Dartford 4-2 Boston United - Jacob Erskine will improve with us, says Dartford boss Tony Burman

DARTFORD 4-2 BOSTON UNITED
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Second Round
Saturday 14^th January 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Princes Park Stadium

DARTFORD manager Tony Burman praised hat-trick hero Jacob Erskine after his side booked their place in the last sixteen of The FA Carlsberg Trophy for the second successive year by beating Boston United in a pulsating game at Princes Park.

Much-travelled striker Erskine, who turned 23 years of age yesterday, got Dartford off to a flying start against their Blue Square Bet (Conference) North opponents by flicking home an opener inside the opening four minutes, before Boston United levelled in the 21^st minute through their first attempt on goal when striker Spencer Weir-Daley headed home following a corner.

Erskine gave Dartford the lead eight minutes into the second half before the inspirational Lee Noble eased the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South hosts into a 3-1 lead just past the hour mark.

But Boston ensured it was going to be a nervy ride when striker Leon Constantine came off the bench to head home a second eight minutes from the end, but Erskine scored a remarkable hat-trick at the death in his first ever FA Trophy game of his career.

The Darts reached the Third Round of The FA Carlsberg Trophy last season when they lost to Conference Premier outfit Gateshead, but Burman was pleased to have progressed through this tie.

He said:  “It was a decent game for spectators and I’m pleased that we’ve won the game and gone through to the next round.

“You like to improve each year on what you do and what you achieve.  We can equal (getting to the third round) that now in the cup run in the FA Trophy.  I’m just pleased that we’ve got through and made home advantage count.”

There was an emotional minute applause for the late Fred Leach, Dartford’s life president, who was one of the instrumental magnificent seven club directors who got the club back to its feet back during the dark days of 1992 so that nowadays four-figure crowds at Princes Park Stadium is the norm.

Both sets of supporters’ brought excellent vocal support before kick-off and the home fans took the roof off when Erskine opened the scoring.

Tom Bonner clipped a clearance out of defence to release James Rogers down the left and the midfielder shrugged past Boston’s right-back Lee Canoville and his low cross was flicked in by Erskine at the near post from four-yards.

Burman said: “It was a great start and I think we should’ve increased the lead in the next fifteen minutes but it wasn’t to be.

“We’ve conceded a poor goal from our point of view from a corner and they’ve taken control a little bit of the game just after that.”

The Darts dominated proceedings early on and Erskine flicked another shot straight at veteran keeper Paul Bastock after Rogers played the ball back into the box after the keeper had initially punched away  Noble’s corner from the left.

Danny Harris – who went into the game having scored four goals in four games – cut in from the right and laid the ball off to Noble, whose rasping right-footed drive from 25-yards was plucked out of the air from underneath Bastock’s crossbar.

But the vocal travelling contingent celebrated when Boston United equalised with their first chance in the 21^st minute.

Ian Ross, who impressed in the middle of the park, floated in a corner from the right and central defender Tom Ward planted his header towards the far post and Weir-Daley applied a headed finish past Louis Wells from inside the six-yard box.

Burman added: “I thought we had a great start and I thought we took control of the game and we gave away a real sloppy, sloppy goal from a corner, another set-piece and our marking has to be better than that!”

Ross then had time and space to crack a swerving right-footed drive from 35-yards, which forced Wells to block with his chest before collecting the loose ball.

Dartford skipper, Elliot Bradbrook, wasted two headed chances following two Noble corners around the half-hour mark, before the game turned into a midfield tussle.

Burman said: “We went in at half-time and just said we felt they were there for the taking!  We felt it was a case of who wanted it the most will win the game and I think we did second half.”

Boston, who went into this game in eleventh place in the Blue Square Bet North table, were a physical side and they should have done better with a second half chance after Weir-Daley played the ball across to the unmarked Ben Fairclough, but his poor touch on the edge of the penalty area allowed Wells to gather.

That squandered half-chance was punished by Erskine as he scored his second of the game to give Dartford the lead in the 53^rd minute.

Matt Jones throw from the right was flicked into Erskine’s path by Bradbrook and the striker stuck out his right leg just eight-yards out and stabbed the ball across Bastock and the ball appeared to trickle in slow motion into the bottom far corner.

Boston almost hit back when a quickly taken free-kick put through Weir-Daley, but his right-footed shot from the edge of the box was parried by the quick thinking Dartford keeper.

But Dartford had one foot in the next round when Noble scored his second goal of the season in the 61^st minute.

Jones drilled a low cross into the penalty area from the right and Boston’s central defender Kevin Austin diverted the ball into the six-yard box and Noble applied a side-footed finish across Bastock to find the bottom far corner.

Noble has taken his chance in the past two games and relegated winger Ryan Hayes to an unused substitute appearance today.

Burman said: “We know Lee can do that.  He played very, very well last week at Havant (in our 4-1 win) and we’ve waited for him to fire a little bit.  He hasn’t quite fired on all cylinders with little niggling injuries and he was upset because he’s (been) left out of the team and rightly so he’s upset but nothing detrimental.

“He’s come back in and all of a sudden the boys are believing in themselves again and I’m pleased. 

“If we can get that and get that for quite a few weeks, we’ll be a difficult team to beat.”

That will teach the Boston fans to stand behind the same goal for the entire game!

As the game entered the final twenty minutes, Dartford skipper Bradbrook picked the ball up in midfield and drove straight down the middle of the pitch before cracking a left-footed drive which whistled past the post from 25-yards.

And Boston striker Weir-Daley suffered similar fate with a right-footed drive five minutes later.

Boston United keeper Bastock, 41, pulled off a world-class save to deny Connor Essam.

Noble floated in a free-kick from the left and nineteen-year-old Essam, who has just extended his loan spell from League Two side Gillingham, powered a header towards goal from close range, but Bastock pulled off an excellent block.

“Absolutely superb save,” said Burman.  “He must love it when he comes here!  He’s had a good game here again and that was a classic save.  That was just top drawer.  That could’ve made it 4-1 and they’ve gone up (the other end) and scored again.

“Having said that we re-grouped and we’ve won the game!”

But Boston made it a nervous time when they scored their second headed goal in the 81^st minute.

The ball was bouncing about the Dartford penalty area as the home side couldn’t clear their lines and the  ball was spread out to Ward, who was unmarked on the left flank.  Ward had time and space to float his cross into the box and striker Constantine’s near post header sailed across Wells and into the net.

Burman added: “We defended very, very well up until then!”

Harris blasted over Bastock’s crossbar after a penetrating run from Noble saw his initial shot blocked, but Dartford confirmed their passage when Erskine scored his hat-trick at the death.

Richard Graham, who replaced Noble, whipped in a free-kick from the left, the ball was knocked down into Erskine’s path and the striker slammed home a right-footed shot past Bastock for his ninth goal in Dartford colours.
 
Burman paid tribute to his hat-trick hero, who has had more clubs than Nick Faldo.

“He’s a big lad, Jacob and he wants to improve,” he said.

“He wants to learn, he’s been to many clubs and he’s come here and he wants to settle with us which I’m willing for him to try and do that.

“He’s got to improve and for the two months that he’s been here he has improved.  He’s not a lazy player.  I just think he hasn’t been told to possibly do things or he has and he just hasn’t done it.

“Our players’ work hard and they do a good shift here work-rate wise and he’s had a look at our players and he just can’t believe just how hard they do work.

“We’ve had a word with him and he’s trying his best to get to that sort of level and I’m delighted for him that he’s scored three goals today because he’s worked hard, which supporters don’t see in training and things like that.  He’ll be alright if he keeps listening to us.  I think he’ll improve again.”

Burman praised Bonner, who was battered by Boston United’s player-manager Jason Lee throughout, so much so that the central defender wore four shirts (5,20,18,17) during the game.

“That’ll do him the world of good,” said Burman.  “If he wants to go higher he’ll have to come up against those sort of things.  They’re good, old pros sometimes and they know all the tricks in the book.   You’ve got to go and win things and he has to be as aggressive as other people are in a fair sort of way.

“It was a little blood and thunder, plenty of blood as well, but having said that I’ve told the players to be disappointed with the goals we’ve conceded and they will be and we’ll try to improve that next time out.”

Burman went to watch Boston in midweek, so knew that they utilise Jason Lee’s strength up front.

He said: “He’s a big lad and they look to hit him very early and he can cause some problems.  I don’t think he caused many problems because we handled him very well.   We expected the longer ball to be played up to him and people feeding off him.  We wanted to snuff that out and I thought we did.”

Can Dartford go all the way to Wembley -  just like they did back in 1974, when they lost 2-1 to Morecambe?

“You just hope the draw’s kind to you,” said Burman.  “The first thing is you want to be at home, the second thing is who it might be but we’ve enjoyed today and I want the players and supporters to enjoy it.

“It’s a cup competition where we want to stay in it for as long as we can and when it comes around again in the next few weeks (4 February) let’s enjoy that again and let’s see what happens.

“I do think the cup is about enjoying it.  It’s not the pressure of getting points.  It’s a nice atmosphere and we can relax a little bit and play some nice football.  I think we did that today.   Hopefully we can do that when the next round comes along.”

When asked whether he would entertain a showdown against Liam Daish’s Ebbsfleet United in the next round, Burman replied, “I’d rather that further down the line!”

Burman, who wants to avoid replays, added, “Who knows what may happen?  You don’t know where you might end up!”

Dartford: Louis Wells, Matt Jones, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Connor Essam, Tom Champion, Lee Noble (Richard Graham 88), James Rogers, Jacob Erskine (Tony Garrord 90), Elliot Bradbrook, Danny Harris.
Subs: Ryan Hayes, Jon Wallis, Deren Ibrahim.

Goals: Jacob Erskine 4, 53, 90, Lee Noble 61

Booked: Jacob Erskine 74, Elliot Bradbrook 90

Boston United: Paul Bastock, Lee Canoville, Gareth Jellyman, Ian Ross (Chris Hall 68), Tom Ward, Kevin Austin, Ben Fairclough (Leon Constantine 76), Danny Sleath, Jason Lee, Marc Newsham, Spencer Weir-Daley.
Subs: Jason Field, Tony Edwards, Nathan Stainfield

Goals: Spencer Weir-Daley 21, Leon Constantine 82

Booked: Ian Ross 44, Chris Hall 79, Jason Lee 90

Attendance: 1,166
Referee: Mr Jake Hillier (New Barnet, Hertfordshire)
Assistants: Mr Stephen Woodison (Ashford, Middlesex) & Mr Jason Richardson (Pinner, Middlesex)
Fourth Official:  Mr Simeon Potter (Sutton, Surrey)