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 I last wrote in these pages, the football has been coming thick and fast, as Ady Pennock’s side has played three league games and two cup ties in four weeks.
The remainder of August saw the team travel to Carshalton Athletic, where a superb defensive display helped earn a 1-0 victory courtesy of Eddie Dsane’s first goal since his arrival.
That was then followed by an excellent attacking display in a 3-1 win over Chatham Town at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park on a beautiful Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. Eddie Dsane got on the scoreboard again, as did Callum Jones and Sam Odaudu that afternoon.
Unfortunately, Josh Hill and Co were humbled in another Kent derby in the latest league fixture, as Dover Athletic dealt out a 5-1 defeat at the Crabble in the opening game of September. The results mean that Ady Pennock’s team occupies fifth place in the Isthmian Premier League table, with twelve points from their opening six games.
Either side of that Dover defeat has seen the Darts in FA Cup action, as the qualifying rounds of the competition begin. Having brushed aside Marlow 6-2 in the 1st Round, Dartford then beat Leatherhead 2-0 to set up a 3rd Qualifying Round tie away at Worthing on the 28th of September. It’ll be a big test for Ady’s players, so do please attend and show the team your support.
Moving on, Connor Dymond and Martin McCarthy’s Dartford FC Women side are up and running now, despite having a couple of fixtures postponed recently.
You might recall that, last month, I wrote that the ladies narrowly lost their opening league game at Dorking Wanderers Women. Well, I’m pleased to say that they have bounce back in style with two big victories… an 8-0 thrashing of Newhaven Ladies FC and a 4-0 win over Millwall’s Lionesses.
The results mean that new captain Chana Hinds and her team currently occupy fifth place in the London & South-East Regional Women’s Football League table with six points from three games. They sit six points behind early leaders Dorking Wanderers Women, but have two games in hand and a superior goal difference.
Finally, the Dartford Academy fell at the first hurdle of the FA Youth Cup, after Erith Town knocked them out in the 1st Qualifying Round. In a thrilling encounter on a Monday evening (16th of September) which finished 3-3, the Darts were unlucky to lose out in the lottery of a penalty shootout, which finished 4-3 in favour of the visitors.
Please remember to keep an eye on all teams’ progress via our social media platforms and the official club website throughout the season. And as always, thank you for your continued support and thanks for reading.
By Chris Palmer