Dartford 3 Dover Athletic
2
FA Trophy - First Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday
18th October 2005
By Kevin
Harris
When the Dartford team took to the field at Stonebridge
Road to the sound of a song called 'War',
we should have realised that there would be no change in the home
side's tactics following Saturday. Yet another long-term injury was
accrued here, Shane Hamshare stretchered off after Steve Hafner flew
in on him, as Whites went out of the FA
Trophy.
With so many injuries sustained in the
first game on Saturday, it was an unfamiliar side that took to the
field here. With Hyde still coming back from injury, Smith was again
in goal, with a back four of Browne, Readings, Humphrey and Clifford. In
midfield we had Hamshare, Spiller, Hogg and Rogers, with Rook and
Smissen up-front.
Whites started Saturday's game slowly,
and they had clearly been told to start right from kick off in this
replay. They immediately took the game to the home side, with
Smissen going close early on with a shot just wide from
20-yards.
But with ten minutes gone, Whites did
take the lead. Humphrey laid the ball off to Rook, whose pinpoint
cross was met by the head of Hogg to send the ball past Kevin
Hudson.
Whites continued to dominate play without
creating serious goalscoring opportunities, and Dartford only threatened with a couple of set
pieces. So it was against the run of play when they drew level. Ryan
Hayes sent a free kick goalwards, and as Darren Smith called for the ball, Dave
Martin stole in to lob the ball over his head.
Whites were playing well though, and
continued to threaten Hudson's goal. Smissen saw his shot
saved, but was then unable to get out of the way of Rook's goalbound
effort minutes later. Buster made up for it just after the half hour
mark though, as he collected the ball 20-yards out, turned and fired
the ball into the net to again take the lead.
As the half came to a close, Rook's
header forced a good save to Hudson's right, but in injury time
more sloppy defending led to the scores being level again. Ryan
Briggs' corner was not cleared, and Hafner was free at the back post
to fire home, seconds before the whistle for
halftime.
Smissen almost gave the lead back to the
Whites in the opening minute of the second period, but his shot was
deflected just wide, before Hafner scored what proved to be the
winner. Collecting the ball 30-yards out he fired an unstoppable
shot into the top corner of the net, and within a few minutes either
side of the interval the game had swung full
circle.
Whites could have drawn immediately level
when Hogg's shot forced a super save out of Hudson, and then Readings went close from the
resultant corner, but his volley sailed inches
over.
The Darts almost scored again when Jim
Carter's header looped onto the bar, and went close through Eddie
McClements, before the challenge that left all associated with the
Whites seething. Hafner went flying in on Hamshare, and the young
midfielder was stretchered off the field and into the dressing room,
with a chorus of 'Another One Bites The Dust' ringing out from the
Dartford fans.
Nice.
Somehow, Hafner only received a yellow
card, and Whites were forced to introduce the unfit Tommy Tyne to
replace Shane. Dartford continued
to punctuate the flow of the game with needless fouls, though Hogg
blotted a strong performance with a retaliation foul on Hafner, but
if the referee had clamped down sooner there would have been no need
for this.
Whites continued to attack in search of
the equaliser, though an extra 30 minutes against this side could
have brought more injuries to the detriment of Whites' promotion
ambitions. Extra time could have been forced when Tyne shot just past the post from a wide
angle, and then substitute Skelton cut inside and crossed for Rook,
but he miscued his shot. Carl has been looking better with every
passing game since his arrival, getting into good positions, and
just needs a goal to really boost his
confidence.
The Dartford goal was leading a charmed
life, with Humphrey's header well tipped over by Hudson, Rook's
shot was blocked by Richard Avery, and then Matata ran and shot just
wide, but the equaliser just wouldn't come. All that was left was
for Jim Carter to slide in from behind on Dean Readings, but again
the referee only deemed it to warrant a yellow
card.
So Whites bowed out of the Trophy at the
first attempt, but I've got to wish Margate well in the next round, because if
Dartford play the same way against
them then they may lose a few players too. The injuries sustained in
these two matches could well affect the side's promotion bid, and
that is a bigger worry than going out of the
Trophy.
Dartford: Kevin
Hudson, Gary Carter, Tommy Osbourne (C), Anthony Henry, Richard
Avery, Steve Hafner, Ryan Briggs, Ryan Hayes (Brad Potter, 84mins), Jim
Carter, Eddie McClements, Dave Martin.
Subs (Not Used): Craig Maguire, Dominic Elmes, Dan
Westerman, Tom Olson.
Booked: Ryan Hayes (39mins), Steve Hafner
(65mins), Jim Carter (90mins)
Dover
Athletic: Darren Smith 7, Tony Browne 8, Dave Clifford 8,
Dean Readings 7, Shane Hamshare 8 (Tommy Tyne 7, 67mins),
Nicky Humphrey 7, Anthony Hogg 8, Lee Spiller 8, Carl Rook 8,
Michael Smissen 8 (Walid
Matata 7, 63mins), James Rogers 7 (Dale Skelton,
77mins).
Subs (Not Used): Kevin Lott, Paul
Hyde.
Booked: James Rogers (27mins), Dave Clifford
(56mins), Anthony Hogg (68mins)
Referee: Rob
Smith
Attendance:
323
