Wrexham:
Welcome to a new season at Princes Park and today’s game against Wrexham.
It has been a strange summer, first having to come to terms with relegation into the Conference South and then having to adjust to another season in the Conference Premier. Seeing clubs like Hereford and Salisbury in so much trouble is not nice, but for us this is a great opportunity to put a few things right and continue this great club’s progression to the Football League one day.
You need look no further than our opposition today to see how important it is for Dartford to be competing in the Conference Premier. No disrespect to other clubs in lower leagues, but I am sure everyone would much rather be playing against the likes of Wrexham and other big former league clubs each week than against anyone else. We are all now well aware of just how incredibly tough this league is, but it is a challenge that we are all looking forward to. The goal is to survive, and that is something we must all remember over the course of the season through the ups and the downs.
Pre-season has gone well and the new squad is coming together nicely. Many of the new lads have already featured in a Dartford shirt before so there are plenty of familiar faces around, and everyone is fit and raring to go. I honestly think this is the strongest squad of players we have ever had at this club, and of course it will take a little bit of time for the new team to gel, but I am positive that this will happen quickly considering the quality we have.
As always, thanks for your support and I hope you are looking forward to another season with us. COYD!!
Bradders.
Dartford v Wrexham Sat 9 Aug 2014 FT 1-2 Att 1561
Woking v Dartford Tue 12 Aug 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1538
Kidderminster v Dartford Sat 16 Aug 2014 FT 1-0 Att 1626
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Torquay United:
Welcome to today’s game against Torquay United.
The first week of the season has been and gone, and despite only picking up one point from three games there are certainly a lot of positives to take. I thought we have looked well organised and competitive in each game and really could/should have taken more points, particularly against Wrexham and Woking. It is obviously going to take some time for this new team to settle down and gel together, but our general play over the past week has been encouraging and this will hopefully lead to better performances and more points in the coming weeks. Our opening month’s fixtures are very tough, so it’s all about digging in and trying to grind out as many points as possible.
I thought that we put Wrexham under a lot of pressure, particularly in the first half, but conceded a couple of poor goals which cost us in the end. We looked generally quite solid at the back and dangerous going forward, and to do that against a team looking to challenge for promotion was pleasing. Obviously to concede a 94th minute equaliser at Woking was hugely disappointing but that happens in football sometimes. We passed the ball well in that game and caused them some problems, especially after they started so well and put us under a lot of pressure early on. Kidderminster was a tough game and I thought we played into their hands in the first half with too many long balls up to two smaller lads upfront which invited pressure back on to us. Browny kept us in it with 4-5 top saves, but the performance was much better in the second half and we could have even nicked a draw in the end.
Despite the positives though, it is really important that we start to put points on the board. The first three points of the season are often the hardest to get and we really need get them as soon as possible. Torquay will be looking for promotion this season, so this will be another tough game, and with us travelling to Barnet on Monday it does not get any easier.
Let’s hope for another strong performance and a big three points to get us up and running.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Torquay Utd Sat 23 Aug 2014 FT 0-0 Att 1163
Barnet v Dartford Mon 25 Aug 2014 FT 4-0 Att 1605
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Telford United:
Welcome to today’s games against Telford United.
The first five games of the season are now out of the way – five tough games all against teams that are likely to finish in the top 10 this year. We have managed to pick up just two points from those games with draws against Woking and Torquay, both of which really should have been wins. To concede so late on against Woking was obviously hugely disappointing, and then for me to miss a penalty against Torquay on Saturday cost us another two points. So, all of a sudden, we are in a much worse position that we really ought to be at this point in time - I don’t think it is unreasonable to say we should be sitting here on six points now rather than two, but that is how things go sometimes.
I thought we more than matched Torquay in all areas on Saturday. They are an ex-league side that have just come down from League Two, so to keep a clean sheet was pleasing and to be honest it was only through our own mistakes that we looked in any trouble at all. But, you just can’t afford to miss penalties in tight games like those and expect to win, so I can only apologise to everyone for that.
Bank Holiday Monday’s trip to Barnet was a different story, and the first time this season where we were a bit outclassed. They were a big, strong and well organised team who I am sure will be right up there this year. Having said that, we were causing them problems and were well in the game right up until half time until we conceded a poor goal from a corner. Then they literally scored two goals from their first two shots in the second half, and that just shows how unforgiving this league is as we went from causing them problems to 3-0 down within about 15 minutes. It has happened a few times over the past couple of years and it is something you can do very little about when you are playing these full-time experienced teams that can punish you out of nothing.
Although we are disappointed to only have two points at this moment in time, we have to be realistic and stay positive. The teams that we have played so far all have aspirations of getting in the playoffs and, for the most part, we have matched them all and could/should have picked up more points. September is a big month for us as we play a number of teams that are likely to be in and around the mid-lower table, so it is here that we really need to stand up, be counted and start picking up points consistently. Starting today.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Telford Utd Sat 30 Aug 2014 FT 2-1 Att 923
Altrincham v Dartford Sat 6 Sep 2014 FT 2-1 Att 1571
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Eastleigh:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Eastleigh.
I am writing these notes just after our first win of the season against Telford, and before the game away to Altrincham on Saturday. So I can only hope that we are able to pick up another good result there and get on a bit of a winning run. Sometimes it is difficult to get the first three points on the board and we had to wait patiently for them. The win against Telford has put everyone at ease a little bit as the pressure was building to get that first win on the board, regardless of our generally good performances in the opening five games. But now that it is out of the way, hopefully we can push on and start picking up points more regularly.
I was a bit surprised at the reaction to the first half performance against Telford. On the pitch, it felt like we were controlling the game and were playing some of the best football we have played so far. Obviously the final ball was not there which was letting us down, and we conceded a very sloppy goal which meant we came in at half time 1-0 down. However, I felt our general play was good and we really should have taken advantage of that pressure by scoring during the first half. I don’t feel that much changed in the second half other than the fact that we managed to score two good goals which gave us the win. Obviously football is all about scoring goals, and if you don’t score then people are going to criticise, but I thought the performance was pretty good throughout and I will take three points no matter how they come.
As I have mentioned before, the next month is a really important one for us as we are going to be playing a number of teams which will be in and around that lower mid-table come the end of the season. No disrespect to teams like Telford, Altrincham, Dover, Nuneaton and Welling, but like us they will all be hoping for survival this year and it is important that we pick up points against these teams in the coming weeks. Eastleigh are a different story, as they have spent a lot of money to get where they are over the past couple of years and I am sure they will be looking to get in the playoffs this year as a minimum. They are a side full of league and conference experience so I am sure tonight will be a very tough game. Hopefully we can get a result.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Eastleigh Tue 9 Sep 2014 FT 2-2 Att 806
Gateshead v Dartford Sat 13 Sep 2014 FT 1-0 Att 1336
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Dover Athletic:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Dover Athletic.
I am writing these notes just after our defeat away to Altrincham on Saturday and before Tuesday’s game at home to Eastleigh. Obviously we are all disappointed with the result at Altrincham – like I have said before, September is an important month for us and we really do need to pick up a good number of points over the next 6-8 games. This began with a good win against Telford, but to fall two goals behind at Altrincham when we really should have been two ahead after the first 20 minutes was very disappointing. This left us with a bit of a mountain to climb and although we managed to get one back and were really pushing for an equaliser at the end, it wasn’t enough. You have to take your chances in this league and unfortunately we didn’t on Saturday and they did.
Obviously we are going to take some criticism when we lose games, just the same as we take credit when we win. However, I really do think that as a team and as a club we are moving in the right direction. The football we are playing has generally been good throughout the opening games of the season, but we do need to become a lot more ruthless in both boxes, both defensively and in attack. Let’s not forget, the goal is very much to fight for survival in this league and I am confident that we have the right people at the club to do that.
Tonight will be another tough game against a newly promoted Dover side that have begun the season well. The rivalry with Dover has always been one I have enjoyed and it is great that we now get to meet again in this league. They have spent some money and bought in some very good players in recent weeks which has strengthened their squad massively (including a few ex-Dartford players) so this should be a very good game and one I am looking forward to.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Dover Tue 16 Sep 2014 FT 2-1 Att 1103
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Forest Green Rovers:
Welcome to today’s game against Forest Green Rovers.
Picking up three points against our old rivals Dover on Tuesday night was a very welcome result. It was a difficult game as we were set up to pressure them in possession, but they were very happy to smash long balls into the hole for their tricky forward to chase which made it hard to us to get a foot on the ball in the first half. We conceded early again, which was disappointing, but it came off a wicked deflection from a free kick so there was very little we could do about that.
However, the character and desire shown by everyone in the second half was great again. We needed to push forward in search for a goal and that obviously left us a little open at the back at times, which resulted in them getting a few more chances to score, but that is something that needed to be done if we were to get back in the game. I was really pleased for both Harry and Tom to get on the score sheet as our forwards have taken a bit of undeserved stick recently, and Browny made a big penalty save at the end to secure three points.
As was said after the game, we have been desperately unlucky at times so far this season and really should be sitting on 5-6 more points than we are. Last weekend, we went all the way to Gateshead and completely outplayed them but lost 1-0, plus we really deserved more from the games against Woking and Torquay. So it was nice to have things go our way for a change and hopefully that it something that will continue.
We seem to have played against Forest Green more than any other team over the past few years, and they have always been close encounters. They have a relatively new team compared to last year, but I am sure they have their sights on getting promoted and will be very strong. So this will be another big test, but hopefully another good result.
Thanks for your support – particularly to the 20 or so which made the long trip up to Gateshead last week. It was much appreciated by all the players and staff.
Bradders.
Dartford v Forest GR Sat 20 Sep 2014 FT 1-2 Att 1003
Nuneaton v Dartford Sat 27 Sep 2014 FT 1-2 Att 759
Welling v Dartford Tue 30 Sep 2014 FT 2-2 Att 1306
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Grimsby Town:
Welcome to today’s game against Grimsby Town.
It has been a decent week for us, having finally managed to string two positive results together against Nuneaton and Welling – both away from home. Unfortunately we keep falling a goal behind in games which is leaving us with an uphill battle to get a result. Having said that, it shows the sort of character and spirit we have in the dressing room to be able to come from behind on so many occasions and rescue points. I am sure we can fix the issues we are having and then I certainly feel that we have the quality to win games on a consistent basis in this league.
After playing so well in recent games against Gateshead and Forest Green but coming away with nothing to show for it, I think we were due a bit of luck and we got that up at Nuneaton last week. Again, we conceded a poor goal early on but then showed some good quality in the second half to get the win. The substitutions really changed the game for us and Danny Harris scored a great header to seal the three points so I was well pleased for him. It was always going to be difficult for us with Nuneaton hiring a new manager during the week, so the discipline and character shown to win the game was very pleasing.
It was a similar story at Welling on Tuesday night. We were unfortunate to score an own goal early on, which gave them the advantage, but again showed great character to come back from behind not once, but twice. Welling are always difficult to play against because they try to play nice neat football, so I think to go there and get a draw was a good result and it keeps us ticking over. Having said that, their keeper has pulled of a few great saves to keep them in it in the first half and we had two stonewall penalty shouts turned down, so it could have been very different.
Grimsby will be another very tough test today. They will have their sights set on promotion this year and are coming off the back of a defeat on Tuesday night, so will be right up for this. Hopefully we can get an early goal ourselves this time and then kick on from there. Consistency is the name of the game in this league, and we have a great chance to carry on our recent good form with another result today.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Grimsby Town Sat 4 Oct 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1285
Bristol Rovers v Dartford Tue 7 Oct 2014 FT 1-0 Att 5112
Dartford v Macclesfield Sat 11 Oct 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1063
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Aldershot Town:
Welcome to today’s game against Aldershot Town.
Last weekend’s draw against Macclesfield was another in a (growing) series of games where we have been the better side, but have thrown away points. Having scored in something like the 85th minute to take the lead, there is no way we shouldn’t be able to see the game out and take all three points. Unfortunately that is how things are going for us at the moment – of course there are lots of positives to take in the way we are playing, but at some point we have got to kick-on and start turning these good performances into wins on a consistent basis. Draws are all well and good, but when you look back over the past few games against Welling, Grimsby and Macclesfield, all three really should have been wins and it has been a case of points dropped rather than gained.
I look at the squad of players we have and the general level of performance throughout the season so far, and we really should be on at least 10 more points than we are now. I know I have said this a number of times already, but we have to keep the faith that football tends to even itself out over the course of a season – because I think we are owed a lot of good fortune and points. If we can continue to produce good performances, I am sure things will turn around for us and we can go on to do well this year. At some point, something has to give and I can only be positive from what I have seen so far.
Aldershot will be another tough test for us today. They have had a pretty decent start to the season and will be coming here in search of a result. But we are the home side and are coming of the back of a few good weeks in terms of results, so I am hoping our luck will change here today and we can pick up a win which will set us up nicely as we take a break from the league and look forward to a big FA Cup game coming up next week.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Aldershot Town Sat 18 Oct 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1310
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Burgess Hill Town – FA Cup:
Welcome to today’s FA Cup tie against Burgess Hill Town.
Although this draw looks kind on paper, I can assure everyone that nothing is ever easy in football – and especially in the FA Cup. Burgess Hill might play a few divisions below us, but they are top of their league and something like 25 games unbeaten, which is a feat very few players will ever achieve in football. So that is a record we need to respect and we must recognise that anything less than our best today simply won’t be good enough.
Of course I am pleased to have gotten a home tie and against a team from a lower division (rather than Forest Green away which we seem to have had many times in recent years), but Burgess Hill will come here full of confidence and with absolutely nothing to lose - a dangerous mix in any FA Cup tie. Fortunately, we are pretty used to going into games as the underdog these days so we are well prepared for the task at hand. Our attitude as a team has been great so far this year, and we need to make sure that continues today in order to get a result.
The FA Cup is a fantastic competition, and one we all love to play in. We have a great chance to progress into the first round proper today, and I do not want to be part of team that lets that chance slip because we think it will be easy and a walk in the park. I have won and lost many of these last qualifier games over the years, and it obviously feels a hell of a lot better to be watching the first round draw having won the day before. We have been knocking on the door of a big result for a number of weeks now, and I think it is time that we got it.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Burgess Hill Town Sat 25 Oct 2014 FT 3-1 Att 929
Grimsby Town v Dartford Sat 1 Nov 2014 FT 3-0 Att 3116
FA Cup First Round Proper
Bromley v Dartford Sat 8 Nov 2014 FT 3-4 Att 4105
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Welling United:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Welling United.
I am writing these notes before our FA Cup tie against Bromley on Saturday, so hopefully we manage to play well and get
ourselves into the hat for the second round (something I have never managed before). The Bromley match is the start of an
important period of games for us, with Welling tonight followed by Southport at the weekend and Lincoln and Chester both
coming up later in November. These are all teams that are in a similar league position to us, so it is vitally important
that we pick up a good number of points during this period to avoid falling too far behind the pace. Obviously these teams
will be looking to do the same against us, so we have to be at our best in the coming weeks.
The Grimsby game last weekend was obviously disappointing. We really didn’t play well, and were well beaten by the much
better side. However, that has not happened very often this season and I am sure we will get things back on track quickly.
I realise our league position is not great at the moment, but our performances have generally been good. Unfortunately,
we have just drawn too many games (the joint most in the league so far) and this has resulted in far too many dropped
points. I think we have to take the positives from this though – we are getting positive results and are performing to a
decent level, but no one is denying that we must start turning this into wins.
Welling have had a similar start to the season as us. They are desperate need of the points too, so this will undoubtedly
be another tough game. We played them a few weeks ago, and I was really disappointed in how we managed to score two goals
away from home but still conceded two sloppy goals and drew the game. That is something that has happened far too often
this year, so hopefully we can put that right tonight.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Welling Tue 11 Nov 2014 FT 2-1 Att 1512
Dartford v Southport Sat 15 Nov 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1163
Lincoln City v Dartford Sat 22 Nov 2014 FT 1-0 Att 2483
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Chester:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Chester.
I am writing these notes before Saturday’s trip to Lincoln City, so hopefully we manage to keep this good run we are on going by getting a result up there. I also hope I personally manage to come back from the game without any injuries as I have had come off injured there two years running!!!
We managed to salvage a point against Southport on Saturday after a very late goal from Harry Crawford. I thought it was
nothing less than we deserved as, in my opinion, we were by far the better team over the course of the 90 minutes. We
could easily have won the game by 4-5 goals had it not been for some good goalkeeping from their keeper. Although they too
had a few chances to put the game to bed, so I guess we have to be thankful they didn’t and be happy with a point.
Southport have been on a decent run lately so in the grand scheme of things a draw is a good result, although we obviously wanted the three points. They also managed to beat Dagenham 2-0 during the week in an FA Cup replay, so it shows how well we did to outplay them as much as we did.
Chester will be another very tough opponent tonight. They have had a similar first half of the season to us, although they
are sitting a little prettier in mid-table. We know what to expect from them and both teams will be looking to take three
points from the game, so it should be a good test. The last time we played them was on TV last year, in probably one of
the worst televised games in history – both teams were scrapping for points and they eventually won to a well taken goal.
Hopefully we can put that right tonight. We have been on a good run ourselves over the past few weeks and it is so important that we win our home games.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Chester Tue 25 Nov 2014 FT 2-4 Att 904
Forest Green v Dartford Sat 29 Nov 2014 FT 2-1 Att 1148
Eastleigh v Dartford Tue 2 Dec 2014 FT 2-0 Att 1765
Bradford City v Dartford Sun 7 Dec 2014 FT 4-1 Att 5373 (FA Cup 2nd round proper)
Dartford v Solihull Moors Sat 13 Dec 2014 FT 2-0 Att 513 (FA Trophy 1st round)
Wrexham v Dartford Sat 20 Dec 2014 FT 1-3 Att 2662
Dartford v Braintree Town Fri 26 Dec 2014 FT 0-2 Att 1201
Braintree Town v Dartford Thu 1 Jan 2015 FT 3-0 Att 934
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Kidderminster Harriers:
Welcome to today's game against Kidderminster Harriers.
Firstly, I would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year. Obviously 2014 was not a particularly great year for everyone involved with Dartford FC, but I am hoping that 2015 will bring some happier times back to the club. There are so many good people working extremely hard to make this club as successful as possible, both on and off the pitch, so I really hope that 2015 is a good year for everyone involved.
I am writing these notes just after our victory away at Wrexham in December, so all I can do is hope and pray that the Christmas fixtures have gone well for us and we have managed to pick up a good number of points to make the league table look a little prettier going into the New Year. The season so far has obviously been very tough, but I don't think anyone would have expected anything less. However, I strongly feel that we have the right people at the club to make a good go of staying in this league. There are a lot of big games coming up over the next couple of months which will decide our fate, so we need everyone pulling in the right direction if we are to get the results we need.
Kidderminster are an excellent side and will have their sights set on a play-off place come the end of the season. However, we have traditionally done well against them over the past few years, so hopefully we can put in a good performance and get the second half of the season going in a positive direction.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Kidderminster Sun 4 Jan 2015 FT 1-2 Att 902
FA Trophy: Burgess Hill v Dartford Sat 10 Jan 2015 FT 1-2 Att 1010
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Halifax Town:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Halifax Town.
I am writing these notes after our defeat to Kidderminster and before our visit to Burgess Hill at the weekend. Again, for what seems like the hundredth time this season, we allowed three points to slip through of our hands against Kidderminster. To have been the better side for large periods of the game, but not even manage to draw was bitterly disappointing. It pretty much sums up our season to date as I can think of so many times where we have played well, or been leading games but have dropped points. The same should be said for the Braintree game on New Year’s Day – we were the only side in it for 70 minutes, but some bad luck and moments of sloppy play resulted in a 3-0 defeat.
The league table obviously doesn’t lie and we have to accept that. But what we need to do is re-focus and do all we can over the next few months to try and dig ourselves out of trouble. Nobody here is giving up and there is still a hell of a lot of points left to play for. Regardless of the points gap as it currently stands, we need to string a few positive results together and put some pressure on the teams around us. There is going to be a good 5-8 teams involved in the relegation scrap and we have to do all we can to try and be at the top of that group come the end of April.
It is certainly not going to be easy, but I think we can do it. Getting relegated last season was the worst experience of my career and I won’t accept the same again this season without a good fight. Everyone here wants this club to be successful, so we need absolutely everybody pulling in the same direction over the coming weeks and months if we are to stay in this league. I realise you all have differing opinions on the playing squad, the management, the board etc, but we all want the same thing at the end of the day, and that is for Dartford to remain and Conference Premier club and to be successful.
Let’s stick together and see what happens. Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Halifax Town Tue 13 Jan 2015 FT 1-2 Att 811
Dover v Dartford Sat 17 Jan 2015 FT 6-1 Att 1042
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Bristol Rovers:
Welcome to today’s game against Bristol Rovers.
This week marks Tony Burman’s 10 year reign as manager at Dartford – a fantastic achievement. As many of you know, Tony has been an integral part of this club’s success over the past 30 years. He helped to save the club when there was barely a club left to save, and has since led it into one of the most successful periods in its history over the past decade….and all of that with the burden of Ryan Hayes around his neck. I am not sure which he deserves more credit for to be honest?! But seriously, it is a mark of how far this club has come under Tony that, in a matter of a few years, we have swapped moaning about the dog mess on the park football pitch to complaining about only getting a draw against the likes of Grimsby in the Conference Premier. We all have a lot to thank him for and I would like to congratulate him on such a great achievement.
Last weekend’s spirited fight back against Halifax in the FA Trophy has given everyone a bit of a lift. It was nice to get some sort of reward for a decent performance, even if that reward is a very long away trip on Tuesday night for a replay. To come from two goals behind against a good side like Halifax shows what we are capable of, and it is exactly that sort of team spirit which is going to be needed for the rest of the season. However, the game still ran very similar to many others this year with us conceding two poor goals out of nothing – two crosses into the box which were not dealt with was the only difference between the two sides in the first half. Unfortunately it is very difficult to win games from that position and when we keep going behind like that. Although I really feel like we had them on the ropes in the second half and would have won the game if it had been allowed to go to extra time. Nevertheless there are some positives to take there.
Hopefully we can take those positives into today’s game and try and put this poor run of league form behind us. There are only a few opportunities left to dig ourselves out of trouble this year, and winning our home games is an absolute must. Bristol Rovers are a very good side and are on the promotion trail, so we know it is going to be difficult. But that is no different to any other week.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Bristol Rovers Sat 31 Jan 2015 FT 2-2 Att 1832
AFC Telford v Dartford Sat 14 Feb 2015 FT 2-3 Att 1653
Aldershot v Dartford Sat 28 Feb 2015 FT 1-1 Att 1787
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Woking:
Welcome to tonight’s game against Woking.
I am writing these notes before our trip to Aldershot on Saturday. It has been a very frustrating couple of weeks without any football due to the weather. We finally got a bit of momentum going by putting a run of two good league results together against Bristol and Telford, but then we haven’t played again for over two weeks. Yes, it is nice to have a bit of a rest but ideally we wanted to keep that momentum going and it is very hard to do that without any games, and barely enough time to train because of games getting called off late. Hopefully we can manage to overcome all of this and pick up a good result against Aldershot which will really keep us in the mix.
All of a sudden the league table looks a bit more optimistic. We still have points to make up on the teams around us, but we have games in hand over all of them and need to play against many of them in the coming weeks. These games are going to be huge, but it is in our own hands and we have a fantastic opportunity to stay up now. There are going to be plenty more ups and downs to come over the next month with so many games ahead, but a few big results really could separate us from the teams around us.
Woking are a very good side and are having an excellent season. Having said that, I thought we were bitterly unlucky to come away from their place earlier in the season with only a draw. They equalised in injury time, and that game goes down as one of many this year where we have dropped valuable points. Hopefully our luck can change tonight and we can get another much needed result.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Woking Tue 3 Mar 2015 FT 1-3 Att 884
Halifax Town v Dartford Sat 7 Mar 2015 FT 0-0 Att 1253
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Alfreton Town:
Welcome to today’s game against Alfreton Town.
This is obviously a very big game for both teams. I have been saying for many weeks now that our fate is still well and truly in our own hands, but this relies heavily on us beating those teams around us at the bottom of the table. Today is certainly one of those games, and I am sure Alfreton will approach it in exactly the same way as us. Three points for them will put a fair bit of distance between us (regardless of our games in hand), but a win for us will really push us into the mix with 11 games left to play.
The lads picked up a great point last Saturday against Halifax, especially having played much of the game with 10 men. On any other day, that point would have been seen as a big one, but unfortunately for us all of the teams around us picked up points too. That is how football goes sometimes, but we have another great opportunity today to pick up three points and put some pressure on other teams.
It has undoubtedly been another tough season for us all, but we still have a fantastic chance to stay in this league which really would be an accomplishment. There are 12 games left to go, and we need everyone pulling in the same direction. You never know what can happen in football.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Alfreton Town Sat 14 Mar 2015 FT 0-1 Att 913
Chester v Dartford Tue 17 Mar 2015 FT 1-2 Att 1603
Southport v Dartford Sat 21 Mar 2015 FT 2-0 Att 850
Alfreton v Dartford Tue 24 Mar 2015 FT 0-0 Att 490
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Altrincham:
Welcome to today’s game against Altrincham.
I am writing these notes just after our defeat away to Southport on Saturday and before Tuesday night’s trip to Alfreton. Sadly we were not able to follow a great result away at Chester with another one against Southport, something which has been a feature of the past couple of years. Unfortunately, we are at that time in the season when the only thing that matters is results, especially when playing the teams immediately around you in the league, but we have just not managed to get those results.
I thought we were excellent for the first half an hour against Southport, but we just couldn’t find that initial breakthrough which I am sure would have seen us go on to win comfortably. They barely touched the ball or even look interested in the first half, but we didn’t score and left ourselves open for problems in the second half. Again, this is something that has been a feature of our season – I have lost count of the amount of times we have been on top in games but have come away with nothing at the end. It is by no means a lack of effort, as all of the lads work so hard, but this league demands that bit of extra quality and we have not been able to come up with it.
However, there are still plenty of points left to play for over the next nine games. Nobody will be chucking the towel in any time soon, and we just have to hope that results go in our favour. Nothing has changed from our point of view – we need to win our own games and that is all we can focus on doing. We have lots of important games coming up and stranger things have certainly happened in football, so we can only do our best and see what happens.
Thanks for your support, particularly to those handful of people who have travelled over 1,200 miles this week to support us. We really appreciate it.
Bradders.
Dartford v Altrincham Sat 28 Mar 2015 FT 1-2 Att 982
Dartford v Gateshead Tue 31 Mar 2015 FT 1-1 Att 602
Torquay Utd v Dartford Sat 4 Apr 2015 FT 1-1 Att 1754
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Barnet:
Welcome to today’s game against Barnet.
I am writing these notes just after our home defeat to Altrincham, so before the visit of Gateshead on Tuesday night and the trip to Torquay on Saturday. Obviously, losing to Altrincham was another disappointing result. We went 1-0 down to a breakaway early on, but I felt we hit the panic button after that and became too concerned about the fact we were losing rather than trying to get back into it. It wasn’t until the second half that we settled down and began to actually believe that we could get a result. Unfortunately, you can’t cater for poor officiating and by then they had extended their lead with a goal that was an absolute mile offside. This left us with a mountain to climb and although we huffed and puffed we just weren’t able to claw our way back into it.
I realise everyone is hurting at the moment with how things have gone – none more so than inside our own dressing room. It is no secret that there is a lot of negativity around the place the moment, and rightly so after the past couple of years. However, this negativity has clearly crept into to our performances at home this year with people being afraid to make mistakes or getting too caught up in what people on the side have to say about them – this is not an excuse as players must be able to rise above this, but that is easier said than done. You need to have tough skin to go out and perform well in that sort of atmosphere and despite everyone’s best efforts we just haven’t managed to do it.
We welcome the TV cameras back to Princes Park today, and we face a Barnet side that is right up there challenging for the league title. In my opinion, Barnet were the best side we have played this year when we went to their place earlier in the season, so today will undoubtedly be a very tough game. As usual, we need everyone pulling together to try and dig out a result.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Barnet Mon 6 Apr 2015 FT 0-1 Att 1579
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Nuneaton Town:
Welcome to today’s game against Nuneaton Town.
Regardless of how the league table looks and what our fate may well be after today, nothing is absolutely decided yet and we need to go into today’s game in a positive frame of mind. We have three games left and the aim is clear – we have to win all three and hope that a miracle happens. I can fully appreciate that even winning all three games may not be enough but all we can do is focus on today and trying to take three points. Whatever else is destined to happen, will happen.
Nuneaton are in the same position as us. They are fighting for their lives as well and both of us need to win, so I am sure neither team will be holding anything back today. Our home form has admittedly not been great this season, but there have been some very good performances in there too. Hopefully we can produce one of those and at least keep our hopes of staying in this league alive for another week.
Thanks for your support.
Bradders.
Dartford v Nuneaton Town Sat 11 Apr 2015 FT 3-1 Att 808
Macclesfield v Dartford Sat 18 Apr 2015 FT 2-0 Att 1756
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Lincoln City:
Welcome to today’s game against Lincoln City.
Today marks the end of another long and difficult season for everyone associated with Dartford Football Club. Despite all of our best efforts, we have simply not put enough points on the board to keep us in this division and that is the truth of the matter. In football, success or failure tends to come down to a small number of key moments, and we certainly have not been on the right side of those moments enough this season. Football is all about results and we have simply not won enough games.
Without making excuses, it is clear to see where we have failed this year. We have drawn 14 games, many of them from winning positions, a figure that is amongst the highest in the league. A draw does very little for your league position and we have suffered because we have not managed to convert enough of them into wins. If you look at other teams which have avoided relegation, most either win or lose games with fewer draws and that has been the difference for us. That points to a lack of cutting edge in games where we have been the better side but not managed to make that count, and there have been so many of them throughout the season. When you add to this the fact that we have lost 13 league games by a single goal, therein lies the rub.
What is important now is that the club regroups and rebuilds. Some valuable lessons have been learnt about what it takes to compete in the highest tier of non-league football, and the club will be so much better prepared for it when the opportunity comes to be part of it again in the future. This may not happen immediately, as some serious healing needs to be done on and off the pitch, but I have every confidence that this club will be right there challenging in the years to come.
I would just like to thank everyone who has supported us both home and away this season. It is easy to support your team when everything is going well, but it is so important to keep the faith when things are going badly. This club has some of the best people behind it and this will really help it go from strength to strength in future.
Have a good summer.
Bradders.
Dartford v Lincoln City Sat 25 Apr 2015 FT 0-0 Att 1274
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