Dartford 0-3 AFC Hornchurch - We lost with dignity, says proud Burman

DARTFORD 0-3 AFC HORNCHURCH
FA Carlsberg Trophy First Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday 23^rd October 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Princes Park

Dartford boss Tony Burman believes his side will learn from tonight’s FA Trophy exit at the hands of Ryman Premier League side AFC Hornchurch.

“We had a lesson to learn from their first touch on the ball, up front, was excellent tonight,” Burman told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“That’s no disrespect to who I play up front, but that’s what you look at and you say, that’s what I want.

The Ryman League Division One North hosts came across a quality side and goals from Kris Lee, Harry Elmes and Richard Halle sealed the Urchins a home game against Northwood in the next round on the first Saturday of next month.

It was Dartford’s first home defeat of the season, but their luck deserted them on three occasions, with striker Brendon Cass (twice), and central defender, Richard Avery, both hitting the woodwork.

A crowd of just 575, Dartford’s lowest ever crowd at Princes Park, braved the chilly conditions, as most fans decided to stay in the comfort and warmth of their own homes to watch football on the box - a killer of the non-league game.

Dartford were without flu victim John Guest for the second game running, so Avery kept his place alongside Adam Flanagan at the heart of defence.

And striker Jay May was sitting out the last of his three match suspension, but Dartford were also without full-back Tommy Osborne (groin), and Andrew Sam (tendonitis in knee and ankle).

AFC Hornchurch, who made three changes to their side that played out the goal-less draw at Bridge Avenue on Saturday, ensured Dartford lost possession on many occasions during the first half, with their slick passing.

The Essex side should have opened the scoring from the first corner of the game, after eight minutes.

But striker Elmes met Joe Keith’s corner with a bullet header from six-yards, which flew across Tony Kessell and whistled over the far post.

Dartford, keeping faith with the same eleven that earned tonight’s replay, created their first chance ten minutes later.

Wing-wizard Ryan Hayes showed his trademark tricks before cutting inside left-back Danny Glozier, but his left-footed cross-come-shot curled past the far post.

And at the other end, Lee went close when his left-footed shot from 22-yards curled past the upright.

Dartford almost broke the deadlock, against the run of play, after 28 minutes.

Kessell’s clearance was brought down by Cass and the striker unleashed a left-footed half-volley from thirty-yards, which looped over Dale Brightly and bounced agonisingly off the angle of top of the left-post and crossbar.

Kessell then pulled off a breathtaking double save, getting down low to his left to tip Lee’s shot away, and then recovering to block the driven follow up shot from Mark Janney.

But the Essex side deservedly opened the scoring with 32 minutes and 16 seconds on the clock.

Lee netted his fifth goal of the season when his looping header dropped into the bottom left-hand corner, following a superb whipped in cross from Joe Keith on the right flank.

The first time that Dartford managed to string some passes together, saw them go close with four first half minutes remaining.

Right-back Jamie Coyle joined the attack and exchanged passes with Hayes before unleashing a right-footed shot from the outside of his boot from thirty-yards, which Brightly tipped over his crossbar.

And from Hayes’ resulting near-post corner, Avery headed the ball into the ground and agonised as the ball bounced off the crossbar.

Although AFC Hornchurch were the better side during the first half, it was Dartford who created the better chances.

Dartford went close again in the 49^th minute when Cass saw his glancing header clawed out by Brightly, after Flanagan headed Hayes’ cross across the face of goal.

The former Dartford goalkeeper excelled again in the 61^st minute when he clawed out a looping header from Cass, following a cross from the left by-line by Eddie McClements, who at that time was playing on the left-hand side of midfield, having started the game behind Cass.

But after a missing a couple of good chances, AFC Hornchurch doubled their lead with fifteen minutes remaining.

Donny Barnard drilled a shot across the penalty area and a deft touch from striker Elmes resulted in the ball rolling into the middle of an empty net, to score his seventh goal of the season.

But Halle opened his account for the season, scoring direct from a free-kick with nine minutes of this first qualifying round replay remaining.

Halle swung in a corner from the stand side of Princes Park and saw his curling corner drop into the far corner of the net, which gave the visitors’ a rather flattering 3-0 victory.

Cass, missing suspended striker partner May, squandered an excellent chance to score a consolation goal late on.

Steve Norman whipped in a cross towards the far post and the striker got the ball from underneath his feet and rolled his shot towards the far post.

But he didn’t add to his eleven goals so far this season, as he saw the ball bounce agonisingly against the foot of the far post - the third time that Dartford hit the woodwork.

“I think it was a little bit closer than three-nil,” admitted Burman afterwards. “I think the corner is just a fluke goal but the other two goals, they weren’t bad goals, they were quite well taken goals.

“I thought they played a lot better than what they did on Saturday, to be fair to them, and I thought their front two was excellent.

“I don’t feel that we played terrible. I think we tried to still play football.”

Burman was left to rue his side’s bad luck, during a game when they struck the woodwork on three occasions.

“If Brendon’s one in the first half goes in…., Kess (Tony Kessell) has pulled off a fantastic save in the first half as well before we went a goal down, but I still think we played allright and we’ve given them a good game,” said the proud boss.

“But having said that, we’ve hit the bar twice haven’t we in the first half, so we’ve created a little but I thought the way we played tonight.

“If maybe I had their two forwards in respect the way they held the ball up there - it was a good lesson.”

He added: “But having said that, we’ve got beat by a good side, we knew they were a very good side.”

Burman knows the next visitors to Princes Park, Potters Bar Town, whose managed by former Dover Athletic boss Steve Browne, will not possess the same quality as the Urchins.

He said: “The players that we played against tonight are quality players and they’ve been about in the higher leagues.

“We might not come up against that sort of quality, I don’t think, in our division what we played against today.

“We did very well Saturday but tonight I thought their play was a lot better than what it was Saturday. I think they made it quite simple, how to play the game.

“We’ve lost tonight but we haven’t lost everything. We’ve lost with a little bit of dignity, even though the score was 3-0 but like I say it was a little bit flattering.”

Dartford: Tony Kessell, Jamie Coyle, Steve Norman, Adam Flanagan (Brad Potter 85), Richard Avery, Alex O’Brien, Ryan Hayes (Yohance Lewis 76), Junior Kadi, Brendon Cass, Eddie McClements, Mark Green (Tom Bradbrook 60).
Subs: Dave Moore, Dean James.

AFC Hornchurch: Dale Brightly, Jordan Bostock, Danny Glozier, Elliott Styles, Richard Goddard, Joe Keith, Donny Barnard (Andy Tomlinson 77), Mark Janney, Kris Lee (Shane Oakley 75), Harry Elmes, Richard Halle.
Subs: Gary Cross, Ronnie Fletcher, Richard McKinney.

Goals: Kris Lee 33, Harry Elmes 75, Richard Halle 81

Attendance: 575
Referee: Mr John Lodge (Ipswich, Suffolk)
Assistants: Mr John Macey (Bexley) & Mr Babatunde Abebayo (Bexleyheath)