Dartford 2-1 Newport County - Darts boss Tony Burman: How can I top today?

Tuesday 04th September 2012

DARTFORD 2-1 NEWPORT COUNTY
Blue Square Bet Premier
Tuesday 4^th September 2012
Mike Green reports from Princes Park Stadium

Tuesday 4^th September 2012 is a day that Dartford boss Tony Burman will never forget as it was the day that his daughter Carly told him that he was going to be a Grandfather for the very first time – oh and his newly promoted team knocked a former Football League club off top spot in the Blue Square Bet Premier with a stunning last minute triumph. All then in the Burman garden seems at the moment at least to be very fine indeed.

Burman beaming with pride said, “How can I top today? Been told this afternoon that my daughter’s three months pregnant and now we’ve produced a performance like that! Magic – a truly magic day.”

Yet going into stoppage time it looked as though the night was going to be remembered for the night that the Darts produced a battling performance that was always going to deny the Welsh side the win they needed to stay top of the early season table.

But cometh the hour, and cometh Captain Marvel for Burman and his side! With the clock showing 91 minutes, skipper Elliot Bradbrook surged into the Newport half. He skipped past two challenges (one of which was one of the only tackles that the outstanding County central defender Ismail Yakubu missed all night) before threading the ball through to full back Richard Rose who sprinted clear, holding off the challenge of Jake Thompson before planting the ball beyond the reach of keeper Lenny Pidgeley and into the net.

The goal sparked scenes of celebrations that had to be seen to be believed!

The win was the Darts fourth win in a row and moves the Darts into eighth place in the table – a fact that left Burman smiling even more.

He said: “I’m obviously delighted that the guys have achieved that as they’ve worked really hard. It’s come good for us and the wins obviously breeds confidence, and overall I think that we deserved the result tonight.

“They’re one of what I call the elite clubs in this league and we’re going to face a few of them over the next six weeks or so, and it was just a little marker for us as to where we might have to be.

“It’s gone well for us tonight but having said that they are a decent side – they’re not up there for nothing – and I’m just glad that we’ve come in having had a go and that’s all we can ask of the boys and all we can do. We were the big boys last year but this year we just want people to say that we’re a good side.”
Burman added: “I felt that Saturday’s game and win (5-1 over Alfreton) was so, so important to get the three points,” Burman continued.

“I still don’t think that we played terribly well and the most important thing was that we got three points with the really tough run of games that we’ve got coming up. We’ve got another three points tonight and I’m absolutely delighted.”

Reflecting on a relatively slow start that his side made, the Darts boss admitted, “We didn’t bring the quality into our game in the first half as I don’t think we held onto the ball enough as we gave it away too easily.

“Second half we kept possession better after we won it back and were more in control. The players can do it – they’ve just got to believe that they can do it, they’ve just got to believe that they can.”

The visitors began the game brighter with both Jefferson Louis and Aaron O’Connor going close in the opening five minutes with a header and shot respectively – Louis possibly could have done better whilst in O’Connor’s defence the ball shouldn’t really have reached him in the box and by the time he could react the chance had gone and the ball was in the arms of Darts keeper Marcus Bettinelli!

Saturday’s hat trick hero Harry Crawford has the Darts first chance of the night sending keeper Pidgeley scrambling across his goal to save a header.

Newport though continued with their first half momentum as Louis headed narrowly wide again, the impressive Danny Crow drilled a shot inches wide from 25 yards with hardly any back lift, before Thompson’s left wing cross was allowed to bounce through the box only needing the slightest of touches.

Ryan Hayes – Dartford’s longest serving player - then fired in a free kick that flicked off of the wall and only just cleared the bar, before in injury time at the end of the half, the Darts created the games best chance.

Mark Arber, who along with Tom Bonner was magnificent in the heart of the home defence, was left unmarked at a free kick, only for Pidgeley to react very quickly to beat out the header.

Arber though reacted quickest of all and centred for Jacob Erskine who just couldn’t keep his header down.

The home side fans in the 1,446 crowd though didn’t have to wait long for a goal as it came four minutes after the break.

A quick throw from Lee Burns found Hayes whose deep centre inexcusably hit the bar with an unmarked header from inside the six yard box.

Fortunately for the Darts, Crawford threw himself forward and headed home the rebound for his fifth goal of the season and his fourth in four days.

The lead though was to last only four minutes, and the County goal had some questioning Darts keeper Bettinelli!

A fabulous through ball found O’Connor bearing down on goal and the Darts stopper came rushing out of his goal outside the box to try and act as an extra defender. The keeper though missed his tackle allowing the Newport man to roll the ball into the now empty net! Some were left consoling the Darts keeper whilst some were left questioning just if he should have come out at all.

The two goals gave the game the lift it needed as chances began to come at both ends – Bradbrook and Erskine both went close for the home side whilst Bettinelli produced two fine blocks by standing big and tall to deny both Thompson and Louis before racing from his goal line to brilliantly deny O’Connor on the very edge of his box – who’d be a keeper?

Seven minutes from time and the Darts seemed to have squandered a golden chance to win the game as substitute Danny Harris got on the end of a huge clearance, which was missed by the County defence, only to take too long and the opportunity had gone!

Harris who had only just returned from injury and had replaced Crawford on 73 minutes, clearly didn’t look fully fit and was immediately replaced by the Darts boss, who said, “Danny felt he was OK and said that he was and he passed his fitness test, but when he came on he couldn’t move properly – there was clearly something wrong and it backfired on us. Harry had to come off in the first place because of a dead leg, but Danny hasn’t worked tonight!”

Just as the game seemed to be heading for a draw which in itself would have been a fine result for Burman’s side, Rose struck in stoppage time to seal the points and cap a truly remarkable day for Burman.

The Darts now head to the North East on Saturday looking to extend their winning run, but the manager was philosophical enough to say that his side faced another really tough game.

Burman said: “We haven’t got a game next midweek so to get Gateshead out of the way this weekend is probably a blessing for us. We’ll have it better organised than when we went last time (in the FA Trophy two seasons ago) and have a better idea of what we’re doing – it is a long journey!

“It’s a long, long trip and I think that they like Newport are one of the elite clubs looking to get promoted. We want to go up there and give a good account of ourselves.”

Dartford : Marcus Bettinelli, Richard Rose, Tom Champion, Tom Bonner, Ryan Hayes (Lee Noble 81), Jocob Erskine, Elliot Bradbrook, James Rogers, Mark Arber, Lee Burns, Harry Crawford (Danny Harris 73)(Jon Wallis 84).

Goals: Harry Crawford 49, Richard Rose 90

Newport County: Lenny Pidgeley, David Pipe, Max Porter, Tony James, Ismail Yakubu, Aaron O’Connor, Danny Crow, Jefferson Louis (Ben Swallow 68), Andy Sandell, Jake Thompson, Michael Flynn (Jake Harris 90).
Subs: Andrew Hughes, Lee Evans, Joe Perry

Goal: Aaron O’Connor 53

Attendance: 1,446
Referee: Michael Bull (Chelmsford, Essex)
Assistant: Carl Pearse (Colchester, Essex) & Alan Dale (Ipswich, Suffolk)