Dartford 1 Woking 3

Match 70/14/1179 - Tuesday 3rd March 2015 - Conference

Dartford (1) 1 Green 42
Woking (1) 3 Odubade 5, Goddard 52, 60
Att. 884

Entrance: £8 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 60/5,120

Match Report

Between now and the end of the season, I will be looking to fill every Tuesday evening with a fixture, regardless of whether one of my supported teams is playing, to push the games total towards the 90 mark, something I haven’t managed previously. Crossing off the century-mark on the bucket list will probably have to wait until I retire and can afford the occasional two midweek games.

I had originally scheduled in Ashford United’s home match against Phoenix Sports, a top-of-the-table clash in the Southern Counties East but the Homelands bog of a pitch failed to survive the heavy rainfall of Monday night and a change of plan took me to Dartford for their Conference fixture against Woking.

On first sight of the Princes Park pitch that looked pretty bad, I had to wonder just how poor the one at Ashford was. When I was at Princes for the Celtic Under-21 game last month, the pitch didn’t look in great condition but it has significantly deteriorated since then.

All of which cannot be helping a Dartford side that is obviously struggling for confidence and for a large part of this game looked a relegation team walking.

An early goal would have worked wonders for the confidence of the home side and they should have had it in the first minute when Andy Pugh brought a good save out of Jake Cole. When Woking took a fifth minute lead through Yemi Odubade what little confidence Dartford had visibly drained away. A shot from John Goddard took a deflection into the path of Odubade who easily slotted past a rooted Jason Brown.

Woking passed the ball on an awkward surface as well as many League One teams I’ve seen this season. Despite completely dominating the first half with Goddard catching the eye, it took a world class save from Cole to tip over a goal bound deflection from his own defender.

Surprisingly, Dartford were to go into the break on level terms when ex-Tonbridge favourite, Nathan Green, surged past two defenders and hit a shot across the face of Cole and into the far corner. Green had looked Dartford’s best outlet on the odd occasion they were able to make inroads on the Woking goal.

The goal should have provided the momentum for the Darts for a second half in which, as the home side, they picked up the initiative but Woking responded from the outset and after a couple of scares on their goal Dartford conceded once more in soft circumstances. After 52 minutes, Goddard weaved a little bit of space on the edge of the box and shot from 18 yards, an effort that bobbled its way through a throng of defenders to find the far corner.

Woking were now totally dominant and on the hour a cross from the right from Goddard somehow drifted in the wind over the head of Brown and straight into the net to virtually end the evening as a contest.

Towards the end, Christian Doige, who I thought had been one of the Darts' better players, put a header over the bar when it seemed easier to score. It was one of those, another of those, nights for Dartford, who are staring relegation to Conference South in the face.