The Darts return to Princes Park this weekend when they take on Lewes in the Isthmian Premier.
Dartford have hit the road of late with three consecutive away days. Now Adrian Pennock’s side are hoping to extend their unbeaten run on home soil to six games. Five points from a playoff place, the Darts know a victory will keep the pressure on those above them.
Lewes look set for another campaign in the Isthmian Premier and will want to finish as high up the standings as possible. The Rooks travel to Kent after a much needed win last weekend, their first in nine matches.
Jones at the Double
Following a 1-0 triumph at Cheshunt last midweek, the Darts made the short trip to league leaders Folkestone Invicta on Saturday. Pennock named an unchanged side and in isolation picked up an excellent point. However, results elsewhere mean Dartford have fallen further behind the top five with seven games remaining.
Callum Jones scored his first goal in ten appearances when he profited from Dan Smith’s saved effort. Within eight minutes Invicta were level after on loan debutante Nathan Paul-Lavaly equalised. It didn’t take long for the Darts to regain their advantage and it was Jones with a curling shot that did the trick. Folkestone Invicta are top of the table for a reason and in the second half they had the chance to make it all square from the spot. Former Invicta goalkeeper, Jonny Henly kept out Jake Hutchinson’s penalty, but moments later Henly couldn’t keep Joe Pigott at bay.
Playoff Race
Dartford have now lost just once in their last six and at Princes Park in the league they have only lost twice all season. At home, the Darts have taken 13 points from the last 15 available and with two consecutive fixtures on their own patch, Pennock’s side will be determined to cash in.
Above them in the table occupying the final playoff place is Billericay Town, who have a five point cushion. However, Dartford are also being hunted down by Burgess Hill Town in seventh and Cray Wanderers in eighth.
| Position | Team | Pts | GD |
| 4 | Chatham Town | 66 | +36 |
| 5 | Billericay Town | 63 | +23 |
| 6 | DARTFORD | 58 | +12 |
| 7 | Burgess Hill Town | 58 | +1 |
| 8 | Cray Wanderers | 55 | +6 |
Youngsters Make Impact
In the two times Dartford have hosted Lewes they have a perfect home record and have yet to concede a goal at Princes Park. In the previous meeting on home soil the academy graduates took the plaudits in a 2-0 victory. After the Darts created plenty of chances in the first half, Olly Box finally made the breakthrough on the stroke of half time. Then just before an hour had been played George Whitefield doubled the lead. Lewes later had Ethan Kaiser sent off for a second yellow card.
Highlights courtesy of Dartford FC TV
That was the first time Lewes had visited Princes Park since 2011. Back then Danny Harris opened the scoring for Tony Burman’s Dartford side and Charlie Sheringham added two more in a 3-0 triumph.
Points Down the Pan
Earlier this season the Darts were beaten for a second season in a row at the Dripping Pan. Dartford were looking good in the closing stages to take home a point in Sussex, but conceded a 95th minute goal when Bobby Unwin netted the winner. Defeat ended an unbeaten run of four on a day the Darts lacked a cutting edge according to Pennock.
Highlights courtesy of LewesFCTV
Dartford will be hoping to end their two match losing streak against the Rooks having lost at the Dripping Pan just over a year ago. Michael Olarewaju scored what is still his only goal for the Darts when he equalised from Danny Bassett’s opener. Then late in the game Marcus Sablier grabbed a brace for Lewes as the Darts fell to a 3-1 loss.
Go West
Captained by former Dart, Tyler Christian-Law on the weekend, the Rooks beat Dulwich Hamlet 2-1. Devonte West made the difference with two first half goals for the Sussex side. Hamlet managed to pull one back via an own goal, but Lewes finally broke their winless streak to move into 14th place. Christian-Law started 13 games for the Darts last season and made a total of 42 appearances.
Tough Run
Lewes started out this season with Bradley Pritchard in charge and despite losing on the opening day they went on to win the next four. The Rooks couldn’t keep that kind of form going and after a terrible run of defeats in October the Sussex side made the managerial change. Craig Nelson returned to the dugout as the new boss.
Under Nelson’s guidance results had been mixed until recently. A loss at Billericay Town at the end of January was the start of a run in which the Rooks picked up a single point in eight outings. In that time Lewes have taken on four of the current top five. So the win last weekend was a welcome boost for the Sussex club as they look to push on for the remainder of the season.
Assistant Manager’s View
Roland Edge saw the point at Folkestone Invicta as a good result and was pleased with the forwards, he spoke to Dartford FC TV after the 2-2 draw and said: “It was really pleasing. I thought the boys up front caused them no end of trouble, they struggled to deal with them”.
Dartford’s assistant boss highlighted the difference between the league leaders and this current Dartford side, he explained: “The one thing that their side has more than us is composure because they have got people that have been there, seen it and done it”. He continued: “Ours are quite young, still learning their trade, but I thought they were fantastic and I think they’ve grown as players game by game”.
Edge still believes the Darts can break into the top five, but admits there can’t be many more slip ups, he added: “I think we’ve got a team good enough to get in the playoffs. Is it going to be difficult? Yes. Are we going to need to be impeccable? Pretty much I think. We will keep going to the very end and hopefully we will achieve what we want, but we’ll fight anyway”.
Interview courtesy of Dartford FC TV
Team News
Jacob Bland and Samir Carruthers remain out injured. Bland is expected to be on the sidelines for a couple more weeks as he recovers from a broken nose. Carruthers is waiting on a scan to see the severity of his knee injury.
Current League Form
| Dartford (DWWLWD) | Lewes (DLLLLW) | ||||
| Folkestone Invicta | A | 2-2 | Dulwich Hamlet | H | 2-1 |
| Cheshunt | A | 1-0 | Brentwood Town | A | 1-2 |
| Wingate & Finchley | A | 1-3 | Billericay Town | H | 0-3 |
| Ramsgate | H | 1-0 | Cray Valley Paper Mills | H | 0-1 |
| Welling United | A | 1-0 | Whitehawk | A | 1-3 |
| Cray Wanderers | H | 1-1 | Cheshunt | A | 0-0 |
Head to Head
Dartford wins: 3 / Lewes wins: 2 / Draws: 1
Previous Meetings
Lewes 1 – 0 Dartford (06/12/2025 – Isthmian Premier)
Lewes 3 – 1 Dartford (08/03/2025 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 2 – 0 Lewes (23/11/2024– Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 3 – 0 Lewes (26/03/2011 – National South)
Lewes 1 – 1 Dartford (30/10/2010 – National South)
Lewes 0 – 2 Dartford (15/01/1983 – F.A Trophy)
Statistics
- Last Saturday was the first time in seven matches in which Dartford scored more than one goal in a game, going back to the end of January against Brentwood Town.
- The Darts have the second best points per game at home in the division (2.17)
- Dartford have the second best home defence conceding 16 times in 17 matches. Lewes have the second worst away attack scoring 15 in 17 outings and have scored the second fewest (38) home and away.
On This Day
Dartford strolled to a comfortable 4-0 home win on this day against Margate in 2017. Two goals from captain Elliot Bradbrook helped the Darts secure three National South points. The midfielder headed in the first midway through the first half and the lead was doubled after the break through Luke Wanadio. A long range effort from Bradbrook made it three before Alfie Pavey finished off the scoring.
The Darts have only won three matches out of 14 on 21 March post second world war. In 1969 they beat Barry Town 2-1 in the Southern League Division One and in 1992 they defeated Moor Green 3-1 in the Southern Premier.
