Tag: Dover Athletic

Dartford host their first Kent derby of the season when Dover Athletic visit Princes Park this weekend.

An outstanding record in Kent derbies last term earned the Darts an impressive 22 points. Alan Dowson led his side to seven league victories against local rivals, only dropping points in the draw at Welling United. Meanwhile Dover Athletic failed to notch a single derby day win last term, two of those defeats against the Darts.

Unbeaten in the league at Princes Park against Dover Athletic for 15 years, Dartford have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture. The most recent was back in April when the Darts secured the double over the Whites. Harvey Bradbury helped Dartford on their way after just five minutes. The striker capitalised on a defensive mix up to score and had the ball in the back of the net again moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Dover Athletic gained control and before the first-half was out Jordan Higgs equalised. The Darts got to grips with proceedings in the second-half and with seven minutes remaining substitute Luke Allen finished superbly to win it for the hosts.

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In the previous meeting at the Crabble, the Darts won 3-1 with all the goals coming in the first-half. Midfielder, Samir Carruthers scored the first of three goals in an 18-minute spell to put the Darts in command. Coulson assisted Carruthers for the first goal and scored the second. Maxwell Statham made it three before a lapse of concentration just before half-time let Dover Athletic back in the game. A controlled second half from Dartford saw the score unchanged and three points secured.

The Darts are looking for a first home win of the campaign after drawing their opening three from winning positions. Bath City pegged Dartford back twice in a 3-3 draw, whilst Hampton and Richmond Borough and Farnborough equalised to leave the Darts sharing the points. Dowson had to contend with the absence of Paul Rooney for the opening three games. The summer signing returned to make his debut at Farnborough. Brandon Barzey began his Dartford career brightly, but he was sent off against Hampton and Richmond Borough and gave away the penalty in the last home match. The winger missed the weekend trip to Aveley through suspension.

Dowson tweaked the forward line on the weekend preferring to play two up front. Therefore Lewis Manor was given his first start and teamed up with Harvey Bradbury. The only other change saw Baris Altintop in for Maxwell Statham. Meanwhile, winger Brandon Barzey sat out through suspension. Sam Odaudu (hamstring) and Luke Allen were other noticeable absentees, Charlie Sheringham came on to make his 150th Dartford appearance.

New loan signing from Barnet, Moussa Diarra was named on bench and took no part in Saturday’s victory. The defender will have to wait a bit longer to make his debut. The 33-year-old joins from the National League side until January and has previously played under Dowson at Woking as well as Hampton and Richmond Borough. If selected on Bank Holiday Monday he will face one of his former clubs having spent time at Dover Athletic during the 2018/19 season where he made 20 appearances.

Dartford had enough chances in the first-half, but Aveley came closest when they hit the crossbar from a free kick. In the second-half the Darts persisted and when a penalty decision was overturned and a goalmouth scramble wasn’t converted, it felt like it was going to be another one of those days for the Darts.

Late goals had become a thorn in Dartford’s side, but it was their turn to profit. In the fifth minute of added time Bradbury headed the winner to grab a first win of the season for the Darts and a first clean sheet for goalkeeper, Mitch Beeney. Victory doubled Dartford’s points tally for the season, a point ahead of Dover Athletic.

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On the weekend, the Whites went down to league leaders Worthing. Manager, Mitch Brundle made two changes to the side that drew with Braintree Town a week earlier. New signing Dontai Stewart went straight into the starting lineup to make his debut. Whilst Iffy Allen returned from injury, the pair replacing Nick Dembele and Luke Baptiste. Dover Athletic fell behind on eight minutes when Nicky Wheeler hit a long range shot beyond Billy Terrell. The Whites were still in the game, but with eight minutes remaining Reece Meekums found space inside the box and slotted in to double the Rebels lead.

The Whites had a difficult summer which saw players make u-turns and an assistant manager change his mind. Dover Athletic avoided relegation last season on goal difference adding to the challenge presented to Brundle ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

On the opening day, Dover Athletic fought back from two down inside 20 minutes to draw 2-2 against league favourites Torquay United. An injury time winner by Baptiste earned the Whites their first win on their travels when they beat Slough Town 2-1. However, the Kent derby trend continued in the following match when Brundle’s side lost 1-0 at Tonbridge Angels. Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, Dover Athletic picked up another point in the 1-1 draw against Braintree Town before defeat at home to Worthing.

Current Form

Dartford (DLDDW)			Dover Athletic (DWLDL)
Aveley	A	1-0	Worthing	H	0-2
Farnborough	H	1-1	Braintree Town	H	1-1
Hampton & Richmond Borough	H	1-1	Tonbridge Angels	A	0-1
Weymouth	A	0-1	Slough Town	A	2-1
Bath City	H	3-3	Torquay United	H	2-2

Head to Head

Dartford wins: 16 / Dover Athletic wins: 11 / Draws: 12

Last Six Meetings

Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (10/04/2023 – National League)
Dover Athletic 1 – 3 Dartford (13/09/2022 – National South)
Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (08/03/2022 – Kent Senior Cup)
Dover Athletic 1 – 2 Dartford (13/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dartford 1 – 1 Dover Athletic (10/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dover Athletic 6 – 1 Dartford (17/01/2015 – National League)

Statistics

• Dartford have won six of the last eight league games against Dover Athletic (D1, L1). They have also won the last four matches in all competitions, a record run against the Whites.
• The Darts have won the last four league meetings against Dover Athletic at Princes Park with an aggregate score of 11-3
• Dartford’s three consecutive home draws from the start of a season is a record
• The Darts last drew four home games in a row back in 2016. Dartford drew their final two matches at Princes Park during the 2015/16 season, then their opening two of the next campaign

On This Day

A last minute Tyrique Hyde goal secured a 2-0 away win against Dulwich Hamlet on this day two years ago. Josh Hill had opened the scoring as early as the seventh minute. Hyde rounded off the match with a fine individual effort to double the lead. Dartford’s last home match on 28 August ended in a 1-0 defeat to East Thurrock United in 2017. After 18 years of waiting for a North West Kent league derby, the Darts drew 1-1 with Ebbsfleet United in 2010. Michael West headed the fleet in front, but Charlie Sheringham’s successful spot kick made sure the spoils were shared.

Dartford’s quest for securing a runner up spot continues this Easter Monday in their final home Kent derby of the season against rivals Dover Athletic.

In league competition, the Darts have fared extremely well in local derbies this term dropping just two points from their six so far and winning all three at Princes Park. In their last home game, Dartford bounced back from defeat with a resounding 4-0 victory over Dulwich Hamlet before travelling away to Eastbourne Borough on Good Friday. Dover Athletic look set to be playing National South football again next season, their last away trip saw the Whites end a four game losing streak before hosting Welling United.

Down in Sussex, the Darts fell to another away defeat in the league stretching their winless streak on the road to six. Yet it all looked good at by the end of the first half when Harvey Bradbury gave the Darts a 1-0 lead. The striker headed in his third goal for the club in four appearances. However the afternoon soon unravelled early in the second half when Eastbourne Borough scored twice in as many minutes. First Leone Gravata pounced to level, then Luke Pearce put the hosts ahead. The task was hard enough to mount a comeback after hat-trick hero from the Dulwich Hamlet win, Alex Wall was taken off in the first-half and things were to get worse at 2-1 down. Jernade Meade was already on a caution before another incident saw the defender pick up another resulting in his dismissals. To compound matters after Dowson had used up all his substitutes, Samir Carruthers was injured leaving the Darts with nine men. Early player news is that Wall has a calf strain, whilst Carruthers could be out for the rest of the season.

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Meanwhile, Dover Athletic kept a clean sheet on Good Friday but were unable to breach Welling United’s defence in a goalless Kent derby at the Crabble. The hosts enjoyed the better chances in a fairly even fixture which failed to produce any clear cut opportunities for either side. Although the draw followed up an excellent 3-1 away win at Braintree Town, the Whites have now failed to score in their last four home outings.

Back in September, the Darts won their first Kent derby of the campaign winning 3-1 at the Crabble. All the goals came before the break with the returning Samir Carruthers scoring a well-crafted opener. Luke Coulson was also back in the starting eleven on that Tuesday night and his selection was justified when he chipped in a second, the winger had already set up Carruthers for the first. A productive 18-minute spell ended when Maxwell Statham put Dartford out of sight. However, the hosts managed to pull one back through Luke Baptiste.

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Dartford have now won their last three against their opponents stretching back to December 2016. That game came in the first round of the F.A Trophy and after a 1-1 draw at Princes Park, in which Ronnie Vint equalised, the two sides faced each other again in a replay. Vint was at it again three days later at the Crabble scoring the leveller after Jim Stevenson had the hosts in front. This time the Darts managed to find a winner when Luke Wanadio curled home a low shot, the winger who had three spells with the Darts is now at Dover Athletic. Wanadio came close to reaching 100 Dartford appearances needing just one more game before leaving and scored 18 times for the club.

Last season, the Darts began their defence of the Kent Senior Cup against the Whites winning a second round tie in March 2022. Jordan Greenidge scored twice on his debut to send Dartford on their way and like this season Baptiste scored a consolation goal. Princes Park last hosted a league game versus Dover Athletic during the 2014/2015 National League campaign. Lining up against the Darts in September 2014 was central defensive pairing Connor Essam and Tom Bonner, whilst Tyrone Sterling was also in the starting eleven for the Whites.  

Essam had three loan and two permanent spells with Dover Athletic making 151 appearances for the club in total, chipping in with nine goals. Bonner was on loan at the Crabble between August 2014 and January 2015 and played 22 times for the Whites. Sterling is currently in his third spell at Dover Athletic and during the 2013/2014 campaign made 36 appearances in the National League for the Darts. To complete the list of former players Emmanuel Adebowale played just three times over a two-year period between 2017 and 2019 for Dover Athletic.

Head to Head

Dartford wins: 15 / Dover Athletic wins: 11 / Draws: 12

Current League Form

Dartford (LDWLWL)			Dover Athletic (LLLLWD)
Eastbourne Borough	A	1-2	Welling United	H	0-0
Dulwich Hamlet	H	4-0	Braintree Town	A	3-1
Chelmsford City	H	1-2	St Albans City	A	0-1
Farnborough	H	3-1	Hampton & Richmond	H	0-3
Hungerford Town	A	1-1	Chippenham Town	A	1-3
Weymouth	A	1-3	Cheshunt	H	0-3

Last Six Meetings

Dover Athletic 1 – 3 Dartford (13/09/2022 – National South)
Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (08/03/2022 – Kent Senior Cup)
Dover Athletic 1 – 2 Dartford (13/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dartford 1 – 1 Dover Athletic (10/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dover Athletic 6 – 1 Dartford (17/01/2015 – National League)
Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (16/09/2014 – National League)

Statistics

• Dartford have lost just once in the league at home versus Dover Athletic (W4, D4)
• The Darts have won the last three league games at home against the Whites with an aggregate score of 9-2
• Tom Bonner has now made 450 Dartford appearances (447 starts, 3 substitute appearances and 19 goals)
• Dartford have gained the most points in Kent derbies this season, Dover Athletic have picked up the fewest

	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Dartford	6	5	1	0	20	5	16
Tonbridge	7	3	1	3	10	8	10
Welling	7	2	4	1	8	10	10
Ebbsfleet	7	2	2	3	9	13	8
Dover	7	0	2	5	4	15	2

On This Day

Dartford clinched the Isthmian Premier League title to return to the second tier of non-league football on this day in 2010. Travelling across to Surrey to take on second place Kingstonian, the Darts were in jubilant mood after a memorable 6-2 win. A team goal had Dartford in front when Adam Gross, Ryan Hayes, Billy Burgess linked up before his cross was finished by Elliot Bradbrook. Eight minutes later Hayes rifled home an effort from 25 yards before Kingstonian’s Simon Huckle halved the deficit. The Darts went into the break with a 3-1 lead once Danny Harris headed in another. The goals kept coming and Bradbrook scored into an empty net for his second, then once more the K’s pulled one back courtesy of the eventual golden boot winner Bobby Traynor. The soon to be champions added further gloss to a perfect afternoon when Hayes completed his brace and Dartford’s top scorer Lee Burns made it 6-2. The Darts have won their last four games on this day, defeating King’s Lynn 1-0 in 2004 before the title clincher at Kingsmeadow. At Princes Park in 2014, Dartford beat Grimsby Town with Max Cornhill scoring the only goal of the game. Another four years later, Dartford repeated the same score at Gloucester City, this time Alfie Pavey netting the winner.

Dartford’s first Kent derby takes place on Tuesday night when they travel to the Crabble and take on Dover Athletic.

After a weekend of national mourning the National South restarts with Dartford hoping to get back to winning ways. Avoiding defeat will keep the Darts ahead of their Kent rivals in the league as just a couple of points and two places separate the pair.

In their last outing over a week ago against Chippenham Town, Alan Dowson made two changes to the side that won 2-0 at Hemel Hempstead Town on Bank Holiday Monday bringing in Luke Allen and Dan Roberts to replace Luke Coulson and Samir Carruthers. It was Carruthers who scored a brace at Hemel Hempstead Town, but the midfielder picked up a knock and wasn’t named in the starting line-up. However, the midfielder should be back available and with goalkeeper Dan Wilks returning to training and Davide Rodari fit again, the Darts are almost back to full strength. Sam Odaudu is recovering from surgery on his mouth, but Dowson has brought in AFC Wimbledon youngster Kwaku Frimpong on loan.

Three defenders combined for the opening goal against the Bluebirds with Connor Essam sending in a cross to Tom Bonner who headed across goal for Maxwell Statham to nod in his first for the club. All was going well heading for the interval until Alefe Santos won a dubious penalty, then just about scored it. Goalkeeper, Joe Young spilt the ball before scrambling back to make a save, the match official decided the ball had crossed the line despite Dartford’s protests. With the points looking like they will be shared the hosts won a free-kick in the final minute, Jordan Young scored to win the match for Chippenham Town.

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Tom Bonner, Conor Essam and Dover Athletic’s Luke Wanadio and Tyrone Sterling will know all about this rivalry having played in this fixture previously for both teams. The Darts travel down to the coast for a first league meeting at the Crabble in almost eight years and last time it was a day to forget, Dartford were heavily beaten 6-1 in the National League. Nicky Deverdics’ early header put Dover Athletic ahead, but Harry Crawford poked home to level. Richard Orlu restored the lead and Tom Murphy netted his first of the afternoon. Liam Bellamy netted a fourth, Barry Cogan from a penalty made it five and Murphy completed his brace in a convincing home win.

However, since then the Darts are unbeaten against the Whites and in that same season, they did win the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign at Princes Park. Bonner, Essam and Sterling were all lining up against the Darts, whilst Luke Wanadio scored the winner against his future employers. Yet it was Dartford goalkeeper, Jason Brown who turned out to be the real match winner. His penalty save in second-half injury time preserved Dartford’s lead in a 2-1 victory. Earlier, Tom Bradbrook put the hosts in front before Ricky Miller equalised for Dover Athletic from the spot. Wanadio put Dartford back in front, then Brown’s heroics kept the score at 2-1.

Since those league meetings the two sides have met three times in cup competitions with Dartford coming out on top. The 2016 F.A Trophy tie needed a replay after Ronnie Vint levelled for the Darts in the first match. The defender equalised again in the rematch at the Crabble and once again Wanadio found a winner. Another 2-1 win came Dartford’s way last season in the Kent Senior Cup setting them on their journey to the final, which they won. Jordan Greenidge scored a double on debut with Luke Baptiste grabbing a consolation for the Whites.

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Wanadio is now playing alongside Alfie Pavey and Tyrone Sterling in the Dover Athletic team. The tricky winger had three spells with the Darts turning out 99 times and scoring 18 goals. Pavey also had a number of stints at Dartford, his most successful being the 2017/2018 campaign when he claimed 27 goals. In defence, Sterling was part of the 2013/2014 squad and he represented Dartford 36 times registering one goal.

Dover Athletic have lost their last two league games conceding three on each occasion. The Kent derby defeat to early pace setters Ebbsfleet United was followed by a 3-1 reverse at Eastbourne Borough. Wanadio scored Dover Athletic’s goal equalising after the Sports led through Chris Whelpdale. Two goals by Jake Hutchinson pulled the Sussex club clear as the hosts won 3-1. In the Kent derby, Fleet’s Dominic Poleon came back to haunt his former club with a brace and Rakish Bingham also found the back of the Dover net.

The Whites have lost four of their last five, but breaking up the run of defeats Hessenthaler’s side did beat Hemel Hempstead Town 4-0 at the Crabble. Goals from Jake Goodman, Jordan Higgs, Noah Carney and Luke Baptiste confirmed Dover Athletic’s second win of the season, the other was a 1-0 triumph at home to Hungerford Town.

Head to Head

Dartford wins: 14 / Dover Athletic wins: 11 / Draws: 12

Current League Form

Dartford (WLLLWL)			Dover Athletic (WLLWLL)
Chippenham Town	A	1-2	Eastbourne Borough	A	1-3
Hemel Hempstead Town	A	2-0	Ebbsfleet United	A	0-3
Worthing	H	1-2	Hemel Hempstead Town	H	4-0
Taunton Town	A	1-2	Havant and Waterlooville	A	2-4
Havant and Waterlooville	H	1-2	Tonbridge Angels	H	1-2
Cheshunt	H	2-1	Hungerford Town	H	1-0

Last Six Meetings

Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (08/03/2022 – Kent Senior Cup)
Dover Athletic 1 – 2 Dartford (13/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dartford 1 – 1 Dover Athletic (10/12/2016 – F.A Trophy)
Dover Athletic 6 – 1 Dartford (17/01/2015 – National League)
Dartford 2 – 1 Dover Athletic (16/09/2014 – National League)
Dartford 0 – 3 Dover Athletic (04/03/2014 – Kent Senior Cup)

Statistics

• Dartford are unbeaten in three games against Dover Athletic, all of them cup ties (W2, L1)
• The Darts have only won twice in the league at the Crabble in 1991 and 2010 (D4, L3)
• Dartford’s last league trip to the Crabble was their joint heaviest defeat against Dover Athletic (lost 6-1 away in 2015 and at home in 2002).

On This Day

Tom Bonner and Luke Wanadio were involved in Dartford’s 2-0 win over Margate on this day in 2016. Substitute Andy Pugh pounced from close range to open the scoring with skipper Elliot Bradbrook adding the second from the spot two minutes from the end. A year earlier, the Darts left it late again with a 2-1 victory over Weston-super-Mare. They trailed to Dayle Grubb’s goal with 88 minutes on the clock but substitute Danny Harris levelled the scores before a Clayton Fortune own goal handed Dartford all three points. Also on this day, Dartford progressed in the F.A Cup to the second qualifying round in 1980 with a 4-1 win over Saffron Walden Town, in 1997 by beating Herne Bay 2-1 and most recently in 2008 against Hastings United. Goalkeeper, Deren Ibrahim made his debut against the Sussex club, Brandon Cass opened the scoring and from 2-1 down the Darts won 3-2 after Steve Butterworth and Danny Dafter scored.