone Invicta (25/02/2020 – Kent Senior Cup)
Folkestone Invicta 1 – 4 Dartford (07/12/2011 – Kent Senior Cup)
Dartford 2 – 2 Folkestone Invicta (12/09/2006 – Isthmian League Cup)**
* played at Chatham Town
** Dartford won 5-3 on penalties
Statistics
- Dartford are unbeaten in their last six against Folkestone Invicta in all competitions (W4, D2).
- In the league the Darts are winless in the last four at home against Folkestone Invicta (D1, L3).
- Dartford’s blank versus Lewes last weekend was their first in the Isthmian Premier in 18 games.
- Four of the top five goalscorers in the league play for either side. Dartford’s Olly Box has 11 goals and Eddie Dsane is on ten. Folkestone Invicta pair, Jake Hutchinson and Joe Piggot also have ten goals.
On This Day
Dartford caused a F.A Trophy first round upset to knock out Kent rivals Dover Athletic on this day in 2016. Ronnie Vint, whose goal took the tie to a replay days earlier, scored an equaliser after Jim Stevenson had Dover Athletic aheaad at the Crabble. On the stroke of half-time Luke Wanadio scored from 20 yards in the 2-1 win.
The Darts also beat Solihull Moors at the same stage of competition a couple of years earlier. The Bradbrook brother were on target in the 2-0 victory. Elliot scored from the penalty spot and Tom doubled the lead.
Dartford have failed to win a league game on this day since 1975, when they beat Dorchester Town 2-0 in the Southern League Division One South. Since then the Darts drew three in a row followed by three league defeats on the spin. The last home triumph in a league match on 13 December was back in 1958 against Guildford City, a 5-1 win in the Southern League South Eastern Division.
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