Brentwood Town 2-2 Dartford - We're ready for Suffolk Showdown, insists Burman

BRENTWOOD TOWN 2-2 DARTFORD
Ryman League Division One North
Tuesday 5^th February 2008
Mike Green reports from Brentwood Arena

I WONDER if in the final analysis of the season Tony Burman will look back at the wet and wild night at the Brentwood Arena and conceded where the Ryman League Division One North championship was won.

For the Darts boss saw his charges go a man down inside six minutes, a goal down by half-time, yet still rally in the second half to lead many of the sodden watching fans to question which side had the man advantage.

Speaking afterwards to BBC Radio Kent, Burman was actually annoyed that his side had not taken all three points.

He said: “At the end it was their players asking the referee how long there was to go. We were that much on top and our fitness levels were tremendous.”

But Burman will also be first to concede that Brentwood Town gave Dartford a real fright this evening. One that we hope will put the Darts in good stead for their mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash at AFC Sudbury on Saturday.

The game enjoyed a lively start and with Jay May being shown a straight red card by referee Mr Wood on six minutes for a challenge that left Burman disappointed and perplexed at the same time.

“In this day and age I suppose the referee was right to show the card but how there guy wasn’t shown a red card as well for retaliation,” shrugged Burman. “I just don’t know?”

Whilst the Darts were coming to terms with May’s departure, the home side took the lead.

A corner was swung in on 13 minutes from the left and central defender Gareth Street got the last touch.

Despite having a strong wind at their backs and bags of possession the Darts rarely troubled home goalkeeper Marc Palmer.

And the closest they came was a flashing header from Brendon Cass, seven minutes from the break, from a magnificent Ryan Hayes cross.

After the break as the heavens opened and the Darts upped a gear and were deservedly level on the hour.

And it was that man Cass, with his 30^th goal of the season, who levelled the score.

Junior Kadi did brilliantly to win the ball in the centre circle; his ball found Hayes down the right and his first time touch found the over-lapping Jamie Coyle; Coyle beat the full-back to the line and centred perfectly for Cass to power home the header.

The Darts were now rampant and took the lead at the halfway point of the second half.

Steve Norman was fouled just inside the Brentwood half and took the free-kick himself, sending a teasing ball to the edge of the home penalty area. Keeper Palmer came for it but was always going to be second guest to John Guest, who looped the header home to register his fourth goal of the season.

It was justice for Guest as the central defender had been very harshly cautioned in the first half and now faces a suspension.

The Darts then succumbed to the classic counter sucker punch. It was the great Bill Shankley who once said “You’re most likely to concede when you’ve just scored,” and so it proved this Tuesday night once again.

Brentwood’s player-of-the-game Lee Noble picked up a sliced clearance from keeper Palmer, advanced and then sent a vicious curling shot past Tony Kessell and in off the base of the right post.

Tony Kessell then had to be at his alert best to race from his line to block Joao Carlos before Kadi saw a free-kick deflected off Street to send Palmer scrambling across his goal to save.

All in all, you have to look at this game realistically and when you consider that Brentwood lead the table earlier in the season for the Darts to venture into Essex on a Tuesday night, play for 84 minutes with ten-men and come to within a fraction of bringing the three points back across the QE2 Bridge, certainly does prove that it will take a very good side to deny Burman’s side end of season silver.

Burman said: “I’m delighted with the players tonight but when we look to Saturday I’ve got some injuries that I’ve got to worry about.

“You saw Flan (Adam Flanagan) hobble off after putting a hell of a performance in and Alex O’Brien played the whole game after tweaking his groin.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s Suffolk showdown, Burman added, with a cheeky grin on his face, “We’ll go there at the weekend knowing they have to beat us. Sets up quite a game doesn’t it?”

* Mike Green and Paul Parkinson are covering Saturday's Suffolk Showdown for BBC Radio Kent - 96.7FM.

Brentwood: Marc Palmer, Steve King, Chris Neville, Terry Scotchmer, Richard Ketchell, Gareth Street, Joao Carlos, Danny Dafter, Trevor Paul (Leon Diaczuk 75), Jonathan Whittaker, Lee Noble.
Subs: Riki Holmes, Ian Smith, Alfie Hayes, Nicky Mitchell.

Goals: Gareth Street 13, Lee Noble 68

Booked: Lee Noble 67

Dartford: Tony Kessell, Jamie Coyle, Steve Norman, Adam Flanagan (Richard Avery 90), John Guest, Alex O’Brien, Ryan Hayes, Jay May, Brendon Cass, Junior Kadi, Phil Williams (Mark Green 72).
Subs: Yohance Lewis, Dave Moore, Tommy Osborne.

Goals: Brendon Cass 60, John Guest 67

Booked: John Guest 14

Sent off: Jay May 6