Princes Park Saturday, March 20th, 2010   Isthmian Premier Division Attendance: 1,501         Dartford 3-0 Maidstone United
2009 /10

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DARTFORD MAIDSTONE UNITED 1 Andrew Young 1 Andy Walker 2 Ryan Johnson (sub 60) 2 Ashley Ulph 3 Adam Gross 3 Jermaine Darlington (sub 65) 4 Adam Flanagan 4 Roland Edge (SO 86) 5 John Beales 5 Peter Hawkins 6 Danny Dafter (11) (sub 84) 6 James Peacock 7 Ryan Hayes (82) 7 Dean Rance 8 Danny Harris 8 Craig Stone (sub 79) 9 Allan Tait 9 Adrian Stone 10 Lee Burns (34) (sub 47) 10 Danny Hockton (sub 65) 11 Elliott Bradbrook 11 Mark Corneille 12 Rob Haworth (sub 47) 12 Lyndon Rowland 14 Carl Rook 14 Charlie Stimson (sub 65) 15 Lee Noble 15 Ant Bodle (sub 79) 16 James Coyle (sub 60) 16 Antonio Gonnella (sub 65) 17 James White (sub 84) 18 Richard Knell MAIDSTONE UNITED boss Peter Nott slammed his players as today’s 3-0 defeat to the champions-elect leaves them in a precarious position just four points (one one place) above the relegation zone. Clinical finishes from Danny Dafter, Lee Burns and Ryan Hayes gave Dartford a comfortable win in front of their largest crowd of the season and the hosts need only 14 more points (from their last ten games) to clinch the title and promotion into Blue Square South. The Stones finished the game with ten-men as Roland Edge was red-carded for a professional foul in the final four minutes. “We’ve been well beaten in the end, comprehensively beaten” admitted Nott, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “Dartford are a great side, but we made it very easy for them. We didn’t compete as much as we should’ve done. “I think we were having a good spell before they scored and then we just lost concentration, we didn’t deal with a deep header and we didn’t react but that’s the quality that they’ve got in their team and that was 1-0 and then we were struggling from them on.” In front of a crowd of 1,501 (including representatives from Virgin Atlantic who sponsor Dartford’s academy set-up), Maidstone United started brightly and played some neat football on the deck, without troubling Andrew Young in the Darts goal. With Craig Stone taking their set-pieces, the midfielder floated in an early corner, which was met by James Peacock, and his header dropped onto the roof of the net. Peacock then turned provider when his cross from the right was met by striker Danny Hockton at the far-post, but the unfit striker (who peeled away from his marker) glanced his header wide from six-yards. But Dartford grabbed the lead - against the run of play and from their first shot on goal - after just eleven minutes. Left-back, Adam Gross floated in a cross towards the far post, which was headed back across goal by Lee Burns and Danny Dafter was on hand to stab the ball into the back of the net from close range. Peter Hawkins used his experience to marshal the Stones defence (three central defenders and two-wing backs in Jermaine Darlington and Ashley Uphy pushing on), although in truth the front two of Hockton and Adrian Stone failed miserably to impress or to call Young into action. Dartford doubled their lead - in controversial circumstances - in the 34th minute. Latching onto Danny Harris’ pass, striker Allan Tait appeared to be offside but assistant referee David Richardson kept his flag down and Tait centred low for Burns to fire the ball in off the right-hand post. “The second goal,” added a disgruntled Nott, “It’s easy to blame the officials. He (Tait) was a good two or three yards offside. He started in an offside position, he came back in play. I thought the lino saw him and he was going to put the flag up but he didn’t, but to me it was a blatant offside goal and really killed any little chance that we had left.” Maidstone United keeper Andy Walker (who was beaten by Lee Burns’ solitary striker when the two sides met at Homelands Stadium earlier in the month) denied Dafter a second goal when the Dartford midfielder flicked John Beales’ long-throw towards goal from inside a crowded goal-mouth. Maidstone United need to find some training facilities soon, as further headers from Peacock and Adrian Stone were both off target following two Craig Stone balls into the box. The second half was a turgid affair as the game turned into a midfield battle, before the Stones created their only shot on target when Dean Rance’s 76th minute drive from the edge of the box was comfortably saved by Young. But Dartford wrapped up the comfortable win six minutes later. Peacock was at fault as his cross field pass went straight to Dartford right-winger Hayes, who burst forward and with his left-foot bent a low drive around Walker to find the bottom far corner on the angle. By this time, Maidstone looked dead and buried and were desperate to hear the final whistle. Dartford had a fourth goal ruled out when, following another Hayes cross, a header from substitute Jamie Coyle came back off the underside of the crossbar: substitute Rob Haworth clipped the far post from the follow up and Harris’ close range finish was chalked off for offside. Maidstone’s misery was complete when Haworth was brought down by last-man Edge, and referee Mr Charles Breakspear swiftly produced a straight red-card. Maidstone now face a battle to maintain their Ryman Premier League status in their final eleven games of the season, starting at in-form Tonbridge Angels on Tuesday night. “I think we’ve got the quality to get out of it,” Nott insisted. “We just need to have a bit more fight with them now. “It’s tough when you com to places like this and they’ve got the quality and a strong bench. “We knew today we had to go out there, we really had to really mix it up and get in their faces a little bit because they had a game on Thursday and we couldn’t let them settle - but we did let them settle and their class is going to take over.” Nott added: “We now need to show the desire to keep us in this league. I was very disappointed with how many people were second best around the pitch. “We’ve brought in a lot of players over the last couple of weeks and we’re asking those players to settle in very, very quickly, which in fairness they could do with a couple of games, but time is not on our side - but we should have enough experience to see us through.” Dartford boss Tony Burman was a pleased man at the final whistle, especially as his side have come through a physically tough four-game week with six points. The Darts were defeated by Tooting & Mitcham United and Boreham Wood earlier in the week, but their comfortable 3-1 win at Horsham on Thursday night was followed by another win here today. Praising his weary players, Burman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards: “I’m pleased for them because it’s been a tough week. It didn’t start off too good last Saturday or Tuesday, but they’ve bounced back and that’s why they’re where they are because they’re good players and a good side.” Burman added: “To be fair to Maidstone today, they’ve come here and attacked us and they haven’t sat back. Other teams have tried to hit us on the break and it upsets us but that’s fair play to them. “We’ve got a good squad and they’ve been consistent all season. When someone’s having a bad time you’ve got to give them the encouragement and try and build them up. We were all down on Tuesday but fair play to the players they’ve come back magnificently on Thursday night and today’s a big game, a local derby for us, a lot of history between the two clubs, and it was nice to get the early goal and go on from there.” Dartford have been sitting proudly at the top of the Ryman Premier League table since the second game of the season. Supporters are planning a big celebration party on the final day of the season with hotels in Bognor Regis selling out fast with partying Dartford fans heading to Butlins for a big weekend away. But the league title should be clinched by then - the Easter Monday home game against Canvey Island in five games time being the preferred celebratory date. “We’ve got to 70 points today and 70 points, I think, gets you into the play-off’s,” explained a proud Burman. “If you get 80 points then you’ve got a good chance of winning it but it’s looking good obviously, but we want to get things done. We don’t want to rely on other teams’ results. We don’t want to reply on what ever everyone else is doing. We want to do a good and thorough job ourselves.” Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) Assistants: Mr Gareth Mays (Epsom, Surrey) & Mr David Richardson (Epsom, Surrey)