DARTFORD WOMEN 4 ACTONIANS 2
Pre-Season Friendly played on Princes Park 3G on Sunday 4th August 2024
Dartford team: Jade Charlton, Abbey Davies, Georgie Davis, Chana Hinds, Bethany Powell,
Xayla-Rae Alberts, Teni Charles, Emily Vaughan, Gabby Howells, Ellie Dolby, Shauni Griffiths
Subs: Lizzie Adams, Jo Woodgates, Naomi Nash, Poppy Payne, Molly Hawkins, Amy Reader, Cerys Baker,
Scorers: Abbey Davies, Lizzie Adams, Shauni Griffiths, Emily Vaughan
This was another good game the Darts’ to be involved in and against 4th-tier side Actonians, they not only matched their north London opponents and fairly tore them apart in the first-half. Leading 2-0 at half-time Darts extended their lead to 4-0, when amid many changes of personnel for the Darts, Actonians nearly stunned us after pulling two goals back, but when a third seemed likely Cerys in goal replacing Jade for her first Dartford appearance, stood up really well in a one-on-one situation and did enough to make the striker blast it way over the bar.
On 29 minutes Darts took a short corner on the right. Abbey Davies to Emily Vaughan returned it to Abbey who had worked her way to get behind Vaughany, latch on to the return ball and sent over a great centre deep into the goal which eluded the keeper and defence and nestled nicely in the back of the net. 1-0
In the next minute lovely work between Teni Charles and Gabby Howell ended with a great feint-touch of the ball from Gabby which fell nicely into the path of Lizzie Adams, on the edge of the penalty area who smashed it past the keeper into the top corner. 2-0
Jade and her defence coped really well with what little Actonians tried, Jade holding one high cross with ease.
Every body in the team deserved a special mention but it’s invariably the goalscorers that get all the glory, and so it was when Lizzie fed a super ball through to Shauni who planted it past the keeper with relative ease and extreme coolness. 3-0
Eight minutes into the second-half and Emily Vaughan so nearly increased Darts lead when a clean strike was extremely well saved by the keeper, down low to her left but one minute later was left helpless and exposed after a great diagonal by Abbey Davies found Vaughany, unmarked, and smashed the ball home for 4-0
Two minutes later Actonians thought they had pulled one back. They were looking much more dangerous on their right side now and a great fast thrust forward produced a pass into the goalmouth but was judged to be offside.
Actonians hit a ten minute ‘purple-patch’ midway through the half when they pulled a goal back and then another to make it 4-2
It was then when Cerys, who had replaced Jade, was faced with a one-on-one situation. She stood upright and tall, didn’t commit herself to left or right, and in the end the striker blazed the ball over the bar. If that had gone in, well who knows what the outcome might have been, but crucially for Darts it didn’t and were able to make more in-roads towards the visitor’s goal in the remaining minutes of the game.
Darts nearly extended their lead and were creating some good openings, one in particular deserved a goal when Poppy’s out-swinging cross eluded everyone, including Amy Reader and Molly Hawkins, steaming in at the far post.
Although in friendlies the results aren’t everything, the way the Darts opened up their higher-division opponents was good to watch and very promising for the opening of the season in just a couple of weeks.
FT: 4-2
Report by Tony Brown
With thanks to Connor Brennan for Twitter feed.
NEXT MATCH - Sunday 11th August 2024 versus LONDON CITY LIONESSES at Princes Park (probably on 3G - with admission prices)