Darts continue perfect season on the road despite Wanderers fightback

Saturday 02nd January 2010

CRAY WANDERERS 1-2 DARTFORD

Ryman Premier League

Saturday 2nd January 2010

Mike Green reports from Hayes Lane

Dartford’s strangle hold on the Ryman Premier League tightened just a little bit more as Tony Burman’s side recorded their ninth away league win of the season to maintain their perfect record on the road. But in all fairness, Cray Wanderers, especially after a half time dressing down from manager Ian Jenkins came so very close to ending the Darts perfect travelling League season.

For Jenkins his side’s first half display was the biggest disappointment as he told kentishfootball.co.uk after the game. He said, “We’re gutted that we didn’t get something out of the game. But when we gave them two poor goals in the first half what do they (the players) expect? We’ve got to stop keeping giving ourselves mountains to climb, but given the response we got in the second half after a “chat” at half time, I’m pleased with the way the boys rallied and if we keep going like that, I’m sure we’ll be OK come the end of the season. Ok we may be on the edge of the relegation zone but this League is so tight that we’re only eight points off of the play off places – others have said it and so will I – this league is ridiculously tight!”

Burman though, with the Darts maintaining their 11 point lead at the top of the table as the New Year begins, admitted that his side had made hard work of the points given their first half dominance. “We certainly did – the game in my opinion should have been finished in the first half!” he told us. “We had a great chance just after half time to make it 3-0, but I though we were excellent first half and to be fair to Cray they came out after half time and changed their formation a bit and we didn’t handle it as well as we should have done. We had a good chat in the dressing room about what we should have done, but for the first 60 minutes if Lee Burns had put the header away right after half time the games over! We’ve had a sticky middle part of the second half away from home where the home team have come at us and we’ve done to them what sides have been doing to us at Princes – we’ve caught them on the break but whilst they did cause us problems we caused them more in the first half!”

Early on it was all Dartford. Burns almost embarrassed Cray keeper Jack Smelt as he dwelt on the ball too long – the ball ricocheted to Rob Haworth and Smelt redeemed himself with a fine block. Burns then shot wide when well placed, before Haworth lobbed the ball past Smelt (after a great ball from Adam Flanagan) only for former Dart john Guest to clear. The Darts were so much in charge that you began to wonder if Cray could just hold out till half time they might just get something out of the game. But then two goals in five minutes really did take the game away from the home side. On 32 minutes the impressive Danny Harris and Adam Gross combined down the left and as the ball was played through to Burns, the striker whipped home his 15^th goal of the season in the blink of an eye. Five minutes later it was two, as Cray couldn’t deal with a long throw from John Beales. As the ball dropped on the edge of the box, James White did well not only to hook the ball over his shoulder but also into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

Burns should have increased the lead just after the break as following a Ryan Hayes cross he seemed to get a header all wrong yet it still seemed to be loping over Smelt before the keeper somehow got back to claw the ball away.

Cray finally tested Darts keeper Andrew Young just before the hour when a falling Leigh Bremner hitting a stunning half volley, which the big keeper (who seemed initially to be wrong footed) somehow kept out just inside his right post. This chance buoyed Cray on and on 59 minutes George Porter drove the ball fractionally wide when well placed. Then six minutes later came Cray’s lifeline when a long ball into the box saw Flanagan and Bremner challenge for the ball before the referee pointed to the spot. Just to highlight how different positions at a game can give different opinions – from the Press Box, it looked harsh on the Darts skipper, but his manager had no complaints. Burman admitted to us after the game, “I’ve no complaints whatsoever about the penalty – we’ve just been talking about it in the dressing room! We’re putting pressure on ourselves b making silly decisions with the penalty and couple of free kicks around the box – players have got to play with a bit of intelligence and improve, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve!”

Up stepped Colin Luckett to drill the absolute perfect unsaveable penalty into the top right hand corner of Young’s net.

Both sides upped the tempo and in the closing stages both hit the bar – first it was a shot from Hayes after Harris and Burns had made the chance, whilst at the other end Jamie Wood almost snatched the home side a point as his shot clipped the bar in the last minute after a throw wasn’t dealt with.

So Dartford start 2010 the same way they ended 2009 – with a win on the road and well clear at the top of the table – a fact no lost on their jovial manager, “we’ve got a lot of problems haven’t we?” Burman joked. “I was upset with the way Boxing Day went but we bounced back by winning 5-2 at Canvey on Tuesday. With Lee Burns now facing suspension, Elliott Bradbrook is nearly back to fitness but still a way off. Lee Noble was missing today after getting a knock, and Billy Burgess is still not quite there, but I’m in a position where I don’t have to risk any players who aren’t 100 percent. We’re supposed to have eight games in January and we’ve got a big squad but we must be sensible if we can keep things going.”

And if they keep going as they are, they could well eclipse Dover’s extraordinary record of last season! Now that’s something for the Darts to aim at in the first part of 2010!

Cray Wanderers: Jack Smelt, Steve Aris (Shane Graham 87), Colin Luckett, Rob Quinn, Mark Willy, John Guest, Zak Goldsmith (Lewis Wood 41), Jamie Wood, Leigh Bremner, Goerge Porter, Tyrone Sterling

Subs not used - Aaron Day, Dean Standen, Pat Brennan

Goals: Colin Lucket (penalty 65)

Dartford: Andrew Young, Jamie Coyle, Adam Gross, Adam Flanagan, John Beales, James White, Ryan Hayes (Joao Carlos 85), Ryan Johnson, Rob Haworth (Danny Dafter 84), Lee Burns, Danny Harris
Subs not used - Danny Crouch, Adam Burchell, Tony Kessell

Goals: Lee Burns 32, James White 37

Attendance:
Referee: P Harris
Assistants: S Finnegan & R Baker