Dartford will be looking to reclaim a place in the Isthmian Premier play-off places when the divisions draw “specialists” Cray Wanderers make the short trip to Princes Park.
Ady Pennock’s side lost ground on the play-off chasers with a shock defeat at lowly Potters Bar Town last weekend – a defeat that didn’t impress the manager as he told KSN this week. “I was really disappointed with the result first and foremost, but I was more disappointed in the performances; I think it’s the first time this year where I have said that we weren’t “at it” as we were on our back foot a lot. But we are still in there and have put ourselves in a great position, we’ve been doing really, really well as a Football Club!”
“I can only tell you just how much of a jolt losing to the bottom side was at the end of the season, but I know that usually my players give everything – we are a young squad – but last weekend was one of those games where we could have been there still Tuesday or Wednesday we were never going to score a goal.
“Give them credit as they defended really well but we just couldn’t open them up at all in good areas and that was after starting really slowly as well! It was a poor result but if we don’t turn up – doesn’t matter if you’re playing the top side or the bottom side, in every League in the World there are no easy games in football anymore and it showed last week!”
Looking ahead to the weekend, Pennock admitted, “They are all big games at the moment whether it be sides at the top or the bottom – every game is a big game for us. It’s a big game for us this weekend but we are looking forward to it.”
Tim O’Shea takes his Cray Wanderers to provide the opposition for the Darts on Saturday, and Pennock told us, “We got a great result at their place earlier in the season when we beat them 2-0 and played really well that day, which is rare this year as we haven’t been great away from home.
“We seem stronger at home, and we will need to be as they are a tough side, a very tough side; well organised with some really good players so we are under no illusions as to what we will face on Saturday.”
“It shows how tough they will be as they are right up there too,” Pennock went on as the Wands arrive at Princes Park one place higher than the Darts. “They play some really good football, they are not a defensive side – they play players who can hurt you and I think that Tosh is doing a really good job over there, but let’s hope that on Saturday, they have an off day, and we have a good one!”
“It really is so tight at the top of the table and at the bottom now too. Anyone can beat anyone on the day and have been, and we really do have to take every game as it comes and that us the truth. We must turn up on Saturday more than we did last week in front of our fantastic home support and put in a good performance for them and see where it takes us!”