KENT CUP FINAL - DARTFORD 2 CHATHAM TOWN 1

[TonyDart]

Darts Women are the Kent Cup Champions After 2-1 victory at The Gallagher Stadium!

The Darts Women headed to the Gallagher Stadium on Thursday evening, to face Chatham Town Women in the GoCardless Kent Women’s Cup Final.

This game was a repeat of last year’s final, and we headed into this one looking to go one better than last year and regain the Kent Cup trophy.

Chatham were the brighter of the two teams early in the first half and had the first chance of the contest early on. In the 15th minute, a well worked move from Chatham saw Amelia Woodgate cross from the right to find Lottie Sharp in the box, the header was held by Jade Charlton.

The Chats went close again minutes later as in the 24th minute, Lottie Sharp crossed to find Amy Russ in the 6yd box, only to be denied by a super stop from Jade Charlton to keep the tie all square.

The Darts began to grow into the game late in the first half and went close 7 minutes before the break. In the 38th minute, a great free kick from deep from Abbey Davies was headed by Mercedes Bromfield into the path of Paris Smith, smart stop from Eligon to deny the Darts striker.

Chatham went ahead 5 minutes before half time, as a fine through ball put Amelia Woodgate through on goal. The former Darts forward poked the ball beyond the onrushing Darts keeper to put the Chats ahead at the break.

The Darts began the second half looking for the equaliser and went close early in the second half. In the 57th minute, Shauni Griffiths with a free kick from the left found Xayla-Rae Alberts at the back post. The shot from the Darts skipper went into the side netting.

We went close again 8 minutes later as in the 65th minute, Shauni Griffiths with a free kick from a tight angle; shot went over the Chatham goal.

The Darts continued to create chances and we were level in the 73rd minute. Elsa Ejupi crossed from the right to find Shauni Griffiths in the box. The Darts' forward fired a shot into the roof of the net to bring us level.

Chatham reacted well to the Darts equaliser and nearly went back ahead minutes later. In the 77th minute, Lottie Sharp cut in from the left, shot just past the post.

The Darts were awarded a penalty five minutes from time after Lottie Cunningham was fouled in the box. Abbey Davies stepped up from the penalty spot and fired home beyond Eligon to seal the tie.

FT Dartford FC Women 2-1 Chatham Town Women FC.

Darts Women leave it late to come from one goal down, but goals from Griffiths and Davies late on see the Darts Women regain the Kent Women’s Cup.

A big thank you to all the fans who travelled and for their fantastic support! We will see you all at Sport London E Benfica on Sunday.

Up the Darts!

Team: Jade Charlton, Georgie Davis, Abbey Davies, Lizzie Adams, Shauni Griffiths, Xayla-Rae Alberts, Gabby Howell, Lottie Cunningham, Leila Awan, Ellie Dolby, Mercedes Bromfield.

Subs: Steph Caseriu, Izzy Franklin, Paris Smith, Mya Lewis-Powell, Elsa Ejupi.

Report by Connor Brennan

[TonyDart]

Title-chasing Dartford joint managers Martin McCarthy and Connor Dymond react to Kent Women’s Cup victory over Chatham Town ahead of league clash against Sport London e Benfica
by Luke Cawdell (Kent Online):

Dartford Women celebrated Kent Cup glory over Chatham Town and now turn their focus to promotion as they chase a place in the higher division.

The Darts came from behind to beat higher-ranked Chatham 2-1 on Thursday night at the Gallagher Stadium to lift the GoCardless Kent Women’s Cup, thanks to goals from Shauni Griffiths and Abbey Davies.

Report: Dartford 2 Chatham 1

Dartford have four league games left and will secure promotion into Chatham’s division if they win all of those remaining games, which includes a final fixture at league leaders Saltdean.

They play Sport London e Benfica on Sunday and Ebbsfleet United on Wednesday night as their push for the title continues.

Joint boss Martin McCarthy said: “We hope we can get promotion this year, we can get up and we'll have a load more battles with Chatham next year, and then it'll be a case of who's got the bragging rights.

“Healthy competition is always good competition, that's how we see the Chatham rivalry.

“We’re top dogs on the night [in the Kent Cup] but Chatham will come back again. They've got fabulous players and a good group.

“We're always told, ‘don't cry when you lose, and don't cry when you win’. We'll get our heads down. We've got a big game coming up on Sunday. We've got to win that as well.”

Focus will have switched to league ambitions, but McCarthy and joint boss Connor Dymond made sure they enjoyed their Kent Cup success.

Dartford were a goal down at the break, but they always had the belief that they could fight back.

McCarthy said: “Chatham are a really good side, they got to the fifth round of the FA Cup, but we had a game plan, and the girls did it.

“We said beforehand [to the girls], ‘We put so much effort into it, we do a lot of brave running, you might be going behind, and if you go behind, you've got to control your emotions’.

“We said at half-time, ‘1-0 down, is anyone fearing this second half?’ The girls said no. We just had to keep believing and said, ‘I think there's a goal in there, and if you get one, I fancy you'll get two.

“That's why we were so happy when we got the second, because we both looked at each other and said, ‘If you could make a perfect game plan, that's what happened. It was excellent.”

Dymond said: “We’re ecstatic for the girls, really happy, and exhausted! Proud is probably the biggest feeling, for the ladies and the staff.”

Davies won the game with a penalty in the 85th minute and Dymond was confident she would put it away.

“We were 100% confident,” he said. “Scared, definitely, as well! But we do have a massive belief in Abbey, she’s scored 15 or 16 goals this season, so it's no coincidence.

“At important times, she's probably turned up the most out of the side. We believe in all of them and I think they showed that they should be playing at this level.”

Now it’s all about the league. Dartford came second to Fulham last season, a team who have just claimed top spot again, in Chatham’s division.

The Darts also finished second behind Dulwich Hamlet in 2023/24 before missing out again a year ago. Only one team gets promoted. They are currently five points behind leaders Saltdean United, with a game in hand, and the sides meet on the final day in Brighton on May 10 - in what could be a title decider.

McCarthy said: “This year we've only lost one [league game] and we’re still fighting for a title. It goes to show you what the level's like.

“These girls deserve massive credit because in the last five minutes of that game, there was only one team still running, and that's down to their fitness levels.

“The girls are so dedicated, and it's the professionalism that they've instilled in their own game. Yes, we set it, but they train two nights a week with us, and they train two nights a week away, down at gyms and stuff like that.

“When we talk about professionalism, these girls are giving absolutely everything to try to be a professional, and nights like that, it’s thoroughly deserved.”

Games between Dartford and Chatham are usually fiercely fought but McCarthy says they have a lot of respect for their county rivals.



“We've got huge respect for Chatham,” he said.

“Keith Boanas (Chatham’s boss and a coach developer) is a great manager and he was my mentor when I was doing my [coaching] badges, an unbelievable guy.

“You have to pit yourself against good people at times. Chatham are a fantastic team, a great side, and we not only matched them [on Thursday]. I think anyone that watched the game [would say] Dartford thoroughly deserved to win.

“We battled harder than them. We out-fought them and bearing in mind we've played them already this year, Chatham beat us [in the Isthmian League Cup], and they out-battled us, and out-fought us.

“Hats off to the girls, we asked them to turn the tables, and they've gone and done it. It was a great night and an emotional night.”

Dymond commented on the rivalry, saying: “It’s a respectful rivalry, because of the common knowledge between the staff and the players, and it being so local.

“You always want to compete against the better sides.

Chatham have done fantastic this season and hopefully we can take this [rivalry] to the next league, and then it will be a proper battle.”

Chatham finish their league season away against Luton Town on Sunday while Dartford head to Rectory Field in Middlesex for their next league challenge.

Thank to Luke Cawdell and Kent On line for article, report and photos.


Tony Brown

[TonyDart]

Lottie Sharp (Chatham Town) and Lottie Cunningham (Dartford) during Dartford's great cup final win. Photo: PSP Images

Action during Dartford's Kent Women's Cup win Photo: PSP Images

[TonyDart]

Photo by Joe Kwok

Abbey Davies, Player of the Match

Photo by PSP Images

[TonyDart]

Thanks to Connor Brennan for all you do!!!!

[Ajaxman DFC]

If I remember rightly we played Chatham three times in cup competitions last season. Twice at their gaff followed by the Kent Cup Final at the Gallagher Stadium.
The first game it was clear the national league side were the better team with us creating just two clear goal scoring opportunities during the match. Although had we taken them we could have snatched a 2-2 draw in normal time.
The second meeting saw us go down by two goals again but we did find the net in a 3-1 defeat. It was also a much improved performance and the gap was closing.
When we met in the Kent final that gap was slammed shut and despite Chatham's 2-1 victory they knew they had been in one hell of a game which was played out at 90 mph.
We matched them all the way and despite having a good season in the National League South East that was probably one of the toughest games they had been involved in all season.
And if we felt we belonged in the same league as them then, we certainly do even more so now. Not only have we beaten QPR and taken London Bees to the wire in the FA Cup this season but we've now turned the tables on Chatham in the Kent Cup Final. The reverse scoreline making victory even more sweeter by having to come from behind to achieve it.
A magnificent triumph for everyone involved.

[TonyDart]

THE THREE GOALS FROM THE KENT CUP FINAL - TWO FOR DARTFORD!






COYD

[TonyDart]

THE TROPHY LIFT - RAISING THE CUP

[TonyDart]

Another Report on the game published on the Kent Sports News (Kent Football News football-only feed)
Report by Mike Green:[/b]

Dartford Women 2-1 Chatham Town Women
Written by Mike Green

Thursday, 23 April 2026 21:45

Dartford Women avenged defeat in 2025 to win the 2026 Women’s Kent Cup as they came from behind to beat holders Chatham Town Women in front of a crowd of over a thousand at the Gallagher Stadium.

The Darts were forced to come from behind as the Chats led at half time after dominating the opening forty-five minutes through an excellently crafted Amelia Woodgate goal.

But that was as good as it got for the holders as Dartford upped the tempo after the break and deservedly levelled when Shauni Griffiths smashed home.

And the Cup was won with a last gasp penalty after Charlotte Cunningham had been fouled, Abbie Davies stepped up and although Chats keeper Simone Eligon valiantly got both hands to the ball, the power sent the ball looping almost apologetically into the opposite corner sparking wild scenes of celebration.

There was a big surprise when the teams were announced as Chatham skipper Grace Coombs started her first match of the season after struggling with a back injury all campaign.

And Coombs and her teammates would have been encouraged by a first half was so dominated by Chatham that those scenes of Dartford joy that were to come later were but a dream to many but the holder’s inability to convert chances would come back to haunt them.

Early on Darts keeper Jade Charlton had to rush out of her box as Amelia Woodgate was played through. Amy Russ then found Lottie Sharp but she couldn’t get her shot away; Sharp who outpaced Cunningham continually in the first half down the left sent over teasing ball after teasing ball which eluded anyone in red – the closest the Chats came was when Woodgate got a touch at the near post which ricocheted off a relieved keeper and behind.

The Chats kept piling forward – Ellie Jeffkins was a yard wide from a Woodgate pull back before returning the favour by playing the pass of the match which split the Dartford defence in two and Woodgate coolly slotted the ball past the advancing Charlton to give Chatham a deserved lead.

It was a lead that they nearly doubled immediately as Charlton very nearly spilled a Jeffkins corner into her own net.

There was one big warning for the Chats before the break when Paris Smith fired an angled drive which Eligon stood up to really well at her near post as Chatham went in a goal to the good.

The second period began slowly with Russ being denied by Charlton, but slowly and surely the momentum changed. Griffiths clipped a free kick high over the bar from a good position in what was Dartford’s clearest chance before she hammered home the equaliser taking advantage of defensive hesitation to give Eligon no chance.

Sub Otesha Charles nearly restored the Chats lead as she forced into the side netting which heralded Chatham’s best spell of the second period – three times they released Sharp, the first ball flew across the face of goal; the second was a shot that missed the far post by inches and the third brought a save from Charlton who pushed the ball behind the onrushing Charles.

Sharp was then seemingly brought down in the box and despite some appeals the referee waved away the appeals. The Darts when literally straight up the other end and when Cunningham went down, this time the official pointed to the spot, and Davies’s spot kick just had enough to loop home despite Eligon’s valiant efforts.

Dartford deserved their win if only for seeming to want this game more that Chatham most notably as the game wore on, and they will hope that they can use this as a springboard to boost their promotion campaign into the National League with four must win games left.
For Chatham meanwhile, their sensational season where they reached the Quarter Finals of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, finally appeared to catch up with them.

They now look to end their season at Luton Town on Sunday before trying to defend their Combined Counties League Cup with an upcoming Quarter Final against Sutton United on the horizon.

DARTFORD WOMEN – Charlton, Davis, Davies, Adams, Griffiths (Smith), Alberts, Howell (Griffiths)(Lewis-Powell), Cunningham, Awan (Ejupi), Dolby, Bromfield (Franklin).
Sub not used – Caseriu.
CHATHAM TOWN WOMEN – Eligon, Auguste (King), Hynes, Coombs, Perkins, Jeffkins, Russ (Charles), Sharp (Madison Woodgate), Amelia Woodgate, Jones, Dunn (Wright).
Sub not used – Wiffen.
REFEREE – Ms. Wade
Pictures below supplied by PSP Images.

Xayla leads the charge