Dartford will make their longest journey of the season this weekend when they travel to fellow promotion hopefuls Truro City.
Dartford will hope to recreate last season’s performance at Treyew Road where they won 5-0. Keaton Wood, Andy Pugh, Duane Ofori-Acheampong’s brace and Alex Brown all found the back of the net in a comfortable win and biggest away victory for six and half years. The triumph secured the Darts first victory against the Cornwall club at the fifth attempt.
The Darts hit five again in the home match last term but conceded three in the process of completing the double of the White Tigers. Pugh scored two with Elliot Bradbrook, Luke Wanadio and Tom Murphy adding the other goals in an entertaining fixture.
After the euphoria of taking on Football League clubs in the F.A Cup, both teams can now concentrate on the National South. The Darts were comprehensively beaten at home to League Two side Swindon Town, whilst the White Tigers lost 3-1 to League One’s Charlton Athletic.
Hopeful of causing a cup upset, Dartford’s tie was effectively over in 26 minutes when Timi Elsnick, Harry Smith then Elsnick again put the Robins 3-0 up. Despite an encouraging final quarter of an hour in the first half, the Darts couldn’t manage anything to show for their efforts. Swindon Town added two more in quick succession at the start of the second half through Amine Lingazi and Paul Mullin, but at least Richard Sho-Silva gave Dartford fans something to cheer with a consolation.
Tony Burman was disappointed with his side’s defending, he told www.kentonline.co.uk: “It’s disappointing because, defensively, we’re better than that. Yes, they were good finishes but we shouldn’t have given them the opportunities to finish their efforts like that”.
Andy Pugh will serve the second match of his three game ban for his red card at Bath City. Duane Ofori-Acheampong was not named in the squad for the F.A Cup fixture and is recovering from injury.
Currently leading the National South on goal difference, the Darts know a third league win in a row will more than likely keep them top of the table. Meanwhile, Truro City will want to close the four point gap on Dartford especially as they also have a game in hand.
After Sunday’s F.A Cup defeat to Charlton Athletic, manager Lee Hodges told BBC Radio Cornwall: “My main feeling is pride, we have faced a team a few leagues above and put in a performance that was great”, he added: “We have shown guts and determination and we left everything on the pitch against a very good team”.
Truro City struggled last term but this time they have put themselves amongst the many early front runners. The White Tigers hit form in September winning all five matches to extend a winning streak to six, Hodges picked up Manager of the Month. However, the curse of the monthly award struck as Truro City went on to pick up two points from their nine available in October.
Head to Head
Truro City wins: 3 / Dartford wins: 2 / Draws: 1
Current League Form
| Truro City (DLDWWW) | Dartford (WWLWLW) | ||||
| Bognor Regis Town | H | 1-1 | St Albans City | H | 2-1 |
| Wealdstone | A | 1-2 | Bath City | A | 2-1 |
| Hampton & Richmond | H | 1-1 | Chelmsford City | A | 0-1 |
| East Thurrock United | A | 2-1 | Bognor Regis Town | H | 3-1 |
| Chippenham Town | H | 1-0 | Weston-super-Mare | A | 0-3 |
| Whitehawk | H | 7-2 | Eastbourne Borough | H | 4-2 |
Previous Meetings
| 18.03.2017 | Dartford | 5 | Truro City | 3 |
| 08.10.2016 | Truro City | 0 | Dartford | 5 |
| 05.04.2016 | Truro City | 3 | Dartford | 0 |
| 19.09.2015 | Dartford | 0 | Truro City | 1 |
| 28.04.2012 | Truro City | 1 | Dartford | 1 |
| 22.10.2011 | Dartford | 1 | Truro City | 2 |
Stats
Dartford’s win at Bath City in their last away game in the National South ended a run of two successive defeats on the road in the league.
The Darts are the league’s top scorers with 34, only second place Braintree Town can match that.
Although Dartford have conceded 15 in their last three F.A Cup proper rounds (excluding qualifiers), they have the second best defence in the National South letting in just 15 in 16 games, three more goals than Chelmsford City.
On This Day
Princes Park opened as a full house packed the new stadium for Dartford’s homecoming. Hosting Horsham YMCA history was made by Brendon Cass who scored the first goal at the Darts new home, the time of the goal now etched on the window in the club bar. Cass scored again but the goal of the game came from Eddie McClements who struck a shot from outside the box. Nick Barnes scored the fourth and final goal in a 4-2 win on a day many fondly remember. Eleven years on Dartford have won 151, drawn 68, lost 78, scored 587 and conceded 374 in competitive matches at Princes Park. Happy Birthday.
Date: Saturday 11th November 2017
Venue: Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2TH
Kick-Off: 3:00PM
TURNSTILES: Open from 12:30pm
ADMISSION:
Adult Standing/Seating: £13.00
Senior (65+) Standing/Seating: £10.00
Student/Under-18 Standing/Seating: £5.00
Under-12 standing/seating: FREE
SPECIAL DEALS:
FAMILY: £26.00 for 2 parents + up to 3 children (National League matches only)
SEATING: Seating is available on a first come first served basis in certain areas of the stadium.
PARKING: Parking is free at the ground and is usually accessible, though an overspill car park exists at the County Hall, 500 m west from the ground.
MATCH UPDATES: Limited Updates will be Available on Twitter @dartfordfc and on website www.dartfordfc.com – full updates via Truro twitter will also be available
COACH TRAVEL: Coach leaves Princes Park at 6:30am – FULLY BOOKED – FOR RESERVE LIST contact Mick Austin 07969 181796