Dartford 3 Chatham Town 1 - Binks: I thought it was a cracking game of football

DARTFORD 3
Richard Avery 20
Brendon Cass 34, 54 (pen)

CHATHAM TOWN 1
Luke Harvey 63


Stephen McCartney reports from Stonebridge Road
Southern League Division One East

Former Chatham Town striker Brendon Cass netted a brace against his former club as Dartford maintained their play-off aspirations at a wet Stonebridge Road today.

Dartford are just one point behind Wivenhoe Town, who are in that final play-off berth, with three “cup finals” left to play.

Cass who scored 19 goals for Chatham Town before his switch to the Darts in January, took his tally up to five with the Darts.

Dartford opened the scoring after 20 minutes from their first corner of the game. Ryan Briggs’ right-footed corner was met by an unmarked Richard Avery, who planted his header over goalkeeper Louis Green and into the roof of the net from four-yards to score his fourth goal of the season.

But after a cagy opening, in front of 369 fans that were fully entertained, Chatham almost broke the deadlock after 12 minutes when former Gillingham youngster Hicham Akhazzan was denied by a flying save from Kevin Hudson, who tipped the 25-yard volley around the left post.

Hudson pulled off his second fine save when he tipped over Darren Smith’s 20-yard drive from the left hand side of the box.

Chatham’s impressive winger Byron Walker floated a shot past the left post after 29 minutes, following a move involving strikers Luke Harvey and Rob Denness.

Dartford then escaped a goalmouth scramble following Chatham’s sixth corner of the game, taken by former Tonbridge Angels’ midfielder Smith.

But Chatham, who were enjoying a good spell, went close again when Akhazzan cut in from the right into the penalty area but Walker, sliding in at the far post, couldn’t get the touch to poke the ball home.

Dartford, however, grabbed a second goal - against the run of play - eleven minutes before half time when skipper Steve Best’s poor header back to his goalkeeper was latched onto by Cass, and after taking the ball around the blonde haired stopper slotted home into an empty net.

Dartford midfielder Ted Ansell was the first player to be booked on the stroke of half-time for tripping Walker on the edge of the box. After the tricky winger received lengthy treatment Smith’s right-footed free kick struck the wall and went out for their seventh corner of the game.

But Dartford increased their lead nine minutes into the second half when Cass scored his second goal of the game, sending Green the wrong way from the penalty spot after David Martin was tripped by substitute Mark Austin-Brooks.