Dartford 3-1 Dover Athletic - We need to pull together to get out of this hole, says Shane Huke

DARTFORD 3-1  DOVER ATHLETIC
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 3^rd December 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Princes Park Stadium

DARTFORD manager Tony Burman says he hasn’t ruled out his side challenging for the title following their deserved victory over arch-rivals Dover Athletic today.

The Darts leapfrogged over Sutton United into third-place in the Blue Square Bet South table with 37 points from 18 games, nine points adrift of league leaders Woking, with a game in hand.

Dartford drew first blood by taking a sixth minute lead through Adam Green’s penalty – his fifth goal of the season – but Dover Athletic levelled seven minutes later through Agustin Battipiedi’s header.

But Dartford sent their largest crowd of the season home happy as Ryan Hayes whipped in a 62^nd minute free-kick via a deflection before skipper Elliot Bradbrook netted his eight goal of the season, a 25-yard screamer, which inflicted Dover Athletic’s fourth defeat on the spin and they slid down a place into eighth place in the table.

Burman said: “Why aren’t we going for the win?  Why can’t you? Why can’t you?  It’s December the 3^rd, it’s not March the 30^th! 

“How many teams can win it (the title)?  Woking are the team to chase and they’ve been outstanding but there’s nothing to say that something might go wrong there, but it’s up to us and the other teams around there to try and catch them.

“We’ve got a good squad, yes, but you can’t be talking about winning leagues and it’s all over in the first week of December!”

Unfortunately, following a chat with his chairman, Jim Parmenter, in front of the away dug-out after the final whistle, Dover Athletic manager Nicky Forster opted to make a swift getaway out of Princes Park so the press couldn’t get reaction from the Dover boss.

The game started with a cracking atmosphere and both sides scored with their first attempts on goal, with Dartford netting with 05:59 on the clock.

Dover Athletic defender, Ollie Schulz, who had a game to forget, was penalised by referee Mr Dean Treleaven for bringing down Bradbrook in the corner of the penalty area.

Green stepped up and confidently looped a left-footed penalty past the diving Dover Athletic keeper Mikhael Jamez-Ruiz to find the left-hand side of the goal.

Burman said: “It was a very good penalty.  He’s been practising in training.  He’s done well.  It was a good start for us to get the penalty but first half I felt they were in control of the game more than we was.”

Dover Athletic’s response was swift, as central midfielder Battipiedi opened his goalscoring account with the club.

Right-sided midfielder, Barry Cogan, floated in a free-kick from the right and Dartford’s defence left the Argentine unmarked at the near post and he headed down and past Louis Wells into the bottom near corner from ten-yards.

Burman added: “From our point of view we’ve given away a free-kick and these things happen and they’ve scored with a good delivery from the free-kick and it was a good header in the end.

“Having said that, we’ve had a chat at half-time and I thought we’ve come good in the second half and thoroughly deserved the win.”

Dartford’s lone striker, Lee Burns, worked tirelessly up front on his own before being replaced by Danny Harris and he had a couple of good chance to give his side the lead.

Bradbrook burst forward and slipped the ball through for Burns to latch on to but he flicked a left-footed shot past the advancing Jamiez-Ruiz and past the near post.

Another chance came Dartford’s way in the 25^th minute when Matt Jones threw the ball to former Dover Athletic play-maker Jon Wallis, who floated in a cross into the penalty area and Burns glanced his header agonisingly wide of the far post from 12-yards.

Dover Athletic’s best chance to take the lead came seven minutes later when striker James Walker danced his way through a crowd of players to cut into the penalty area before rolling the ball back to Glen Southam, who unleashed a left-footed drive from 20-yards, which stung Wells’ fingers.

Both sides had chances before the break.  Dartford right-back Jones reached the by-line before whipping in a cross towards the far post where Bradbrook’s glancing header bounced wide and at the other end Cogan picked the ball up and let fly from 25-yards, a right-footed drive, which screamed past the post.

The opening minutes of the second half were cagy and after James Rogers cracked a left-footed drive over the Dover bar from 30-yards, Dover should have taken the lead when Cogan stabbed the ball straight at Wells when well-placed after the ball ricochet inside the penalty area.

But Dartford’s longest serving player, Hayes, gave his side a 62^nd minute lead.

The winger gave Tom Wynter a torrid time during the second half and the left-back was penalised for fouling the former Slade Green winger.

Hayes whipped in an excellent left-footed free-kick with pace into the Dover penalty area and Jaimez-Ruiz was beaten at his near post via a deflection off Battipiedi inside a crowded penalty box.

Burman said: “I’m not quite sure how it’s gone in but whatever happened, again it was a free-kick that’s been put in to a dangerous area instead of being put out for a goal-kick.  He’s done something positive and fair play to him.”

Hayes appears to terrorise left-backs during the second half of matches when Dartford attack the car park end – but Burman dismissed thoughts that Hayes turns on the style as he is operating on the opposite side of the pitch to the Dartford dug-out.

Burman added: “He’s come off today because he was shattered.  He was struggling but he’s done some great runs down that side.  When the game opens up that’s when Ryan will come into his own.  He hasn’t had enough of the ball in the first half, but it’s a tight game and people do get tired when it goes on.  Fortunately for us it wasn’t us who got tired.  Ryan’s done well second half simply because the game has opened up and when we’re on the break we can be as good as anybody.” 

Wynter almost made amends for Dover when he ghosted to the edge of the Dartford penalty area and met Leon Redwood’s cross from the left but could only power his header over.

Schulz almost gifted Dartford another goal when in the 75^th minute he tried to walk the ball out of defence but the former Ramsgate defender and right-back Phil Starkey lost possession and Harris burst forward and cut in from the left and cracked a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which forced the Venezuelan keeper into making a flying punch to his left.

Dartford were now in full control of proceedings and Jaimez-Ruiz made a smart near post block to thwart Bradbrook scoring from eight-yards after Rogers teed him up following Wallis’ left-wing corner.

There was a sense of sheer jubilation when Dartford wrapped up the victory in the final three minutes to send some visiting fans’ heading for the exit.

Bradbrook was given space by Schulz and the influential skipper turned and unleashed a stunning left-footed drive from 25-yards which screamed over the Dover keeper to crash into the top left-hand corner.

Members of the Dartford coaching staff and substitutes burst onto the pitch in celebration as Bradbrook sprinted towards them before being mobbed by his jubilant team-mates.

Burman said: “It’s a great way to finish the game.  We felt at one-all, in the second half, that we had a couple of chances and felt at 2-1 we should’ve finished the game off.

“With a team of quality that Dover have got, you’re thinking they could get a goal back.  Having said that, Elliot has come up with the goods.”

Dartford keeper Wells made a comfortable save at the death as Battipiedi tried his luck with a low left-footed drive from 25-yards but it was the home side that stretched their unbeaten run against Dover Athletic to four games and pile more misery on their off-form Kent rivals.

Burman said: “It’s a very big win.  I’m delighted to get three points after the November we had, the draws we had in that month. It’s nice to get back to winning ways in the league.

“I thought they controlled the game too much, too long in the first half but having said that the guys’ worked hard to close them down and from our point of view it’s not a good goal (to concede) from a free-kick.  My players’ done well to come back in the second half.”

The Dartford manager added: “Give full credit to Dover, unlike other teams that come here.  They haven’t put eleven people behind the ball.  They’ve come to play and entertain as well.  We’ve got the bragging rights at this moment in time but it helped us by coming out to play.”

With Dover Athletic boss Forster already on his way, skipper Shane Huke, 26, was clearly disappointed with their poor run of form, which leaves the club on 28 points from 19 games, four points adrift of fifth-placed side Chelmsford City in the table.

The former Rushden & Diamonds defender, who lives down the road in Crockenhill, described their derby-day defeat as “not so good.”

He said: “Obviously you don’t want to lose like we have in the last couple of weeks, especially to the rivals’.  It’s just one of those days.  You just have to try and pick yourselves out of this little hole that we’re in and get on with it.”

The skipper admits his team-mates need to show some unity to turn their fortunes around.

When asked what the problems at Crabble are, Huke replied, “No, not fitness.  I think lack of men. I think we need to grow as a team.  I think when the chips are down we need to all pull together to try and get out of this hole.   It’s nothing to do with fitness at all.  I just think it’s when something’s not going right we let it get on top of us where we should use it to our strengths and battle against it and we’ll be better as a team.

“Dartford’s defenders had to battle, our defenders had to battle.  It was one of those games unfortunately. At the end of the day they battled longer and got their rewards.”

Huke knows Dover Athletic should be challenging for the title at this stage of the season.  In fact the Crabble outfit are eighteen points behind Woking with 23 league games left to play.

“We all know we should be in there, there abouts, top of the league, with the quality that we’ve got in the dressing room,” admitted Huke.

“It’s just one of those things.  We just have to dig in.  There’s so many points to play for.   The quicker we turn this round the better for us, better for the fans’ and better for the club.

“I think the chairman’s doing a great job.  He does nothing but back us.  He’s bringing in the best manager’s around and we’ve got a new fitness coach, we’ve got all these new supplements and stuff like that.  He is trying.  He’s a very passionate man and I think the fans have big expectations and so have we and we are trying and I promise you we will turn the results around and give the fans’ and the club what they want.”

Dartford: Louis Wells, Matt Jones, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Paul Goodacre, Tom Champion, Ryan Hayes (Lee Noble 83), Jon Wallis (Richard Graham 90), Lee Burns (Danny Harris 72), Elliot Bradbrook, James Rogers.
Subs: Jacob Erskine, Deren Ibrahim

Goals: Adam Green 6 (pen), Ryan Hayes 62, Elliot Bradbrook 87

Booked: Tom Champion 59

Dover Athletic: Mikhael Jamiez-Ruiz, Phil Starkey, Tom Wynter, Agustin Battipiedi, Ollie Schulz,  Shane Huke, Barry Cogan, Glen Southam (Billy Bricknell 79), James Walker, George Purcell (Harry Baker 68), Leon Redwood.
Subs: Ed Harris, Michael Corcoran, Lee Hook

Goal:  Agustin Battipiedi 13

Booked: Glen Southam 42

Attendance: 1,558
Referee: Mr Dean Treleaven (Chichester, West Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Rob Smith (Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire) & Mr Lee Marshallsay (Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire)