Dartford 4 HORSHAM 0
Princes Park, Dartford
Attendance: 1,006
Saturday 20th September 2008
Ryman League Premier Division
Referee: Mr Michael Webb

DARTFORD

HORSHAM

1.Andrew Young
2.Jamie Coyle
3.Tommy Osborne
4.Ray Powell
5.John Guest
6.Danny Dafter (Barnes,78)
7.Steve Butterworth
8.Ryan Hayes
9.Brendon Cass
10.Rob Haworth
11.Lee Noble (White,89)
Subs:
12.Nick Barnes
14.Adam Flanagan
15.James White
16.Steve Norman
17.Deren Ibrahim

Goalscorers:
Cass (31,84)
Noble (45,48)

1.Paul Seuke
2.Andy Howard
3.Russell Eldridge
4.Billy Franks
5.Sam Page (Knee,13)
6.Jack Page
7.Jacob Mingle
8.Lee Carey
9.Evan Archibald
10.Lee Farrell (Geddes,72)
11.Alex Haddow (Graham,55)
Subs:
12.Mark Knee
14.Shane Graham
15.Mark Hawthorne
16.Ian Payne
17.Gavin Geddes

Reporter: Mark Wells
Goal highlights: Click here

John Maggs would be forgiven for thinking that a few mirrors were broken during the closure of the old Queen Street ground after Sam Page became the latest casualty in an injury jinxed season as the Hornets endured an afternoon to forget at Dartford's impressive Princes Park stadium. The new skipper was taken to hospital for x-rays on a dislocated collar bone after falling awkwardly in an aerial challenge with Rob Haworth and joins long term absentees Eddie French, Gary Charman and Lee Carney on the sidelines to leave the manager down to the bare bones of his squad with just five weeks of the season played.

This first ever league meeting between the two sides was evenly poised before Page's premature departure with Horsham competing well against last season's Division One South champions. Both Page and Jacob Mingle  had chances to open the scoring but it was the home side who drew first blood when Brendan Cass capitalised on a mistake from Mingle to give the Darts a 31st minute lead and Horsham surely knew it wasn't going to be their day when an Andy Howard 'goal' was chalked off for an infringement before two Lee Noble goals in three minutes either side of the interval effectively ended the contest and Cass wrapped things up with his second, and Dartford's fourth, six minutes from time.

Having knocked Horsham's county cousins Hastings United out of the FA Cup the previous Saturday, the Darts were hoping to make it a Sussex double with what would be only their second home win of the season and they showed just the one change to last weekend's winning line-up with goalkeeper Andrew Young making his debut in place of the injured Tony Kessell. For the Hornets, former AFC Bournemouth defender Billy Franks made his bow alongside Sam Page while the skipper's younger brother, Jack, moved in to the midfield to accommodate Andy Howard at right-back.

It was Page the elder who had the game's first chance when the big centre-back created something out of nothing from Lee Carey's low free-kick, turning well to send in a left foot shot that Young pushed around the post, but the early action was focused on the terraces with both sets of supporters giving their teams plenty of encouragement on a glorious September afternoon. However, the Horsham fans' mood soon turned from fun to frustration when Page competed with Haworth for a high ball and lay motionless after falling to the floor. After a few minutes of assessment from physio Andi Marfleet, there followed the now familiar sight of a yellow and green shirted player being led away on a stretcher and Mark Hawthorne, deputising for the holidaying John Maggs, was forced to make his first switch of the afternoon with Mark Knee's introduction sending Jack Page back to full-back and Howard in to his more familiar central defensive role. Mingle took over the captain's armband.

For a while Horsham seemed distracted. John Guest's tantalising cross fell just too far ahead of Haworth and the visitors were grateful to Paul Seuke for maintaining the deadlock when Ryan Hayes got the better of Russell Eldridge to fire in a dangerous cross that the stretching 'keeper parried away to safety. From the resulting counter-attack, Mingle screwed the ball wide of the target from 20 yards. Hayes tested Seuke again with a speculative long range drive that brought a comfortable save but the Hornets' 'keeper had to be at his best on 27 minutes when Eldridge's handball gave Hayes another chance to get the better of the former Dulwich stopper but Seuke reacted well to tip the midfielder's curling free-kick over the crossbar.

An unfortunate error from Mingle saw the hosts take a 1-0 lead, just after the half hour, when the stand-in skipper trod on the ball inside the centre circle, was quickly dispossessed, and Steve Butterworth's precise pass was taken  neatly in his stride by Cass who calmly sidefooted under the diving Seuke. In their next attack, Howard threw himself in the way of Butterworth's drive and, from the corner, Haworth headed over from close range as the Darts looked to add to their advantage. There was controversy at the other end when Howard thought he had produced an equalising goal for his side when he rose ahead of Young to head home Eldridge's free-kick only for referee Michael Webb to spot an infringement and the goal was disallowed.

The former Broadbridge Heath player was in the thick of the action, blocking a shot from Hayes following a quick break from the Darts, but he was culpable in the closing stages of the half when a clumsy trip on Danny Dafter presented Noble with the chance to send a free-kick fizzing in to the bottom corner of Seuke's goal for a 2-0 lead. In the additional five minutes administered for Page's injury, Dafter followed his captain in to the referee's notebook for a lunging tackle on Knee, Guest having been cautioned earlier for taking Lee Farrell out on the touchline, and Alex Haddow might have given Horsham a timely boost when Page's long throw sat up nicely on the penalty spot but the former Bognor man snatched at his shot and the ball went wide.

H/T: Dartford 2 Horsham 0

If Horsham's thoughts were on containment after the break, their plans were soon in tatters when Noble rose above Carey to head home for his second of the match with 48 minutes on the clock. By now, Horsham heads were dropping and 3-0 nearly became four when Butterworth raced on to Cass' flick to send a shot narrowly wide of the upright with Dartford players demanding a corner and Horsham claiming a free-kick for handball.

A foul on Noble by Knee brought the Hornets' first caution of the afternoon before the limping Haddow made way for Shane Graham on 55 minutes and the substitute almost made an immediate impact when he beat Tommy Osborne down the right flank and crossed low into the box but Mingle was unable to keep his shot down and the ball sailed harmlessly over the top. Carey's long range shot drew a routine catch from Young but Seuke remained the busier of the two 'keepers when he raced from his line to force Haworth to shoot in to the side-netting when another goal looked on the cards.

Horsham were reduced to sporadic forays in to their opponent's half as the second period became one of almost incessant pressure on their goal with the Darts, backed by their fans' adapted rendition of the 'Pompey Chimes', finding particular joy down the Horsham left flank. Seuke's quick reactions prevented the Darts from surging further ahead when he advanced smartly from his line to deny the onrushing Cass with his feet and, at the other end, Graham showed some admirable control to flick the ball up and crack a volley on the turn that was destined for the top corner of the net, had it not been for a fine reaction save from Young, and Eldridge might have done better to have left an 18 yard free-kick to dead ball specialist Carey after clipping a tame effort straight at Young.

With twelve minutes remaining, Hawthorne sent on Gavin Geddes for Farrell but it was the home side who continued to press and Noble's low shot was fumbled and gathered at the second attempt by Seuke. A training ground routine nearly paid off for the Darts when Jamie Coyle rolled a free-kick in to the feet of Butterworth whose clever flick was returned to him by Cass but the Dartford number seven was left cursing his luck when his lob bounced away off the frame of the goal with Seuke beaten.

Dartford were knocking the ball around accurately and confidently, displaying none of the signs of the side who began the season with no goals and three successive defeats, and another well constructed attack saw Haworth lay the ball wide to Butterworth whose deep cross was headed wide at the far post by Cass. In contrast the Hornets looked a well beaten side, sloppy in their passing and lacking in ideas and cohesion, and it was no surprise when the fourth goal arrived on 84 minutes. Hayes was given two chances to cross the ball, after Eldridge had conceded a corner, and his second found Haworth climbing highest at the far post to head back across goal to leave Cass with the simple task of putting the ball in to the net from close range.

Mingle was cautioned for a frustrated challenge on Barnes before Knee summed up Horsham's afternoon by hitting a volley out of the ground from Eldridge's free-kick. Haworth almost capped a one-sided second half after chasing down some indecision at the back and nearly embarrassing Seuke by anticipating the goalkeeper's attempt to dribble the ball out of his area before the two players collapsed in a heap with referee Webb awarding a free-kick in favour of the Horsham man.

Knee had some late success with a cross that was headed on to the roof of the net by Geddes, and another that curled narrowly past the frame of the goal, before Mr Webb put the travelling fans and players out of their misery after 3 minutes of injury time.

NEXT MATCH: v Hastings United (h) Wednesday 24th September ko 7.45pm