Our luck is turning, says target-man Haworth

ROB HAWORTH says he relishes his role as the big target man - and is confident Dartford can continue their push towards the play-off’s, writes Stephen McCartney.

The 33-year-old former Margate man, who turned down a lucrative move to Carshalton Athletic earlier in the season, scored his 12^th goal of the season at the weekend.

Haworth punished a blunder by goalkeeper Andy Walker to score the only game of the game against arch-rivals Maidstone United, in front of 2,013 fans at Princes Park.

“I love those sort of games,” Haworth told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, “I run my heart out for the team and I try to get on the sheet and create enough chances for the other players as well.”

Haworth is very proud of his record of partnering the league’s top-scorer for the past three seasons.

“Players like playing alongside me because I can get flick on’s and they can get knock downs off me and generally create other chances for them rather than myself,” he said. “It’s quite a good stat to have!”

Unlike Premier League players, Haworth managed to keep on his feet as he rounded Walker before cracking a shot into an empty net, to the delight of Dartford’s largest league crowd of the season.

The match-winner said, “I just chased down the keeper and he’s sort of given me a chance and I edged it past him and I thought I could go down, but I thought ‘no stay on your feet and get a strike away’.

“But luckily I caught it sweet and it flew into the top corner, so I was more than happy.”

Haworth praised the Dartford fans for their backing during the course of the season, especially as the team were struggling in their new Ryman Premier League surroundings in the early parts of their campaign.

“The fans’ here are fantastic,” said Haworth. “I mean, even when we weren’t doing so well at the start of the season, they were still coming through the gate and cheering us on and they stuck with us.

“I think both players’ and fans’ are now getting their reward and we’re going on a good run and as the gaffer says, we’ve just got to keep going one game at a time and hopefully get that last play-off spot.”

A run of sixteen points from their last six games has taken the Darts to within two points of the Ryman Premier League play-off’s and they travel to bottom side Heybridge Swifts on Saturday.

And Haworth believes now luck is turning in their favour, the Darts can mount a serious bid for the end-of-season play-off lottery.

There’s always been the belief at the start of the season,” he said.

“You can’t blame officials’ and everything but we didn’t have a lot of luck and over the season, it evens itself out.

“Elliot Bradbrook hit a great strike with his left-foot and it’s hit the bar and come out. At the start of the season we weren’t getting that, they were rifling it in.

“We’re picking up points and on a roll, but there’s still a lot of games to go, we’re only taking one game at a time and fingers crossed, we can do it.”

But Haworth reminds travelling fans’ not to expect a walk-over in Essex on Saturday - subject to pitch conditions.

“Every games a tough one,” he warned. “No game is easy in this league so all we’ve got to do, whatever the team the gaffer puts out, we’re 100% and we want three points.”

Visit Dartford’s websites: www.dartfordfc.co.uk & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk

Heybridge Swifts v Dartford
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 7^th February 2009
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Scraley Road, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex CM9 8JA