Dartford 1-2 Sittingbourne

Just as Sittingbourne found when they moved into Central Park having a magnificent stadium can be a two edged sword as visiting teams also get buoyed by the surroundings, writes Peter Pitts.

So this was probably just the game the Brickies needed to break their poor run of recent results as they played more like we know they can play.

This was despite leading scorer Andy Doerr and Clint Gooding missing the match through injury, and during the match Toby Ashmore, Lee Browning and Mark Lovell all were substituted because of injury.

A feature of the game was two superb free kicks, one for each side, that led to goals. Both kicks were almost identical being taken just outside the box and the scorers, Dave Martin for Dartford and Ricky Spiller for Sittingbourne, curled the ball beautifully round the keepers into the top corner of the net.

Both sides welcomed players playing their first league game for the clubs, Dartford have just secured the services of ex Brickie John Guest on loan from Welling in defence whilst Sittingbourne had youngster Hisham Akhazan come on a substitute and very well he did too.

Sittingbourne could have taken the lead after just 5 minutes but a Hockey corner was headed barely a foot wide by Lee Browning.

Instead it was the Darts who raced into the lead two minutes later from Martin's glorious free kick.

Dartford, playing with the gusty wind at their backs, took confidence from this early break-through whilst Sittingbourne struggled with their goal kicks which were being caught in the wind, and although the Princes Park pitch has a marvellous surface and drainage even that was having problems dealing with the amount of rain that had fallen overnight and the balls progress was being held up by the water as Sittingbourne attempted to clear their lines.

Steve Hafner was putting in some useful looking crosses for Dartford and a minute after the goal he shot narrowly wide of the far post.

However, it wasn't long before Sittingbourne got back to level terms, five minutes to be precise and the goal came courtesy of a Mitchell Sherwood cross that found Toby Ashmore who headed down to the lurking Hockey and Hockey fired through a ruck of players into the Darts net.

Another Hafner cross caused problems on 19 minutes, Steve Williams came out to punch but Brendon Cass beat him to it and headed narrowly over.

Dartford were now coming forward in numbers and good work by Darts Man of the match Martin saw him cut inside Joe Dowley and let fly with a looping shot that Williams did brilliantly to tip over the bar.

Cass was again involved on 32 minutes this time heading the ball to Jay May who had made space but his shot was weak and easily held by Williams.

Ricky Spiller had replaced the injured Ashmore and immediately got in the thick of things heading a number of dangerous looking balls away from the Brickies area but on 37 minutes he made an even bigger contribution with his spectacular free kick that curled round Kevin Hudson in the Darts goal and nestled in the net, and Sittingbourne had their noses in front.

Sittingbourne could have gone into the break even further ahead but Browning's shot bounced off a post and out to Jon Neal who crashed it back but this time the ball rebounded to safety off the crossbar.

Martin was ever dangerous and a minute into first half time injury time he fired just wide of the far post.

The second half started much more sedately and neither side made much early progress, the Darts trying a couple of long range efforts that were never going to trouble Williams.

On 70 minutes Sittingbourne made a further two enforced substitutions with Browning and Lovell being replaced by Kam Singh and Hisham Akhazan and their were worries that the experienced being replaced by the inexperienced may shift the balance of the game, but the two Brickies didn't let the side down, Akhazan, signed from Chatham Town, in particular looked very composed.

The Darts seemed to shift up a gear around the 75 minute mark but Sittingbourne's defence were playing magnificently and if they weren't blocking shots they were nicking the ball off the Darts attackers boots.

On 88 minutes Williams did well to punch out a free kick then he got in the way of a pile driver, and although it was nail biting stuff in the last few minutes, Sittingbourne held out to claim all three points and to put the play off show back on the road.

Dartford: Hudson, Osbourne, Potter, Guest, Avery, Watts, Barnes, May, Cass, Hafner (Hayes 76), Martin, Subs: Henry, Briggs, Billenness.

Sittingbourne: Williams, Ashmore (Spiller 25), Dowley, Ainsworth, Searle, Marsh, Browning (Akhazan 70), Hockey, Lovell (Singh 70), Neal, Sherwood, Subs: Knowles, Willis

Attendance 1047