Dartford 1-1 Sittingbourne - Late Sherwood strike stuns wasteful Darts

Dartford striker Jay May netted his sixth goal in seven games to open the scoring after 13 minutes, but the majority of the 870 crowd - the lowest to watch the Darts at Princes Park - were left stunned when winger Mitchell Sherwood opened his account for the new season with just five minutes left to earn Sittingbourne a lucrative replay at Bourne Park on Tuesday night.

Sittingbourne midfielder, Anthony Hogg, tested Dartford goalkeeper Tony Kessell after just seven minutes, with an angled left-footed free-kick from 25-yards, which was tipped over the bar.

And another chance fell to the visitors two minutes later when Steve Hafner, who like Hogg are former Darts, blazed over the bar after cutting in from the right.

But a slick move enabled Dartford to draw first blood.

Midfielder Eddie McClements pass was flicked on by Brendon Cass into May’s path and the prolific striker sent a right-footed fifteen yard lob over the advancing Josh Willis, which dropped in the roof of the open net to the delight of the home faithful.

Eighteen-year-old Wills was called into action just three minutes later, tipping May’s powerful header from 12-yards over his bar.

And from Steve Norman’s resulting corner, defender John Guest’s header bounced off the crossbar and towards safety.

Cass should have scored his sixth goal of the season in the 17^th minute when he pounced on a poor back pass from James Campbell but the striker stabbed his shot agonisingly past the foot of the right hand post after Willis tried to smother the ball from his feet.

Dartford right-back, Jamie Coyle, the former Sittingbourne skipper, chipped in a far-post cross in the 23^rd minute, but a Cass header sailed past the far post.

Cass was wasteful again on the stroke of half-time, hooking a poor shot into Willis’ grateful arms, following good work from his strike partner, May.

Sittingbourne boss Steve Lovell was forced into making a couple of changes either side of half-time.

Lee Hockey (foot) and Hogg (ankle and groin) are both likely to miss the replay.

Lovell changed his formation from 4-5-1, with Hockey switching from his usual defensive duties into the middle of the park, to 4-4-2, and this enabled Sittingbourne to claw themselves back into a game that should have been settled by the break.

But when they saw Cass squander another excellent chance, this time inside the first five minutes of the second half, Sittingbourne always knew, at 1-0 down, they were still in the game.

Coyle dinked the ball over the top of the Brickies defence for Cass, but the off-colour striker flashed his angled shot agonisingly past the foot of the far post.

Sittingbourne substitute, Colin Richmond, 17, who spent three years playing in Dartford’s youth ranks, impressed in the middle of the park when he replaced Hockey, and he began his side’s fight-back in the 56^th minute when he planted his header over Kessell’s crossbar.

And Hafner went on one of his trademark attacking runs just three minutes later, which brought a comfortable low save from Kessell, after the talented winger pulled the trigger from 20-yards.

Dartford’s home-grown midfielder, Brad Potter, tried his luck from distance with a right-footed drive, which highly-rated Willis saved at the second attempt.

But Sittingbourne enjoyed their best spell of the game after the hour-mark.

Hafner’s driven cross from the right was met by Campbell but the central defender’s shot from the edge of the box sailed over.

Then Bradley Spice’s right-footed free-kick from 23-yards was well held by Kessell, as the ball was heading towards the top corner.

Anthony Allman, making his first Sittingbourne start since his switch from rivals Ashford Town, took his only corner of the game after 66 minutes - Hafner had taken six out of Sittingbourne’s seven corners during this FA Cup first qualifying round clash.

And the change in set-piece taker was a good move, as Sittingbourne came within inches of levelling.

Allman’s corner was met by Campbell, whose powerful header was headed off the line by Mark Green, who was positioned on the right-hand post.

Dave Moore, starting his first game for Dartford following his move from Carshalton Athletic, was also guilty of missing a good chance with 17 minutes remaining.

After winning the ball of Campbell, who had lost his footing, Moore cut into the penalty area, but poked his shot agonisingly past the foot of the near post from 12-yards.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, you could sense that Sittingbourne would punish wasteful Dartford.

Hafner issued his former club a warning when his left-footed volley from 15-yards brought a fine save from Kessell, plucking the ball out of the air.

But Dartford substitute, striker Tom Bradbrook, was desperately unlucky not to open his account at first-team level, when he brought a fine diving save from Willis within a minute.

And May will be kicking himself when his poor first touch enabled Willis to make a smart save as the striker only had the teenage keeper to beat.

But with 39 minutes and 10 seconds on the clock, Sittingbourne stunned their Kentish rivals, by scoring the equaliser.

A good move down the right-hand side saw Spice pass to Hafner inside the penalty area and his low cross found the unmarked Sherwood.

The winger drove a right-footed shot past Kessell, which found the bottom left-hand corner, from fifteen-yards, to the delight of the vocal Brickies supporters that congregated on the half-way line.



ALL SQUARE:  Mitchell Sherwood (out of picture) scored a late leveller to earn Sittingbourne another lucrative FA Cup tie against Dartford on Tuesday night.
Picture: Courtesy of Chris Regan and www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

Shell-shocked Dartford should have won it at the death, but Coyle’s long-range shot whistled past the far-post.

Did his side get out of jail, with Sherwood’s late leveller? “No. I wouldn’t say that,” Lovell told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“I thought we thoroughly deserved it and I’m disappointed not to have won the game actually.

“We scored late on, but second half especially we were on top and I think, to be fair, they got out of jail second half.

“We performed very, very well and if it weren’t for their keeper and one cleared off the line, I think we could have won the game.”

Lovell felt his side deserved the late equaliser, especially after their hard graft.

He said: “It was only what we deserved. I knew if we kept going and kept prodding at it we would get something at the end.

“Mitchell’s done really well to pop up at the far post and finish it very nicely.”

Tony Burman, meanwhile, cannot believe his side are making the trip to Bourne Park on Tuesday night.

“I think we played very well in the first half,” the Darts boss told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“Second half our plan was to go and win the game comfortably but we dangled the carrot a little bit and when you’re 1-0 up and you don’t punish sides, then there’s always a chance they’re going to score and it’s happened to us two weeks on the trot now.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that we’ve haven’t gone through to the next round, with home advantage, but these things happen.

“We take some positives because the first half we played excellent and the goal was a good football move and I thought we played really well first half.”

He added: “We’re not, not confident about it (winning the replay). It’s just we shouldn’t even be going up there!

“We should be training on Monday and not going to Bourne Park but we’ll get things together and put things right for Tuesday.”

And Lovell is pleased that his side have earned the club another lucrative match against their Kentish rivals.

The two derbies against Dartford will earn the club more than the £2,250 prize money from the FA that will go to the winner of Tuesday night’s replay.

Lovell said: “The chairman said to me in there (the bar) “that’s the best result we could have had.”

“We’ve done our part, now we can take them back to Bourne Park and if we can get a result, then brilliant.”

The Welshman added: “A good crowd here today, a nice pitch, a good game of football, good spirit and that’s what football’s all about.

“And it’s nice to have these Kent derbies between two clubs who have a lot of respect for each other.”

Dartford: Tony Kessell, Jamie Coyle, Steve Norman, Adam Flanagan, John Guest, Brad Potter, Dave Moore (Jamie Lawrence 76), Jay May, Brendon Cass (Tom Bradbrook 81), Eddie McClements, Mark Green.
Subs: Tommy Youle, Richard Avery, James Tedder.

Goal: Jay May 13

Booked: Dave Moore 64, John Guest 69

Sittingbourne: Josh Willis, Ian Varley, Joe Dowley, Paul Ainsworth, James Campbell, Anthony Allman, Steve Hafner, Anthony Hogg (Hicham Akhazzan 56), Bradley Spice, Lee Hockey (Colin Richmond 36), Mitchell Sherwood.
Subs: Dave Norris, Toby Ashmore, Brad Ashmore.

Goal: Mitchell Sherwood 85

Booked: Ian Varley 29, Steve Hafner 77

Attendance: 870
Referee: Mr Tim Robinson (Bognor Regis, West Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Andrew Massey (Bognor Regis, West Sussex) & Mr Barrie Small (Bognor Regis, West Sussex)