Ramsgate 0-1 Dartford - I'm pleased with the direction we're heading, says Burman

Day’s free-kick, on the stroke of half-time, moved the Darts to eighth in the Ryman Premier League table and left boss Burman a happy man.

“It’s been a strange old month for us as we’ve now played four away games on the bounce and we always knew it was going to be tough coming here,” Burman told BBC Radio Kent.

“I’m obviously pleased with our performance and the direction in which we are headed.”

For Jim Ward, the Rams boss, however, it was a frustrating evening.

“We’ve had a lot of the ball tonight and we’ve given it our all, but I’ve got to ask about some of the refereeing," puzzled the Ramsgate boss - adding, with tongue in cheek, “I did wonder if he got a new whistle for Christmas.”

The Darts boss seemed to be of a similar mind.

“It was tough for the players out there, but why was there so much whistle,” Burman asked.

“I don’t seem to have commented to much about referee’s in the past, but for some reason this season is different,” shrugged the Dartford boss.

The result though will make the trip back to Princes Park so sweet for Burman and the Dartford party and for Day, in particular, his fizzing free-kick past his former Welling United team mate Jamie Turner, would have tasted even sweeter.

The opening quarter of the game it was keenly contested, without a clear chance being created.

On 21 minutes, Ben Brown perhaps could have done better when he blasted high over the Dartford bar after a long throw caused problems.

Eleven minutes later, Cody McDonald perhaps should have done better by his own high standards as he side stepped Nick Davis only to shoot straight at Turner.

With the first half seemingly drifting towards a goal-less stalemate, Day struck.

Scott Holding flighted a ball in from the left which saw Tom Wynter penalised for jumping over Ryan Hayes on the edge of the box.

It proved to be a position of real danger for the home side as Day stepped up and coolly hammered the ball home from the edge of the D, to score his fourth goal of the season.

With the Rams having to chase the game during the second half, a predictable pattern emerged with the home side bombarding the Darts defence with long balls, whist the pace of McDonald and Hayes was always a constant threat for the home defence.

Indeed, on the hour, both goals had remarkable escapes.

From a Steffan Ball corner, Ryan Royston saw a header rebound off the Darts left post and as the visitors’ cleared their lines, McDonald raced clear of the Rams defence only to his shot wide of Turner’s left post.

On 68 minutes, from another swift break, Lee Noble brought the very best out of Turner from 25-yards with a skidding drive, which the giant keeper did well to turn aside.

Eight minutes later, substitute Simon Pettit, with his first touch, launched a long throw into the Darts area, which, again, caused problems, unfortunately for the home side the ball fell to central defender Davis, who couldn’t get enough on his shot and the chance had gone.

As the Rams now chased the game, changing from a 4-4-2 formation to a 3-3-4, with central defender Royston and substitute Tom Tsangarides pushed up front to support Jay May and Ball, the Darts almost sealed victory but Rob Haworth (on his return to Thanet - having played for Margate last season) couldn’t keep his shot down after Hayes, again, had done well down the right.

At the final whistle, the frustration in the Ramsgate performance was evident especially after their win in the Thant derby on Saturday.

Manager Ward though was upbeat despite the setback, which leaves the Rams in the division’s bottom three.

“That sums us up at the moment. To decent performances and results and then we lose one," said Ward.

“Fair play though to Dartford, they knew what to expect from us, but the free-kick from the boy Day was a cracker.

“We now go to Tonbridge on Saturday knowing we’ve beaten them there in the Trophy this season, but Tommy (Warrilow) has got them going now and it will be tough.”

For Darts boss Burman, however, he’s just looking forward to finally having a game at Princes Park, after four consecutive away games.

When asked jokingly about any possibility of him being named manager of the month, after losing just one game in December, Burman smiled, asking, “Is it Christmas?”

With 2009 dawning on the horizon both of these Kent clubs can look forward with a certain degree of optimism after a shaky start the Darts have recovered well and go into the New Year challenging on the edge of the play-off places.

Whilst Ramsgate, who as always, are difficult to beat, they will surely soon be able to convert their dominance in games into the points that they need to take them away from the drop zone and keep them in the Ryman Premier League.

Ramsgate: Jamie Turner, Danny Walder (Simon Pettit 75), Tom Wynter, Nick Davis, Ben Laslett, Ryan Royston, Ben Brown (Tom Tsangarides 71), Warren Schulz (Dan Tanner 72), Jay May, Steffan Ball, Andy Hadden.
Subs: Jake Eastwood, Dean Powell.

Booked: Ben Brown 55, Jamie Turner 83, Simon Pettit 90

Dartford: Andrew Young, Seun Eferakorho, Scott Holding, Adam Flanagan, John Guest, Tommy Osborne, Ryan Hayes (Danny Dafter 79), Jamie Day, Rob Haworth, Cody McDonald, Lee Noble.
Subs: Brendon Cass, Steve Butterworth, Danny Baigent, Daren Ibrahim.

Goal: Jamie Day 44

Booked: Jamie Day 19, Lee Noble 83

Attendance: 412
Referee: Mr Lee Venamore (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone) & Mr Rob Baker (Maidstone)