Dartford 1-4 AFC Telford United - We have been punished severely for our mistakes, says Tony Burman

DARTFORD  1-4  AFC TELFORD UNITED
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 9^th October 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Princes Park Stadium

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman says his side suffered a reality check after they crashed to their highest defeat of the season against clinical part-timers AFC Telford United.



Andy Sinton’s side completed a first half smash-and-grab raid after Northern Ireland international striker Steve Jones grabbed himself to two goals in a devastating 95 second spell to stun the Princes Park faithful.

AFC Telford United scored a killer third goal ten minutes into the second half through a deflected Luke Hubbins’ shot, before midfielder Phil Trainer unleashed a 30-yard screamer which flew into the top right-hand corner, before Dartford skipper Elliot Bradbrook steered his third goal in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) Premier with fourteen minutes remaining.

The scoreline was certainly flattering for AFC Telford United on a night when Dartford deserved better than a heavy defeat.

“That’s exactly what can happen to you in a game of football,” admitted Burman, who picked up his manager-of-the-month award before the game.

“We haven’t punished them in the first sort of twenty minutes or whatever it was and we’ve made two mistakes and got punished.”

Burman added: “I don’t think we haven’t played that badly.  I couldn’t come off and say we’ve been absolutely atrocious – we haven’t!

“But that’s what this League is about.  You’ll play well and you’ll lose.”

Burman insisted the wheels haven’t fallen off following tonight’s set-back, their fifth League defeat in fourteen games.

He said: “I hope not!  It’s a strange feeling. A couple of weeks ago we didn’t play that well against Hyde but we won and today we played ok and lost and you have to suffer sometimes.

“I don’t think we should get down. We’ll have them in (training) on Thursday, we’ll be back to normal. It’s a reality check without a doubt! That’s how it will be treated.  Sometimes you wish you played poorly and won!

“The scoreline tonight doesn’t help us and the performance wasn’t as bad as the scoreline suggests.”

Burman made a couple of changes from the side that came away from Grimsby Town with a 2-0 win at the weekend, which stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games and kept them in fifth-place in the table, with 25 points from thirteen games and four points adrift of leaders Newport County.

Striker Harry Crawford and winger Ryan Hayes relegated Danny Harris and Nathan Collier to the bench against a side that went into the game in ninth-place in the table with 18 points from 13 games.

Dartford created the game’s first chance inside the opening eight minutes when Tom Bonner clipped a long ball out of defence to release Crawford, who cut the ball back to Adam Birchall who played the ball inside to Lee Noble and his right-footed curling shot from 25-yards was caught by diving keeper Ryan Young.

The AFC Telford United keeper kept his side in the game when he made a couple of fine saves after twenty minutes.

Hayes drove over a cross from the right and Noble cracked a right-footed shot on the turn from 25-yards, which forced Young into diving low to his left to push away.  A poor mistake from AFC Telford United left-back Kris Taylor gave Hayes a sight at goal, but his driven shot was tipped away by Young, who dived swiftly to his right to deny Dartford’s longest-serving player.

AFC Telford United’s opening chance of the game came five minutes later when Taylor whipped in his cross into the penalty area and Jordan Rose, who had initially came up from the back for a long throw, directed his downward header into Marcus Bettinelli’s gloves.

The visitors’ issued Dartford a warning just before the half-hour when the impressive Jones flicked the ball over 35-year-old defender Mark Arber before unleashing an angled right-footed drive, which flashed across the Dartford keeper and past the far post.

Right-winger Hayes was giving Taylor a torrid time throughout the game and he cut inside before dinked his pass through to Birchall, but the on-loan Gillingham striker, saw his first time shot whistle past the near post from eight-yards.

Another chance came dominant Dartford’s way when Bradbrook swept the ball out to Lee Burns and the right-back had time and space to float his cross into the penalty area and Noble – the smallest player on the pitch – sent his diving header over the bar from twelve-yards.

But a costly mistake from Dartford central defender Tom Bonner gifted AFC Telford United a goal against the run of play in the 35^th minute.

Bonner inexplicably flicked his header backwards instead of up field some 35-yards from goal and Jones pounced on to the mistake and proved sloppiness will be punished as the striker burst forward, cut in from the left and slid a right-footed shot across Bettinelli to find the bottom far corner from the corner of the six-yard box.

Dartford were then coming to terms with going a second goal down, just 95 seconds later, as Jones scored his fourth-goal of the season.

AFC Telford United attacked down the right and Richard Davies’ flicked his pass into Jones’ path and the striker cracked a stunning right-footed curler into the top far corner of the Dartford net from 25-yards.

Burman said: “Two really good finishes and in other games we probably got away with that!

“There’s nothing happening in the game and they’ve scored two goals and as I say two great finishes.

“I felt we could’ve dealt with the first one a bit better than we did and the second one was a little bit shambolic with some people running into each other and things like that.

“The lad is sort of outside the box and it’s a great finish.  We’ve been punished severely from our mistakes tonight.”

Dartford called Young into action just before the break when Noble swung in a corner from the left towards the far post and Bonner won his header but all he could do was head straight at the keeper from four-yards.

AFC Telford United’s smash-and-grab raid was cruel on Dartford as last season’s Blue Square Bet (Conference) South runners-up (and play-off winners) enjoyed the most possession and created most of the chances.

Reflecting on his side’s first half performance, Burman said: “I felt we’ve been patient.  We got enough crosses into the box in the first half and we were probably a little unfortunate not to score but the longer it’s gone on something’s happened and instead of happening in Telford’s goal it’s happened in ours really.

“I can’t say that they were tearing us apart or anything like that. They’ve had two opportunities, which they’ve punished us with two really good finishes.”

There was concern for Dartford midfielder Tom Champion early in the second half when he played on despite picking up an ankle injury.

But AFC Telford United scored the decisive third goal ten minutes into the second half, which stunned the Dartford fans inside Princes Park.

Jones buzzed around the edge of the Dartford box before he laid the ball off to Hubbins, who cut inside and his right-footed drive took a nasty deflection off Dartford left-back Richard Rose and the ball flashed across the on-loan Fulham 20-year-old keeper and rolled into the bottom corner.

Burman added: “The third goal was probably the important goal and we needed to get it and again we didn’t!

“I think we got the ball in the box enough times and we got on the end of it but it hasn’t gone in the back of the net.  It was difficult when it went to 3-0 obviously.”

The scoreboard made for unhappy reading as AFC Telford United were much more clinical in front of goal and the introduction of strikers Harris and Jacob Erskine (for Crawford and Birchall) lifted Dartford’s spirits.

The Darts squandered an excellent chance in the 63^rd minute when Harris played a fine diagonal pass to Hayes out on the right and his left-footed cross should have been put away by Bradbrook, but the unmarked midfielder planted his free header over from eight-yards at the near post.

Burman said: “It was alright. We haven’t given up. We haven’t hid or anything like that. We continued to play on. I think we had a lot of crosses in the second half when they were headed over the bar. It’s just one of those nights.”

Dartford were getting plenty of joy down the right, with Hayes whipping in numerous balls in with his left-foot and another chance went begging when the ball sailed over to Noble unmarked at the far post and his stabbed shot was blocked by Young’s foot, while the keeper was positioned beside his near post.

But any chance of a Dartford come-back were killed off as AFC Telford United scored a stunning fourth-goal with 21 minutes remaining.

The impressive Jones won the ball ahead of birthday-boy Arber and cut the ball back to right-back Will Salmon and he played the ball inside to Trainer, who cracked a first-time rasping left-footed drive which rocketed into the top right hand corner from 30-yards.

Burman said: “The fella hit a shot from 30-yards and put it into the top corner, so when it’s gone against you, it’s gone against you!

“Listen, the guys have done so, so well and it might now give us a little reality check and a lot of people around the place a reality check but having said that we have to move on.”

Yet another cross from Hayes was met by Bradbrook’s looping header, which was easily caught by Young, before Dartford brought their fans back to life with their only goal of the game.

Hayes swung in a corner from the right which picked out Bradbrook at the far post and his initial header from six-yards was blocked by Young, but Bradbrook steered the rebound into the bottom near corner.

Burman was disappointed that the Dartford fans were not giving their usual passionate support during the game.

He said: “That (vocal support) should’ve come a bit earlier really. It wasn’t to be. Whether we didn’t give them enough spark to get going, I don’t know, but we do need their verbal support and encouragement. I didn’t think it came. Whether it’s us what have to spark the performance off or them help us to spark I don’t know.  It just felt it was a little dead out there. 

“I think everyone’s gone away shell-shocked because of the scoreline. I don’t think it was a 4-1 battering.  It just happened but that’s this League for you!”

Hayes, who cut inside substitute Jon Brown, hopped in another cross, which was headed away by AFC Telford United defender Jordan Rose, but Bradbrook’s left-footed drive sailed wide from 30-yards.

With some Dartford fans heading for the exits, Harris sent a free-header over from seven-yards at the near post after Burns fed Hayes down the right and the former Slade Green winger put in yet another delicious cross with his left foot but once again it was not taken by a profligate team-mate.

Burman admitted his side lacked the cutting edge in front of goal.

He said: “We’ve done ok tonight. I don’t think we’ve played poorly but we’ve been punished. Fair play to AFC Telford for doing that.

“Football’s a real, real funny game.  We played our normal game. If we had scored first I’m not too sure what might have happened but the way they finished their chances we may have done the same, who knows?

“It’s a heavy defeat, but I’m not despondent or anything like that and we have to move on.”

Dartford went into the game behind Newport County, Forest Green Rovers, Wrexham and Luton Town and Burman has told supporters’ to keep a lid on their expectations on the newly-promoted side.

“We have to accept those things (heavy defeats) might happen to us.  We’ve done ever so well and it’s still a learning curve.

“It’s a little but if a different atmosphere at the moment at home. We may have needed a lift. It didn’t come but that’s not having a right go but we could’ve done with it when it was 2-0 and unfortunately it didn’t come.

“The expectations have grown a bit out of proportion to be fair and as I say it was a little bit down to earth.

“It’s a funny game when you feel we haven’t done too badly and we’ve been punished for your mistakes tonight.

“The lads’ have done alright in respect of possession, getting balls in the box, but we just didn’t have that killer instinct in the eighteen-yard box.  I don’t think we had that bit of good fortune.”

Dartford: Marcus Bettinelli, Lee Burns, Tom Bonner, Mark Arber, Richard Rose, Ryan Hayes, Tom Champion (Jon Wallis 69), Elliot Bradbrook, Lee Noble, Harry Crawford (Jacob Erskine 59), Adam Birchall (Danny Harris 59).
Subs: Nathan Collier, Louis Wells

Goal:  Elliot Bradbrook 76

AFC Telford United: Ryan Young, Will Salmon, Liam Chivers, Jordan Rose, Kris Taylor, Luke Hubbins (Jon Brown 66), Richard Davies, Phil Trainer, Steven Leslie (Tom Roberts 90), Steve Jones, James Spray (Chris Sharp 83).
Subs: Nathan Rooney, Joe Collister

Goals: Steve Jones 35, 37, Luke Hubbins 55, Phil Trainer 69

Attendance: 1,359
Referee: Mr Chris Knowles (Kislingbury, Northampton)
Assistants: Mr Andrew Tonks (Wellingborough, Northamptonshire) & Mr Matt Eva (Tongham, Farnham, Surrey)
Fourth Official: Mr Jason Richardson (Pinner, Middlesex)