FAC 3rd qual round v Woking - REPORT

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TonyDart
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FAC 3rd qual round v Woking - REPORT

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Match Report (No 10) WOKING 0 DARTFORD 5 Vitality Women’s F.A. Cup 3rd qualifying round
Sunday 23rd October 2022 k/off 2pm at Sheerwater F.C. ground, Eastwood Leisure Centre
Dartford F.C. Women: Manager: Connor Dymond; Coaching Assistant: Martin McCarthy,
Team: Jade Charlton; Georgie Davis, Jo Woodgates, Charlie Torry, Alicia Gibbs, Lizzie Adams, Amy Green, Emily Read, Paris Smith, Nicha Dyett, Shauni Griffiths
Subs: Adele Pearce, Amy Reader, Emily Vaughan (all used in 2nd half), Rachel Ahern – not used


Woking’s temporary home at Sheerwater F.C. was the venue for Sunday’s F.A. Cup tie. A win would take Dartford into the 1st round proper of the competition for the first time in their history.
Long range shots from Amy Green and Lizzie Adams were fired at Woking’s goal in the opening minutes and the first corner of the match was Dartford’s. Emily Read played it quick and short to Paris Smith but the end result was that the packed Woking defence snuffed out any chance of getting near to goal.
Dartford’s intentions where there to see from the kick-off. Always trying to play the passing game followed by longer passes up both wings. The midfield, from the outset, seemed to be owned by Lizzie Adams, Alicia Gibbs and Amy Green, with Paris Smith able to play just in front of midfield. Nicha Dyett was the strong front-runner and received plenty of service from the wing play of Emily Read and Shauni Griffiths. Dartford attacked with force and it was a surprise that the first goal was so long in coming.
Another effort from Paris nearly got the reward of a goal when she latched on to a defender’s mistake and shot at goal but was saved well by the keeper. Emily on the right wing was a constant threat from the first minute and constantly got the better of her younger marker, but the Darts still couldn’t get any closer to scoring.
In the opening ten minutes, Dartford had further attempts at distance from Amy, Paris, Lizzie, and even Charlie Torry found herself within striking distance, but on the whole, Darts had left their shooting boots at home.
On twelve minutes, Darts got a bit closer to scoring when Nicha’s strike hit the outside of the left post. Surprisingly, Woking offered very little, but this was without doubt due to the stranglehold that the Darts’ midfield had on the game
There were some good passing moves, one especially on twenty minutes, when Shauni passed inside to Lizzie who hit it to the opposite wing where, between them, Emily and Amy forced their way forward and their efforts won a corner. However, for the second time in the opening stages they played the short corner routine and again didn’t come to anything.
Dartford were making good progress to the last third of the pitch but they found Woking very willing to hold off rather than diving in for their tackles and for now this was preventing the Darts from getting any real clear strikes at goal.
Even on the occasions that the forwards got closer to the Woking goal, their keeper was having a good game and very dominant at plucking high crosses out the air. But there was one occasion when she appeared to have landed badly on her ankle and from then on, the goal-kicks were taken by her defenders. Many of these kicks failed to reach a decent distance and Darts midfield capitalised on this and the home side rarely had a look in at Jade’s goal.
Darts had a couple of free-kicks around the 30-yard mark, but one shot was wide and the other blocked and then the Woking goalie did well to get her body behind a fierce drive from Lizzie on the edge of the box
Finally, in the 29th minute, Dartford got their reward. They played the ball out of their defence and found Lizzie who passed to Charlie who found Amy Green. She beat her ‘man’ and played a great through ball into the area for Paris, who scored with a beautiful strike.

During the next few minutes, the up to now, ever-confident goalie, made two aerial collections look easy, but then made two distinct errors in quick succession, but fortunately for her were not punished.
Paris was unlucky to be booked for a challenge on the goalie which was always a 50:50 ball, but the goalie, coming off worse in the clash, laid on the ground – probably more winded from landing on the ball than anything else – but the referee duly raised his yellow card.
On 45 minutes, Darts were awarded a penalty. Georgie Davis had taken a throw-in which Nicha headed on and it may well have been a push in her back that resulted in the award. Nicha confidently hit it strong and high into the right top corner with the goalie well beaten. 2-0
2022-23 v Woking Nicha scores Darts 2nd from pen_11zon.jpg
Nicha secures Darts 2nd goal from the penalty spot
[Photo: Taur Everard]

Half-time 2-0
The second-half was very much the same as the first, with Dartford much in the ascendancy and in the 50th minute Amy Green latched on to a loose ball and smashed it home from close range to make it 3-0.
2022-23 v Woking Amy Green scores No 3_11zon.jpg
Amy Green scores Darts No 3
[Photo: Taur Everard]



In the 60th minute, Nicha showed nice control and passed to Lizzie who in turn placed a great cross pass to Emily Read on the right wing. Woking had done a better job at marking her in the second-half and Em nearly always had two defenders around her. But on this occasion, she hassled and hassled them into a mistake, got past them and took the ball into the area where she fired home a very well-taken goal, for Darts’ fourth.
Three changes were made during the second-half and Darts basically carried on from where they had left off, always willing to shoot on sight of goal.
Full credit to Woking, they never resorted to anything other than good wholesome challenges and their lack in precision passing was more than made up with by their willingness in trying to exert some pressure on the Darts by their strong front running. Always encouraged by their home fans, who praised them for every tackle must have helped keep their heads up. For a brief period, Woking raised their game, and Georgie, Jo and Charlie were both forced into long back passes to Jade. More than once their forwards were prepared to make the long chase to try and retrieve possession of the ball, and Jade had to have her wits about her, for any slip-up might have meant a goal conceded, although by then, the match was more more-or-less won by the Darts.
In the 77th minute, from a corner, both Charlie and Shauni went for a header, the ball smacking against the bar, and Charlie ended up deep in the goal. This was a great effort that certainly deserved a goal!
On 87 minutes Shauni latched onto a loose ball in the area and she drove the ball strongly past the keeper for Dart’s fifth.
So, with this result, Darts reached the 1st round proper for the first time in their history. A great day and great performance all-round. Onwards and Upwards!

Report by Tony Brown
Photos by Taur Everard
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