Dartford (0) 1 Murphy 83
Swindon Town (3) 5 Elsnik 13,26 Smith 24 Linganzi 47 Mullen 50
Attendance: 2,705
Entrance: £7 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 62/3,713
Match Report
So it was, as a group of Gillingham supporters, that we turned up at Princes’ Park in the fervent hope that Dartford might turn over our long-term rivals Swindon Town. There was reason for optimism, Dartford top National League South but Swindon arrived in Kent with an impressive away record of six wins in eight.
But the visitors turned in a display of clinical finishing that blew away the hopes of Dartford.
Dartford started well and a cross from Alfie Pavey caused panic in the Swindon defence but, on 12 minutes, Amine Linganzi, who looked like the player Gillingham thought they had bought from Accrington in 2013 rather than the one they got, fired in a shot that Deren Ibrahim parried into the path of Timi Elsnik who powerfully drove the ball home from the edge of the box.
Swindon took control of the game and scored twice in four minutes to effectively end the game as a contest. Harry Smith, once a loanee at Tunbridge Wells, rifled home a shot into the top corner from 20 yards and Elsnik headed home a cross from Matt Taylor.
To their credit, Dartford’s heads didn’t go down and they created a couple of half chances before the break with Elliott Bradbrook bringing a save out of Reice Charles-Cook and Lee Noble firing narrowly wide.
Any hopes of respectability died early in the second period when Linganzi scored from outside the box in the first minute and a great run and cross from John Goddard gave Paul Mullin a tap in.
A goal, eight minutes from time, from Richard Sho-Silva, after Tom Murphy’s effort came back off the post was a worthy consolation for the Darts.
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