Kentish Football 
Grimsby Town 3-0 Dartford - We've got a mountain to climb, admits Tony Burman
Saturday 16th February 2013
GRIMSBY TOWN 3-0 DARTFORD
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Semi-Final First Leg
Saturday 16th February 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Blundell Park
DARTFORD boss Tony Burman admits his side face a mountain to climb if they are to reach The FA Carlsberg Trophy Final for the first time since losing to Morecambe in 1974.
The Darts have now lost seven of their semi-final ties since playing underneath the iconic Twin Towers after failing to beat Bishop’s Stortford (1981), Burton Albion (1987) and Macclesfield Town (1989) over two-legs.
Grimsby Town, who went into the game sitting at the summit of the Blue Square Bet (Conference) Premier, level on 58 points with Wrexham, are destined to meet the Welsh outfit at Wembley Stadium on 24 March, after the Welsh giants defeated Gainsborough Trinity 3-1 at home in the other semi-final.
Dartford, in ninth-place, must inflict Grimsby Town’s largest defeat of the season (and win 4-0) if they are to pull off a miracle at Princes Park next Saturday, after going down to a sinking 3-0 defeat, two goals coming in the last five minutes and midfielder Lee Noble being red-carded for an alleged stamp.
But Burman admitted a mistake from his goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, which lead to Grimsby Town’s second goal in the last five minutes, was to be the key moment today.
Burman said: ”Obviously disappointed with the result. I know we was 1-0 down, but I felt second half I thought we had control of the game in respect of they wasn’t causing us any problems.
”You would have taken a 1-0 (defeat) to bring back home but the last ten minutes Marcus has made a bit of a ricket really and you’ve got to try and keep it 2-0 but it doesn’t mean we should then go 3-0 down and have a player sent-off!
”We’ve got to keep composure. It’s a two-legged affair. I’m just disappointed but I felt the players done alright for 80 minutes. They (Grimsby) haven’t had a shot – I’m not saying we had loads of shots and played them off the park, we haven’t done that.
”It’s the first leg of a semi-final. One-nil would have been ok. Three-nil we’ve got a mountain to climb.”
The Darts, who were without striker Jacob Erskine through a knee injury, started the game without fear and took the game to their full-time opponents.
Dartford caused alarm inside the opening sixteen seconds when Danny Harris stole the ball off Grimsby right-back Sam Hatton before racing into the box, but the home side got bodies back to deal with his cut back.
Burman said he was pleased to have managed to entice Harry Crawford, 21, back to the club on loan from League Two side Barnet after leaving the Kent club only three weeks ago after being the subject of a seven-day approach after scoring fifteen goals since his summer move from Southend United.
He said: “I enquired about Harry on Tuesday and Barnet wanted to have a think about it and in the end I got an answer yes on Thursday and they would do the paperwork before 12 o’clock on Friday. We had to speak to Harry just to make sure that he was ok with what was happening.
”When he was here he’s given 100%. I wanted to get a recognised striker back in and Harry fitted that.
”He’s one of the players’ that I would have liked to have back. I’m pleased that we’ve got him and we’ll just see what happens from there.”
Dartford almost drew first blood when skipper Elliot Bradbrook clipped the ball upfield and Noble stuck out his right leg to flick the ball on to Crawford, who cut inside Ian Miller and stroked a left-footed shot wide of the post from 25-yards.
Dartford’s best first half chance, however, arrived in the seventeenth minute when Harris cut the ball back to left-back Richard Rose who floated over a cross, which was brought under Crawford’s spell, the lone striker flicking the ball over central defender Shaun Pearson’s head before hitting a right-footed volley straight at keeper James McKeown.
Dartford were on the front foot for the opening 20 minutes, before Grimsby Town fought back.
Burman said: “I felt we did start well. In the first minute it’s a half chance. It just wasn’t to be. We started ok. I thought we put them on the back foot.”
Hatton’s chipped pass fell nicely to striker Richard Brodie, whose angled drive drew a comfortable save from the Dartford keeper.
The on-loan Fulham keeper then easily plucked Pearson’s looping header out of the air following Hatton’s free-kick.
But Grimsby Town grabbed the lead following their first corner in the 25th minute – against the run of play at the time.
Joe Colbeck swung in the corner from the right, which was headed away by a Dartford defender at the far post and sailed out to Craig Disley, who was left unmarked to crack a sweet right-footed hooked volley from 25-yards, which screamed through a crowded box and found the right corner, leaving an unsighted Bettinelli rooted to the spot.
Burman said: “We went 1-0 down. We’re playing away from home and that’s going to be periods of the game when we’re going to come under a lot of pressure.
”We went to sleep a bit on the corner. It’s probably the only time, I think in the first half that we did, but it’s cost us.
”It’s a good strike outside of the box to be fair to the guy.”
The noise inside Blundell Park increased and Brodie played the ball to Derek Niven, whose left-footed drive from 20-yards flashed narrowly wide of the right-hand post.
Bettinelli produced a brilliant save to deny Grimsby Town a second in the 31st minute, diving low to his left to tip Andy Cook’s right-footed drive around the post after Niven and Disley linked up well.
Miller’s free header went straight at the Dartford keeper after Colbeck floated over a right-footed cross.
Dartford’s Harris was forced into taking a right-footed snap-shot from 25-yards after receiving a square pass from Lee Burns – the right-back was later forced off with his hamstring problem.
Grimsby Town went close in the 35th minute when Colbeck played a short corner to Marcus Marshall, who cut the ball back from the by-line to Brodie at the near post, who clipped a volley across goal from eight-yards.
Grimsby Town squandered a gilt-edged chance to double their lead in the 41st minute.
Industry from Cook, who did well to keep possession despite having three blue shirts swarming around him, saw him flick the ball to release Marshall bursting down the left before he whipped in a precise cross towards the far post and the unmarked Colbeck planted his diving header over from six-yards.
Burman added: “I thought it probably was a turning point and that’s why I thought we was in the game at 1-0. It looked like we’d have taken them back at 1-0 but it isn’t to be and we’ve lost 3-0.”
Burman was happy to take his side into the away dressing room with a one-goal deficit.
He said: “We just felt we were trying to rush things rather than trying to play and keep calm and just slow down a little bit because we are away from home. We haven’t had to go gally-ho trying to score goals and things like that.
”We felt we could get something from the game. I felt that at 80 minutes that we would get something from the game and it wasn’t to be because other things took control of that.”
The second half, however, was an uninspiring battle and the first effort towards goal didn’t arrive until the 58th minute when Noble hit a speculative half-volley into the Dartford fans behind the goal from 35-yards.
Grimsby Town left-back Aswad Thomas played the ball into Brodie who fed Marshall, who turned Dartford right-back Richard Rose but his low centre was easily gathered at the near post by Bettinelli.
Dartford got their tactics spot on and with twenty minutes remaining were still in the tie.
Grimsby Town played some slick one-touch passing, which resulted in substitute Jamie Devitt releasing Thomas and his run took him into the box but his stabbed shot rolled into the Dartford keeper’s gloves.
But Dartford came agonisingly close to equalising in the final thirteen minutes – their best chance of the game.
Noble was sent flying to the ground following Devitt’s bookable challenge before he got himself up and swung in a free-kick from the right, which was headed out and the ball fell to Rogers.
The substitute cracked a left-footed volley from 25-yards, which was destined for the corner, but McKeown dived to his right to get a strong right hand to the shot to save well.
Burman added: “We didn’t have loads of chances but we’ve played and held our own against a decent side, a very good side I should say but it’s one of those things. What happened hasn’t gone in our favour in the last ten minutes.”
Noble was then fouled by Grimsby left-back Thomas and the Dartford midfielder swung over another free-kick and skipper Bradbrook rose like a salmon in a crowded goalmouth and planted his header over the bar from close range.
And Dartford’s last chance saw Rogers free at the far post but he skied his volley into the crowd after he met Bradbrook’s cross.
But with Dartford pressing for an equaliser, Bettinelli made an inexplicably 85th minute blunder that could cost Dartford a Wembley trip.
There appeared to be no danger when Disley scuffed a left-footed stroked shot towards goal from 20-yards and Bettinelli dived to his left to make a routine save beside the post.
But he produced a horrendous Robert Green moment, allowing the ball to squirm out of his grasp and the eagle eyed assistant claimed the ball had crossed the line beside the post before the keeper could claw the ball back into his hands.
Burman said: “Marcus has been brilliant but he’s made a mistake. Alright you suffer a 2-0. That’s their first shot I think of the second half and that ones gone in.
”It’s not even a hard shot. It’s a soft shot and it’s spun out of his hands and all of a sudden we’re 2-0 down.
”Marcus has screwed up basically and it’s just a mad ten minutes when we should be keeping our composure, keeping our discipline and taking them back 1-0 down. We’re 3-0 down and we have got to have a go for it at home now.
”Outfield players can sometimes get away with mistakes, goalkeeper’s can’t. I feel disappointed because he’s been brilliant for us but he’s made a mistake and we’ve got to get on with it.
”He knows he’s made a mistake. I’ve said in the (dressing room) he’s made a mistake. You can’t hide from that fact and he’s feeling worse as any of us at this moment in time but it’s happened and we’ve got to get on with it. Three-nil we know what we have to do.
”Once we’ve made that mistake it doesn’t mean we should lose composure a little bit, people losing their head isn’t good enough. We’ve had a bad ten minutes at the end.”
But Dartford’s world turned upside down when Grimsby Town scored a killer third only 132 seconds later to send this old stadium rocking.
Cook picked up the ball down the left and danced into the penalty area and turned to steer his right-footed shot past Bettinelli into the bottom left-hand corner from 12-yards.
Burman added: “I have to question, again, whether it should go in, but then to get a guy sent off has made it look even worse!”
Dartford’s misery was complete when Noble was handed a straight red card by referee James Adcock for an alleged stamp on Thomas following an injury time altercation, which angered the home fans on that side of the pitch.
Burman said: “Frustrations come into it at the end, that’s where part-time players and players that have not been playing at this sort of level, it can happen to them and they just have to learn from their mistakes.”
When asked about the incident, without video evidence, Burman replied: “I’m not sure what he’s sent him off for? I don’t think the tackle was a sending off. I think something’s happened when they’ve (clashed) on the floor, but the linesman completely and utterly flagged the other way so that’s confused the issue. You can’t do that. It’s as simple as that!
”Lee tends to get himself back in the side and plays well. A little bit of ill-discipline – if it was that – has taken over, but I’m not sure if it’s a sending off in all honesty.”
The final whistle blew and the home fans were celebrating their progress to a Wembley Final – but it’s not over just yet!
”We wanted to come back with a chance,” said Burman, who said leading up to this game that his side could lose it here.
”We haven’t got beat four or five. We have got beat 3-0 but this game’s over now. It’s finished. We have to now focus and be positive in what we have to try and do next week. We can’t go gally-ho and Grimsby score some goals. We have to be steady.
”We need as much support as we can get next week that’s for sure. Let’s get it nice and loud, be the 12th man, but we’re going to need help and hopefully we can get that from the guys who come and support us next week.”
Grimsby Town: James McKeown, Sam Hatton, Ian Miller, Shaun Pearson, Aswad Thomas, Joe Colbeck, Craig Disley, Derek Niven, Marcus Marshall (Jamie Devitt 69), Richard Brodie (Ross Hannah 74), Andy Cook (Lenell John-Lewis 90).
Subs: Bradley Wood, Andi Thanoj
Goals: Craig Disley 25, 85, Andy Cook 87
Booked: Jamie Devitt 76
Dartford: Marcus Bettinelli, Richard Rose, Tom Bonner, Mark Arber, Lee Burns (Adam Green 57), Ryan Hayes (James Rogers 62), Tom Champion, Elliot Bradbrook, Lee Noble, Danny Harris (Nathan Collier 79), Harry Crawford.
Booked: Lee Burns 20, Tom Champion 59
Sent Off: Lee Noble 90
Attendance: 3,573 (242 away supporters)
Referee: Mr James Adcock (Nottingham)
Assistants: Mr Thomas Bramall (Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire) & Mr Christopher Ward (Blyth, Worksop, Nottinghamshire)
Fourth Official: Mr Guy Stretton (Leicester)
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