Dartford hosted Gateshead at Princes Park on Tuesday night in a must win game in their quest for survival and ended up with a point.

The home side made four changes from the disappointing defeat to Altrincham on Saturday with Ryan Hayes, Luke Daley, Nathan Collier and Harry Crawford coming into the side whilst the visitors made one change from their defeat against Eastleigh with Tom Allan coming into the starting line up.

Without a home win in nine games, Dartford started the game knowing that they must win to have any realistic hope of fighting off relegation.

The game started off slowly but it was Dartford who would take the lead with the game’s first shot in the 9^th minute. A misplaced pass by Gateshead’s Alex Rodman back into his own half was seized on by Jordan Chiedozie who raced onto the loose ball before curling in to the top left hand corner.

It wouldn’t take long for the visitors to equalise however, after Deren Ibrahim had pushed Matty Pattison’s free kick behind for a corner and from the resulting corner, The Heed equalised, Tom Allan rising the highest at the back post to power home Pattison’s corner after 17 minutes.

The goal prompted a good spell for the away side with Michael Rankine having a shot blocked by Collier and a good shout for a penalty when Rodman was bought down in the area by Callum Driver which the Darts were lucky to get away with.

Darts were to almost retake the lead on 29 minutes. Harry Crawford and Ryan Hayes combined for Hayes to cross to the back post for Luke Daley but his header was stopped on the line by Gateshead right back Craig Baxter, with the suspicious looks of a hand to stop it.

The away side were still having the majority of the ball, manipulating the Darts defence, with clever link up play. From this, Alex Rodman curled a 30 yard free kick against the bar after Elliot Bradbrook was forced into a tackle.

Just as the half time whistle blew, Harry Crawford was pulled down off the ball by James Curtis, causing Elliot Bradbrook to confront the player as they were leaving the pitch, with players from both sides holding the offending players back and pushing them down the tunnel to the safety of the dressing rooms.

After a quiet opening 20 minutes of the second half, with both sides cancelling each other out, Dartford were to come close. After the wind had helped Dartford pin the visitors back, Chiedozie and Daley combined to allow Chiedozie a shot at goal, but his shot from the edge of the area was comfortably saved by the keeper.

The away side brought on Kevin St Luce, and his pacy run down the right ended up with a pull back to the edge of the area for the onrushing Rodman but his placed shot forced Ibrahim to save low to his right.

Gateshead were close to taking the lead again on 74 minutes, Sainte Luce was again the architect, his pull back from the byline found Pattison, whose left foot shot was millimetres wide of the left hand post.

The Darts were to have the ball in the back of the net with 5 minutes remaining, Bradbrook nodding Andy Pugh’s cross home, but taking the keeper out in the process.

The home side were really pressing for the winner as we edged towards the end with Peter Sweeney flicking through for a Pugh cross shot to be blocked.

Chiedozie tried to take the glory with a minute remaining, smashing a left foot shot over when Crawford was well placed in the centre.

As the game reached injury time, Gateshead were inches from stealing a winner, sub Jake Orrell just inches from connecting to Pattison’s cross in the middle.

The final whistle was to blow and the Darts winless run at Princes Park reaches double figures and relegation back to Conference South is now staring them full in the face, although the Darts won’t stop fighting for survival.

 

 

Dartford: Ibrahim, Richards, Mcauley, Bradbrook ©, Hayes (Pugh 76), Daley (Harris 76), Collier, Sweeney, Crawford, Driver, Chiedozie.

Subs not used:  , Kessell, Adams, Vint.

Yellow card:  Chiedozie 83.

Gateshead:  Dixon, Curtis, Shaw ©, Finnigan (Campbell 45), Ramshaw, Baxter, Rankine (Sainte-Luce 66), Rodman (Orrell 76), Pattison, Gjokaj, Allan.

Subs not used: Wlson, Morse.

Yellow card Rankine 34.

 

Attendance: 602

Referee: Mr A Hopkins