The February issue of Dartford Living Magazine is out now. If you missed it, or are unable to get a copy, here is the latest instalment of Walking With The Darts:
Hello again, welcome to another edition of Walking With The Darts, a monthly update on all things related to Dartford FC, courtesy of Dartford Living Magazine.
Since my last piece in these pages, the Darts have been busy on the pitch and, at the time of writing, remain at the top of the National League South table.
The end to 2022 was celebrated with a superb performance at local rivals Ebbsfleet United on Boxing Day. Goals from Luke Allen, Luke Coulson, and Maxwell Statham in an eleven-minute spell saw the Darts shock their opponents before anyone had time to get comfortable. Alex Wall netted a fourth later in the first-half, before Ebbsfleet pulled a goal back before the break. Alan Dowson’s side weren’t to be denied though, as they controlled the game to win 4-1.
The New Year was then welcomed in with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Ebbsfleet at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park on New Year’s Day. Goals from Alex Wall, Malachi Napa, Charlie Sheringham, and Connor Essam secured the win and double over our rivals to put a six-point gap between the two sides at the top of the National League Table. In-between the two Kent sides sat Havant & Waterlooville, who at the time, had closed the gap to within five points of the Darts.
The double was then followed by a trip to newly promoted Cheshunt in appalling weather conditions. With the hosts hitting a rich run of form recently, it was expected that a tough fixture was on the cards, yet Tom Bonner and Co worked hard to secure a good 3-1 victory. In-form winger, Luke Coulson was once again on the scoresheet, as was skipper Tom Bonner, who put the icing on the cake after an own-goal by Rowan Liburd had set the Darts on the way to three valuable points.
Unfortunately, Dartford’s unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Hemel Hempstead. The rejuvenated Tudors proved to be a tough nut to crack, as they put on a solid display in front of the Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park faithful, eventually winning a tight contest by three goals to one.
As far as cup competitions are concerned, the adverse weather has played its part once again and our Kent Senior Cup defence at Ebbsfleet United was once again cancelled, as was our London Senior Cup tie against the Metropolitan Police. At the time of writing, a new date for the fixtures have yet to be announced, so keep an eye on the Dartford FC website and social media platforms for more news regarding those.
The squad has seen a few players leave the club recently. Loanees Davide Rodari and Joe Young have both returned to their parent clubs, while forward Dan Roberts has left for pastures new. We thank them all for their efforts while wearing the Dartford shirt and wish them well for the future.
Moving on to Connor Dymond’s Dartford FC Women squad, they returned to action last weekend (Sunday 15th January) after a quiet period off for the Christmas festivities. Unfortunately, Lizze Adams and Co’s return wasn’t a positive one, as they fell to a 5-3 defeat in the Kent Cup Semi-Final at the hands of Aylesford Ladies FC. Goals from Emily Vaughan and Shauni Griffiths, plus an Aylesford own-goal weren’t enough for the Darts on this occasion. However, they can now focus on their league form and, hopefully, get a good run going and climb the London & South East Regional Women’s League table.
As always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading.
By Chris Palmer