Olly Box came off the bench to score the winner, as Dartford took all three points in East Sussex to remain top of the Isthmian Premier League table.
With the sunshine beating down on the 486 supporters inside the Enclosed Ground, the match out on the pitch was a rather poor affair… possibly due to the state of the Whitehawk pitch more than anything.
Neither side could get going during a dull first-half, which saw neither goalkeeper seriously tested, as both sides cancelled each other out.
The Hawks did have two good opportunities from corners, but neither header on fourteen and seventeen minutes tested Jacob Marsden between the Dartford posts.
Meanwhile at the other end, neither Eddie Dsane (21) nor Denzelle Olopade (45+1) could test Hawk goalkeeper Joseph Osaghae with their efforts, while Sam Odaudu saw his 33rd minute strike blocked by the Hawk defence.
Ady Pennock’s Darts looked like a different animal during the opening exchanges of the second-half though, as they set about trying to break the deadlock.
Denzelle Olopade fired narrowly wide (47), before Duane Ofori-Acheampong’s effort was saved by Joseph Osaghae (48). Olopade saw another effort blocked by the Whitehawk defence (54), before Dartford made a double change in personnel.
Samir Carruthers and Olly Box were the duo to come on, as they replaced the hard-working Duane Ofori-Acheampong and Eddie Dsane respectively (58). The Dartford boss would be forced into another two changes later on, as Carruthers collected an injury and had to leave the field for Jeremiah Pinder (83), before Callum Jones was also unable to continue and was replaced by Tyler Christian-Law deep into stoppage time.
As we return to the action, Samir Carruthers’ excellent drive forward and pass to Sam Odaudu was the invitation the defender needed to release Olly Box, who fired beyond Osaghae in the 62nd minute to edge the visitors ahead. The goal arrived just four minutes after the duo’s introduction.
Both Callum Jones and Olly Box had opportunities to add to the scoreline, and the former should have been awarded a penalty after being hacked down inside the Whitehawk box late on. However referee, Mr Daniel D’Urso, showed no interest and after a bizarre 17 additional minutes at the end of the ninety, the one goal proved to be enough for the Darts.
The game may not have been easy on the eye, but at this stage of the season it’s the results that matter. And after putting their bodies well and truly on the line this afternoon, Josh Hill and Co did just that to keep the momentum at the top going by controlling a majority of the second forty-five.
Jacob Marsden put in yet another excellent shift to collect his fifteenth clean sheet of the season, as the Darts’ destiny remains in their own hands. And, credit to the travelling Dartford fans, who once again did not stop singing!
TEAMS
WHITEHAWK: Joseph Osaghae, Stefan Wright, Archie Johnson, Andrew Briggs, Addison Garnett, Hugo Odogwu-Atkinson, Emmanuel Mensah, Charlie Walker (c), Jordan Maguire-Drew, Harry Bridle, Callum Barlow.
SUBSTITUTES: Melford Simpson, Oscar Borg, Charlie Lambert, Steve Harman, Imran Kayani.
DARTFORD: Jacob Marsden, Sam Odaudu, Michael Olarewaju, George Whitefield, Josh Hill (c), Samuel Okoye, Hayden Bullas, Denzelle Olopade, Eddie Dsane, Callum Jones, Duane Ofori-Acheampong.
SUBSTITUTES: Samir Carruthers, Olly Box, Tyler Christian-Law, Louis Dunne, Jeremiah Pinder.
Chris Palmer