AFC Hornchurch 0-0 Dartford - Burman satisfied with bore draw - EXCLUSIVE

AFC HORNCHURCH 0-0 DARTFORD
FA Carlsberg Trophy First Qualifying Round
Saturday 20^th October 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Bridge Avenue

Dartford boss Tony Burman was satisfied that his side played out a boring goal-less draw at AFC Hornchurch today.

Chances were few and far between, during this dour stalemate at a sunny Bridge Avenue in Upminster.

But despite not testing former Dartford goalkeeper Dale Brightly, Burman’s side did enough to earn a lucrative derby at Princes Park on Tuesday night.

Richard Avery slotted into the heart of defence for the Kent side, as John Guest was forced to miss his first game of the season, tucked up in bed suffering with ‘flu.

And the Darts were without strikers Jay May, serving the second of his three match ban, and Tom Bradbrook, who flies back from America tonight.

AFC Hornchurch were forced into a late change themselves, with midfielder Mark Janney pulling his hamstring during the warm-up, which saw Amos Foyewa being called up from the substitutes’ bench.

And Shane Oakley was involved in a car crash last night, missing this FA Carlsberg Trophy First Qualifying Round clash, suffering from whiplash.

The Essex side have lost just once in eight games at Bridge Avenue, and are normally vocally supported by their fans on the “Eastside”.

Despite the public address announcer doing his utmost to send the home faithful into a frenzy before the game and just before the second half, it was the passionate Dartford contingent that raised the roof, totally outsigning their Essex counterparts throughout this tight affair.

Dartford’s first chance arrived after three and a half minutes but striker Brendon Cass, who netted two in their 3-0 win over Great Wakering Rovers in midweek, stroked a weak shot from 18-yards, rolling into Brightly’s grateful arms.

AFC Hornchurch skipper Gary Cross blazed a right-footed shot over Tony Kessell’s crossbar from 25-yards.

The game’s first real chance came after 15 minutes when Harry Elmes latched onto a ball over the top, nipped in between Steve Norman and Kessell, and stabbed a shot towards the far-post.

The ball was rolling across the face of goal, but Dartford were able to clear without any real danger.

Norman played a diagonal ball from left to right after 23 minutes to winger Ryan Hayes, but his left-footed shot from 18-yards rolled towards the keeper.

Junior Kadi floated a cross towards the far post after 28 minutes but right-back Jamie Coyle leapt to head the ball into the side netting, as the game lacked any spark.

And at the other end, Simon Parker latched onto a pass from midfield, dwelled on the ball for too long instead of shooting first-time, and sent his shot just over the crossbar.

Burman offered words of encouragement to makeshift striker Eddie McClements, with ten minutes remaining.

McClements picked up a pass from Kadi, burst forward, but struck a fierce left-footed drive from thirty-yards, which sailed well wide.

Kessell plucked the ball out from underneath his crossbar after Jordan Bostock looped a 30-yard free-kick towards goal from the right-hand side.

Good defending from Avery inside the visitors’ penalty area averted the danger as Foyewa weaved his way into the box.

And from the resulting corner, taken by Richard Halle, Parker nodded into the side netting from close range.

Dartford should have done better with the first chance of the second half, after just 125 seconds.

McClements was shaping up to shoot from outside the penalty area, but played the ball to Hayes on his right.

But the former Slade Green winger lashed his angled right-footed shot over the top of the near-post.

Cass, who was quiet throughout, looped a shot past the near post in the 53rd minute from 18-yards, following another trade-mark run from Hayes down the left.

Foyewa’s right-footed shot ballooned high, high over Kessell’s crossbar soon after, when he tried his luck from 30-yards.

But you had to wait until the 63^rd minute for the game’s first real chance of the game.

Halle’s quick throw found Elmes, and he carved open a chance for Cross, but his right-footed deflected drive from 20-yards flashed just past the foot of the left-post, with Kessell rooted to the spot.

This sparked the Essex side into life, and Dartford had Kessell to thank on two occasions as the former Folkestone Invicta stopper kept his eighth clean sheet of the season.

A minute move down the left from Cross and Donny Barnard, found Halle and he cracked a left-footed shot towards goal, which Kessell beat around his near-post.

And with twenty minutes remaining, Kessell tipped Halle’s right-footed curling, dipping shot, over his crossbar.

Kessell had Elmes’ drilled shot from 25-yards covered as the ball rolled past the foot of his right-hand post.

Parker left Avery in wake as he got behind the Darts defence but poked the ball past the advancing Kessell and past the foot of the near post.

Despite 94 minutes and 78 seconds of boredom, everyone is hoping the replay is much better at Princes Park on Tuesday night.

But Burman was pleased that his side forced a replay - their eighth game in FA competitions this season.

“For us, it was a good result,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards.

“We’re away from home and we haven’t conceded a goal. We’ve come to a team playing at a higher division than us and we got a result to take them back to PP (Princes Park).

“I disagree that it was boring. I think we’ve come here and tried to play, we’ve tried to play.

“We were organised, disciplined and we had a great attitude. (We) didn’t create a lot today to be fair, I must admit.

“We didn’t create a lot but we created a lot last week (during their FA Cup defeat at Bromley) but didn’t get anything from it, but this week, we’ve had.”

AFC Hornchurch boss Colin McBride also spoke about today’s bore-draw.

“I thought it was a fair result,” the boss of the Ryman Premier League club admitted.

“I mean there wasn’t a chance at either end. The nearest we came to score was probably our first chance in the first half.”

He added: “But I think there was a lot of endeavour, but you take other positives out of it, a clean sheet.”

And on his first ever visit to Princes Park for Tuesday night’s rematch, the former Thurrock boss added: “We can go over there and win it, that’s for sure.”

AFC Hornchurch: Dale Brightly, Jordan Bostock, Danny Glozier, Elliot Styles, Richard Goddard, Danny Barnard, Garry Cross, Amos Foyewa (Joe Keith 67), Harry Elmes, Simon Parker (Kris Lee 80), Richard Hale (Andy Tomlinson 83).
Subs: Richard McKinney.

Dartford: Tony Kessell, Jamie Coyle, Steve Norman, Adam Flanagan, Richard Avery, Alex O’Brien, Ryan Hayes (Yohance Lewis 88), Junior Kadi, Brendon Cass, Eddie McClements, Mark Green.
Subs: Dave Moore, Brad Potter, Tommy Youle, Dean James.

Booked: Adam Flanagan 81

Attendance: 636
Referee: Mr John Lodge (Ipswich, Suffolk)
Assistants: Mr Martin Burroughs (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk) & Mr Dean Stobbard (Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk)