Soccer Shorts: Abbott claims he "didn't swear at the linesman" after Power's controversial goal

Read the views of Tony Burman (Dartford), Robin Trott (Margate), Tommy Warrilow (Tonbridge Angels), Colin Luckett (Cray Wanderers), Gary Abbott (Sittingbourne), Marc Seager and Dave Cory (Whitstable Town) following yesterday's games.

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman was delighted with his side’s 3-0 away win at Enfield Town yesterday - all goals coming from defenders, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Darts came away from north London with another three points in the bag, stretching their unbeaten run to 19 games to remain three points clear of AFC Sudbury, who have a game in hand, at the top of the Ryman League Division One North table.

Adam Flanagan, John Guest and Jamie Coyle ensured the north Kent giants maintained their promotion prospects.

“We’ll our aim at the start of the season has always been promotion,” Burman told BBC Radio Kent.

“How we get it, obviously we want to go up as champions.”

Fourth placed side Ware, 12 points behind the Darts, visit Princes Park on Easter Saturday (3pn), before Burman takes his side to Canvey Island on Easter Monday (1pm).

The Darts beat the Islanders 6-1 at Princes Park on Boxing Day, but Burman admitted he’s side face a tough time over the holiday period.

“We’ve got a massive weekend but the most important game for us is (against Ware) on Saturday but we’re not (shouting) from the roof tops because we won 3-0 here," he said.

“We’ve picked up three valuable points that’s what we’ve come for and then we move on.

“We let other people (like AFC Sudbury’s manager) do their talking but we want to stay focused on what we want to do.”

With 95 goals being scored during 35 league games this season, Burman doesn’t mind where the goals come from.

He said: “We can score goals from all over the place, we create enough chances to score goals and that’s why we’ve got over 90 goals this year.

“It doesn’t matter one little bit that our forwards haven’t scored today, our defenders have, so there is a bit of banter going on in the changing room, but the main thing is we’ve got three points.”

MARGATE player-manager Robin Trott was left disappointed as his side were defeated at a side currently in third place in the Ryman Premier League table.

Their 2-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch has possibly dented the Thanet side’s hopes of finishing in the top five.

However, anything can happen in this division and teams shouldn’t rule anything out.

The Gate have slipped down to tenth in the table on 51 points, just two points adrift of the fifth play-off place.

“I think they were a well organised side,” Trott, speaking to www.margate-fc.com said of their Essex rivals.

And on his side’s play-off chances, Trott added: “We’re still in the hunt, it’s still tight.”

TOMMY WARRILOW has guided Tonbridge Angels above Margate into sixth place in the table with their sixth successive win.

Yesterday’s 2-0 win at East Thurrock sees the Angels fighting for a place for that final play-off berth with at least six other clubs.

“I’ve always looked at fifth spot and until it’s mathematically impossible, we’ll be aiming for it,” Warrilow told BBC Radio Kent.

“Clubs like us, we accept that clubs like Chelmsford, the Wimbledon’s will dominate through their strength in depth for most of the season, but I think it’s a fight for the other clubs to scrap it out for the final place because the league is so tight this year.”

CRAY WANDERERS stretched their unbeaten run to 24 games with a 1-1 draw at Sittingbourne, but it could have been so better had goalscorer Michael Power not missed a second half penalty.

Ian Jenkins side slipped one place to third in the table, as Tooting & Mitcham United leapfrogged over them, with a better goal difference.

Both clubs are on 72 points, the Terrors do have a game in hand, and are both 13 points behind champions-elect Dover Athletic, who need to win four of their last remaining seven games to mathematically clinch the title.

But defender Colin Luckett, 31, feels the club must finish in second place to secure home advantage in both the semi-final and the play-off final.

“Dover’s going well but we’ve just got to keep winning our games, not losing them and we’ll pip second place," Luckett told BBC Radio Kent.

“We’d love to play at home in the semi-final and win and we’re at home in the final, it will be nice.”

Reflecting on their point at Bourne Park, the former Bromley left-back, said: “We came into the game wanting to win and obviously taking a point away from home we’re still sort of happy. We’re still in the running for the play-off’s.”

Speaking about Power’s costly penalty miss, Luckett added: “Being only 1-0 up and missing a penalty it gives the other team a lift and that’s what they done. They got the ball down the other end and caused us a few problems.

“In the end we’re disappointed with 1-1 but a draw is a draw away from home.”

SITTINGBOURNE boss Gary Abbott fought his corner as he was sent to the stands for his protests after Power’s goal gave Cray Wanderers the lead.

“I thought there was a few decisions from the referee that didn’t go our way,” Abbott told BBC Radio Kent.

“I mean, the linesman’s given offside when it’s sort of by a foot and when you see someone (Power) three yards offside before the ball’s even kicked and he’s come onto it, I think even their manager said “why is that not offside?”

“It does give me the hump but it happens. It is a hard job (for the officials), a split decision but when it’s so far offside, I was angry.

“I did swear, I didn’t swear at the linesman, just the way I said it and the ref’s come over and said I’ve sworn at the linesman.”

Abbott was pleased with the point against a play-off chasing side, especially after losing to Horsham YMCA and Croydon Athletic in their last two home games.

“To lose our last two games at home to lower sides, I knew today the boys would be up for it,” said Abbott.

“All the teams we’ve played above us, we’ve beaten them. Playing Cray today, they’re a good side on a good run of 24 unbeaten, I think it is now, but wee could have won it in the end.”

WHITSTABLE TOWN leapfrogged over Chatham Town following their 2-1 win at Maidstone Road.

Now sixth from bottom, Marc Seager’s side are now 12 points from the drop with seven games left to play.

But Seager wasn’t happy with his side’s first-half performance at Maidstone Road.

“I was not happy with their first half performance and told them so,” Seager told www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk.

“My fear was that they would start slowly as we did last week and that’s what happened.

“We spoke about it before the game in the warm up but they went out flat. I let them know in no uncertain terms they needed to raise their game.

“The two goals and the result speaks for itself, this really was a six-pointer and a game we needed to win.”

Whitstable striker Dave Cory admitted the team needed a stern talking to during the interval.

“Marc gave is a right going over at half-time,” he told www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk. “We deserved it as we were not good enough in the first half.

“We turned it around in the second 45 minutes and the result was a six-pointer at this stage of the season.

“We knew before the kick-off the pitch was not the best and spoke about adapting to it. We didn’t do as we were told and were lucky not to be two down at the interval.

“Marc got into us and you could see the difference was down to doing what the manager asked and just plain hard work. It was not a pitch for pretty football.”

Visit these websites:

www.bbc.co.uk/kent

www.dartfordfc.co.uk & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk

www.margate-fc.com

www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk

www.craywands.co.uk

www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk