Dartford 1-1 St Albans City (2-4 pens) - The best goalkeeping display for years - Burman

In an enthralling game, Dartford struck the woodwork twice in normal time and had a goal ruled out in the first period of extra time.

However, the Ryman Premier League hosts came across a goalkeeper who was playing the game of his life.

After in-form St Albans City, a side that have picked up 22 points from their last eight games in Blue Square South, opened the scoring after 33 minutes, albeit against the run of play, through James Quilter’s quality finish, the Darts went on to batter their opponents, with pacy players Cody McDonald and substitute Ryan Hayes excellent.

And when Bastock was finally beaten, with twelve minutes left through Rob Haworth’s thumping header, it was what the Kent side deserved as if this was a boxing fight the referee would have put the Saints out of their misery long before that.

But lady luck deserted the rampant Kent side as Bastock’s heroics ensured the game went to penalties and after substitutes Steve Butterworth and Hayes missed for Dartford, Jonathan Hunt was St Albans’ hero, rolling the ninth penalty into the bottom right-hand corner to complete the robbery on this cold night with a 4-2 victory on penalties.

Dartford, a side that on this performance are much better than their position in the bottom six in the Ryman Premier League table, kept faith with the same squad that came away from Clarence Park with a goal-less draw on Saturday.

And with a passionate Princes Park crowd behind them - something that manager Tony Burman wanted - the home side were completely up for the challenge as they were clearly the better side against a St Albans City side that didn’t know what hit them.

The Darts made their intentions known early on as Bastock made the first of numerous saves, getting down low to prevent Lee Noble from scoring with a right-footed drive from thirty-yards.

Dartford goalkeeper, Andrew Young, who didn’t save a penalty in the shoot-out, was called into action after 12 minutes.

Paul Hakim was released down the left, under the watchful eye of Dartford’s right-back Tommy Osborne, before the striker sprayed the ball to the impressive right-winger Hassan Sulaiman, who drilled an angled right-footed shot from sixteen-yards, which was comfortably saved by the former Bishop’s Stortford goalkeeper at his near post.

Exactly sixty seconds later, poor defending gifted McDonald an excellent chance to break the deadlock, drilling an angled left-footed shot across Bastock, but unfortunately for Dartford, past the far post.

It was a good start by the Darts, but another good chance went begging when big-target man Haworth met Jamie Day’s cross from the left with a powerful header, which cleared the crossbar from six-yards at the far post.

Dartford then turned defence into attack swiftly when Danny Dafter made a fine sliding tackle on the edge of his penalty area before a quick ball forward sent McDonald on his way.

McDonald then found Noble, but his right-footed shot went straight down Bastock’s throat.

So it was a surprise when St Albans City took the lead, against the run of play, after 33 minutes.

Hunt played a diagonal pass to the impressive Sulaiman, who cut inside and his cut-back was met by a clinical right-footed swept shot from Quilter, finding the bottom left-hand corner, which silenced the home faithful.

But Dartford picked themselves up from that set-back and a fine whipped in cross from Osborne saw McDonald rise above right-back James Fisher, only to glance his header wide.

St Albans almost grabbed a second in the 40^th minute when a skilful quick run from Sulaiman saw him cross for Quilter to head down and wide of the left-hand post.

And on the stroke of half-time, Day released McDonald down the left and the pacy striker was denied by a combination of the onrushing Bastock and a wicked ricochet that bounced off both players before looping into the terracing.

But the 56^th minute introduction of right-winger Hayes sent shivers down Saints’ spine as his pace tore them to shreds after the visitors had a couple of chances to kill the game off.

Noble held up Gary Cohen, who managed to keep the ball in as the ball rolled down the right touchline before whipping in a cross, which bounced off Osborne’s head, before Hunt’s far post volley bounced just wide.

Young was called into action following Saints’ third corner of the game, tipping over Luke Thurlbourne’s right-footed half-volley from a central position from 22-yards with 66 minutes on the clock - a rare attempt on goal.

Dartford’s first piece of cruel luck followed a minute later when McDonald’s turn of pace saw him burst through the Saints’ defence and his angled shot floated agonisingly against the foot of the far post.

The same player was then thwarted by Bastock before the woodwork saved Saints for a second time, almost immediately after Scott Cousins entered the fray to a chorus of boos from the home fans.

Day took a quick free-kick to play the ball to his left and unmarked left-back Adam Gross, cracked a fierce left-footed drive from 25-yards, which agonisingly crashed off the underside off the crossbar before bouncing down to safety.

But Dartford were not to be denied and they thoroughly levelled proceedings with 12 minutes left, courtesy of Haworth’s seventh and most important goal for the club.

Hayes teased the St Albans defence and whipped in one of his trade-mark crosses and this was met by a thumping header from Haworth from six-yards, which gave Bastock no chance.

With St Albans hanging on, brave goalkeeping from Bastock prevented McDonald scoring after his electrifying run through on goal.

Day then drove a shot into the goalkeeper’s grateful arms following McDonald’s cut back from the right, when the former Welling United midfielder should have scored.

However, a stunning match saving double save from Bastock kept St Albans in the tie with four minutes remaining, saving McDonald’s shot and then Day’s follow up when he was destined to score the winner.

The excellent Bastock - clearly man-of-the-match - made another stunning - and vital - save to prevent McDonald scoring as the game entered time added on.

Haworth then sent a towering header over the bar but St Albans City escaped to take this enthralling game into extra time.

Thanks to Bastock’s one-man show, the game went into extra time, and McDonald’s 25-yard drive inside the first 22 seconds of extra time wasn’t going to beat the yellow brick wall of Bastock.

St Albans’ central defender, Ben Martin’s towering header, following Hunt’s corner from the left, brought some respite for the Hertfordshire side, Young thankful that the ball went straight to him.

But Dartford were denied what appeared to be the deserved winning goal with 96 minutes on the clock.

Bastock jumped up to collect the ball under McDonald’s challenge, dropping the ball at the striker’s feet, who backheeled the ball into the empty net but referee Mr Chris Francis halted celebrations awarding the battered visitors’ a free-kick.

Bastock then made his second excellent double save, preventing McDonald and then Haworth’s follow up shot from an acute angle as Dartford went for the kill.

With the winning goal surely imminent, Day, racing through the tired visitors’ defence, rolled his angled shot agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

And with four minutes left, Day was denied by hero Bastock, as St Albans, somehow, took the game to penalties, although Hunt almost grabbed victory late on, drilling his shot across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

St Albans’ substitute Gray stepped up to beat Young with a right-footed spot-kick, which found the middle left-hand corner, but when Butterworth skied his right-footed spot kick, Dartford had it all to do.

Young got a hand to James Fisher’s spot kick, but the Dartford goalkeeper couldn’t prevent the ball rocketing into the roof of the net, giving lucky St Albans a 2-0 advantage.

Dartford’s man-of-the-match Day, however, gave the Kent side hope as he rolled the ball into the bottom corner, sending Bastock the wrong way.

Cousins then made it 3-1 for St Albans, ignoring the boos, to slam his left-footed spot-kick into the roof of the net, above Young, who stayed in the middle of the goal.

Osborne, who has yet scored a goal in open play for the Darts, pulled the shoot-out back to 3-2, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

And when Quilter’s right-footed spot kick bounced off the left-hand post, Dartford were destined to claw themselves back into the game.

But Hayes, who was excellent during the game, could only look on in horror as his left-footed strike agonisingly crashed off the top of the right-hand post and St Albans City mugged Dartford a trip to Blue Square Premier side Stevenage Borough on 13^th December when Hunt’s left-footed penalty rolled into the corner, with Young going the other way.

“The FA Trophy is over for us this year, but it wasn’t for the want of trying,” said proud Dartford boss Tony Burman, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after his heroes' took higher league opponents all the way.

“I was going to change things for the start of the game, but in the end decided to keep it as it was.

“We knew St Albans would play better than they did on Saturday so we wanted to keep things tight, which we did.”

Burman paid tribute to Bastock for his heroic display that kept St Albans in the competition.

He said: “We were playing too much of the long ball, which was going straight down the centre back’s throats.

“Once we got the goal back we absolutely tore them apart and their goalkeeper; it’s probably the best goalkeeping display I’ve seen for years.

“He might be 42 (Bastock's real age is 38) but he’s made some outstanding saves and played like an eighteen-year-old. He’s been diving about and making double saves.

“It is disappointing because I thought we could progress to the next round and certainly once we scored our goal we could have gone through without extra time and definitely without penalties.

“I’m really choked for the players because they have put a lot of effort in. The supporters have given everything and we’ve come away from nothing.

"He’s had a great, great night. We had a goal disallowed, which was controversial and we hit the bar twice and you start to winder how the ball hasn’t gone in.

“It’s disappointing to go out on penalties when we’ve played so well.”

Dartford: Andrew Young, Tommy Osborne, Adam Gross, Adam Flanagan (Seun Eferakorho 99), Jamie Coyle, Danny Dafter, James White (Ryan Hayes 56), Jamie Day, Rob Haworth (Steve Butterworth 113), Cody McDonald, Lee Noble.
Subs: Brendon Cass, Daren Ibrahim.

Goal: Rob Haworth 78

Booked: Lee Noble 71

St Albans City: Paul Bastock, James Fisher, Adam Everitt, Luke Thurlbourne, Ben Martin, Ryan Frater, Hassan Suleiman (Bradley Gray 64), James Quilter, Gary Cohen (Scott Cousins 74), Paul Hakim (Simon Martin 45), Jonathan Hunt.
Subs: Austin Byfield, Sam Hurrell.

Goal: James Quilter 33

Booked: Luke Thurlbourne 54

Attendance: 542
Referee: Mr Chris Francis (Little Downham, Nr Ely, Cambridgeshire)
Assistants: Mr Ian Fissenden (Gillingham, Kent) & Mr Rob Baker (Maidstone, Kent)