MATCH PREVIEW – Dartford v Hendon

Dartford will search for their first win in almost a month when they host Hendon this Saturday.

The Darts started well this season, but victories have ran dry recently and they are on a run of four straight defeats. Adrian Pennock will be hoping to stop the downward trend after his side returned to the Isthmian Premier in the summer. The Greens also returned to the division after spending six years in the Southern Premier South. The Middlesex club have settled in well sitting in fifth place, but are waiting for a first away win in the league.

On Tuesday night, for a second game in a row a former Dartford player came back to haunt his old team. Two minutes into the game Tom Bender headed Billericay Town in front from a corner. The unbeaten Blues scored again before the interval, another corner was nodded in by Frankie Merrifield. Things didn’t improve in the second half as the hosts doubled the score. Moses Emmanuel netted just past the hour and a Matt Johnson in the final ten minutes. The Darts have now conceded 12 in last three away games, nine in the last two league matches on the road.

Matt Kerbey returned in goal replacing Jacob Marsden as Pennock’s only change to the starting line up. Oliver Box missed out recovering from a groin injury, but is hopeful of a return this weekend. Duane Ofori-Acheampong served the last of his three match ban and will be available again. New signings Ade Yusuff and Michael Olarewaju were named on the bench on Tuesday night and made their debuts. Forward, Yusuff has enjoyed successful spells with last season’s Isthmian Premier champions Hornchurch and with Folkestone Invicta in the past. Defender, Olarewaju was at Dover Athletic and Eastbourne Borough last term.

It was only six months ago when the two sides met in the London Senior Cup semi-final. Pennock named a predominately academy squad, which included George Whitefield, Box and Jeremiah Pinder. Hendon’s Joe White stood out with a four goal haul as the Greens went on to win 6-3. Daniel Matsuzaka and Kai Brosnan scored the other goals for the hosts. Louie Atkins, Finley Sillince and Box netted for the Darts.

Princes Park first hosted this fixture when it was still in its infancy. Two years after Dartford’s homecoming the two sides met in December 2008. The Isthmian Premier League fixture was decided by an unlikely source. Tommy Osbourne scored three times in 258 appearances for the Darts and one of those goals was in the 1-0 victory against Hendon. Dartford approached the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season as Isthmian Division One North champions. The Darts were humbled 3-0 with Brian Haule, James Bent and Chris Bangura scoring for the Greens.

The following campaign witnessed Dartford take the Isthmian Premier title. Tony Burman’s side completed a double over Hendon winning at home 5-0 in September 2009. Rob Haworth opened the scoring and Lee Burns doubled the lead. Jay May grabbed a second half brace and in the final minute Lee Noble completed the rout. The penultimate game of that campaign was a closer affair. Danny Harris scored both goals in a 2-1 victory.

Apart for 14 years, the two sides reconvene this weekend. Dartford have gone full circle climbing up to the top of non-league before slipping back into step three. Hendon are in their 46th consecutive season at the same level. As for Mert Apat the wait to meet up with the Middlesex club again is not quite as long. The defender could face his former side having played eight games for the Greens last season.

Last term Hendon recorded their highest finish in the Southern Premier South during their six-season tenure. Drawing the most games in the division, the greens had to settle for tenth place. However, they had success in the F.A Trophy reaching the last 16 for the first time in 25 years. On the weekend they started a new journey in the competition hoping to repeat that achievement. Top scorer Brosnan netted a first half hat-trick in the third qualifying round against Bedford Town. The forward took his tally to eight in all competitions helping the Greens to a 5-1 win. Billie Busari and Niko Muir also got on the scoresheet guiding Hendon into the first round.

In the league, Brosnan scored a goal in each of the opening five fixtures. Hendon started the season with a 2-1 win over newly promoted Bowers and Pitsea. Their first game on the road ended in defeat at Dulwich Hamlet. Leading up to a F.A Cup victory over Whitehawk, the Greens beat Cray Wanderers, drew with Bognor Regis Town and secured three points versus Cheshunt. September saw Hendon exit both the F.A Cup and London Senior Cup. Whilst in the league they picked up a draw at Chatham Town, lost to Folkestone Invicta and won against Cray Valley Paper Mills.

Current League Form

Billericay Town	A	0-4	Cray Valley (PM)	H	1-0
Bowers & Pitsea	H	1-2	Folkestone Invicta	A	0-2
Dover Athletic	A	1-5	Chatham Town	A	2-2
Chatham Town	H	3-1	Cheshunt	H	2-0
Carshalton Town	A	1-0	Bognor Regis Town	A	2-2
Canvey Island	H	2-0	Cray Wanderers	H	3-1

Head to Head

Dartford wins: 3 / Hendon wins: 3 / Draws: 0

Previous Meetings

Hendon 6 – 3 Dartford (23/04/2024 – London Senior Cup)
Hendon 1 – 2 Dartford (22/04/2010 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 5 – 0 Hendon (05/09/2009 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 1 – 0 Hendon (06/12/2008 – Isthmian Premier)
Hendon 3 – 0 Dartford (16/08/2008 – Isthmian Premier)
Dartford 0 – 3 Hendon (08/11/1952 – F.A Cup)

Statistics

• Dartford’s defeat in last season’s London Senior Cup semi-final ended a run of three consecutive victories against Hendon
• The Darts have won both fixtures at Princes Park scoring six without reply
• Dartford are hoping to avoid a third consecutive home defeat in all competitions for the first time since November 2023.

On This Day

Dartford are unbeaten in their last seven games on 12 October. Tony Burman was the interim manager in 2019 after the departures of Adam Flanagan and Jamie Coyle in early September. In his last game before Steve King took charge, Burman led the Darts to a 1-0 away win over Oxford City, Ben Greenhalgh scoring the only goal of the game. In 2013, Dartford left it late on the road to draw 2-2 with Hereford in the National League. Lee Noble converted Matt Godden’s cross in the first half. The Bulls hit back with strikes from Kevin Krans and Ross Dyer. A point was rescued when Uche Ibemere headed in a Ryan Hayes cross.

An F.A Cup epic was played out on this day in 2010. The third qualifying round replay with Canvey Island went all the way under the Princes Park lights. Danny Harris, Carl Rook and Paul Goodacre scored for the Darts in a 3-3 draw. The seemingly never ending penalty shoot out finally came to a conclusion with Dartford running out 9-8 winners.

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