Dartford 2-3 Woking - The title race is not over yet, insists Dartford boss Tony Burman

DARTFORD  2-3  WOKING
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 13^th December 2011
Mike Green reports from Princes Park Stadium

In front of Princes Park’s biggest gate of the season, Blue Square Bet South leaders Woking inflicted just Dartford's second home league defeat of the season, which in the final analysis, whilst Tony Burman's side didn't really deserve the three points, it took a horror moment from keeper Louis Wells to send the three points back around the M25 to Woking’s Kingfield base.

The League leaders showed just why they top the Blue Square Bet South table with a first half performance that had Darts boss Burman shaking his head more than at any other times this season, as Burman looked on as his side struggled and turned round two goals before - both of which came straight off of the Woking training ground - and left the Darts boss holding his head in his hands! 

"Our defending for the goals was abysmal, and the timing particularly for the second goal was awful just before half time.  That said it summed up us in the first half - we were very poor, but then we were up against a very good Woking side who showed just why they are League leaders and most people favourites to go up.

“Second half we were much better and but for the mistake from Louis we'd have probably got the point that we deserved - I'm not saying that we deserved to win the game as I don’t believe we were good enough particularly before half time - but for our second half display I really thought that we deserved something out of the game."
 
And as usual the Darts boss was probably just about right in his assessment as in the first half Woking were dominant. 

The Cards got the ideal start too when they went ahead on only 4 minutes.  Moses Ademola drove over a left wing corner and central defender Alan Inns rose at the back post to power home a header. 

Woking nearly made it two on 14 minutes when Elvis Hammond's touch found Dale Binns who advanced into the box before being denied by Darts keeper Wells with a fine sharp save at his near post.  

The home side's start couldn't have started much worse, but yet it did get worse four minutes later when defensive rock Paul Goodacre was forced off with a knee injury that could keep him out for a few weeks. 

Goodacre's departure meant a change of formation for the Darts as striker Jacob Erskine took his place, with Tom Champion slotting in to central defence and skipper Elliot Bradbrook dropping back into the middle of the park, as Erskine joined Lee Burns up front.
 
Woking continued to pose questions that the home side couldn't answer - Ademola's looped a header that Wells did well to gather before headers at different corners from Inns caused big problems that the home side just about dealt with.  

With the writing on the wall, the second goal finally arrived three minutes from half time and again the home side were caught out from a corner - Adam Doyle powering home the corner leaving the inquests to begin in the home defence. 
 
The home side finally came to life in stoppage time as Champion was denied by a smart save from Woking keeper Aaron Howe as the now defender flicked on Ryan Hayes' near post corner. 

As Mr Buonassisi blew his half time whistle, Burman's face was a thunder as he marched down the tunnel towards the dressing room.
 
Whatever Burman said to his charges didn't really seem to have much effect in the early stages of the second half continued to follow the pattern of what had gone on before.
 
Ademola came within a whisker of the goal of the season on 52 minutes, as he raced 80 yards down the pitch following a Darts corner only to be denied by a fine Wells block. 

Doyle was close to his second of the night when he saw a header from Adam Newton's free kick loop just too high.
 
On the hour the home side showed signs of revival when Howe made a magnificent point blank save to deny Burns' header, before the home side finally got on the board in what proved to be a disaster for Howe.  

A long ball into the Woking box saw the keeper go on what can best be called a fishing trip and as he completely missed the wonderful Hayes cross (with the outside of his left boot - albeit under pressure from at least three players) James Rogers netted with an unopposed flying header.
 
The goal rocked Woking as much as it inspired the Darts, yet for all the home sides hustling and applying pressure to the League Leaders the final ball was still lacking - a point that enraged Burman. 

He said: "How many times did we get in good positions and fail to deliver!  We told the players exactly what we thought at half time and the way they came right back into was great.  But then to lose it to a goal like that - I feel for Louis but that’s football.  A keeper makes a mistake or an error and it’s usually posted on the score board as it was tonight!"
 
And Wells' mistake really was so unfortunate for the otherwise faultless Darts number one.  Adam Green played the ball back to the luckless keeper and instead of "getting the driver out" to hammer the ball down field, Wells "selected" the sand wedge, and his clearance when higher than it went in distance. 

Full marks though must go to Hammond who, as the ball dropped still had it all to do, but goodness did’nt he do it in style?  Outwiting Champion, Hammond drilled the ball wide of the despairing Wells and into the bottom left corner of the net.
 
Facing a two goal deficit again, the Darts piled forward, and we were rewarded in the first minute of stoppage time. 

Jon Wallis' free kick to the back post found Bonner, who headed back across goal and over Howe for Erskine to head home.  

Piling forward now, the home side were within a whisker of levelling inside stoppage time when Hayes' ball into the box fell to Erskine who's first time shot on the turn hit Jack King, with the Woking midfielder not knowing a thing about the block which in the final analysis won his side the game.
 
Burman was philosophical afterwards when he said when asked about the 15 points that there was now between the two sides. 

He said: "I'm not going to say that we won’t win the League, but I can't believe some of the comments that I'm hearing from some other managers who have given Woking the Championship already. 

“If you'd have offered me this place at the start of the season I'd have broken your hand for it, but now we've got to go again against Dorchester on Saturday - which won’t be easy! 

“But if we apply ourselves like we did second half tonight, and with the patient support of the crowd - who were terrific again tonight - there's no reason why we can’t get back on track going into a very busy Christmas!"
 
Dartford:  Louis Wells, Matt Jones, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Paul Goodacre (Jacob Erskine 18), Tom Champion, Ryan Hayes, Jon Wallis, Lee Burns (Tony Garrod 77), Elliot Bradbrook, James Rogers (Richard Graham 77).
Subs: Lee Noble, Deren Ibrahim
 
Booked:  Lee Burns 66, Jon Wallis 66
 
Goals: James Rogers 77, Jacob Erskine 90
 
Woking:  Aaron Howe, Adam Newton, Joe McNeeneey, Mark Ricketts (Jay Davies 70), Alan Inns, Adam Doyle, Wayne Gray (Ola Sogbanmu 64), Jack King, Moses Ademola, Elvis Hammond, Dale Binns (Giuseppe Sole 61).
Subs:  Ben Smith, Andrew Little
 
Booked:  Jack King 89
 
Goals: Alan Inns 4, Adam Doyle 42, Elvis Hammond 83
 
Attendance: 1,230
Referee: Mr Matthew Buonassisi (Rushden, Northamptonshire)
Assistants: Mr Michael Smith (Basildon, Essex) & Mr Ben Wright (Walworth, London SE17)