A crowd of 2,869 descended on Princes Park expecting runaway leaders Luton Town to extend their thirteen point lead at the top of the Skrill Premier and leave Dartford fighting for their lives at the foot of the table.

And to be fair that’s exactly what happened, but tells only a fraction of an incredible night where the Darts came within an agonising four minutes of taking what would have been a priceless point.

But it wasn’t to be and this victory now leaves Luton – whose travelling support at Princes was nothing short of magnificent as they took over 60 per cent of the ground – just three wins away from a return to the Football League after a five year absence.

This really was a tough reverse for the Darts to take after they had so gloriously taken the lead through Mikel Suarez’s thunderous header. The game turned on its head 13 minutes from time when Kenny Clark was shown a straight red card for a foul on Alex Lawless – a decision that Burman was far from happy about – and it inspired the visitors to finally break Dartford’s magnificent rear guard action.

Yet it took a truly sensational strike from substitute Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu seven minutes from time (worthy of any Goal of the Season nomination) and a brilliant header from Andre Gray four minutes from time to sink the home side and leave them in the bottom four.

“There’s no doubt that the sending off has knocked us,” admitted a disappointed Burman.

“We needed to have eleven men on the pitch against a team like Luton – it’s hard enough with eleven players but when you go a man down it’s a little bit demoralising!”

“I’m really disappointed with the decision – the referee is behind the play; he’s in the centre of the field and the ball has come down this near side by the tunnel, and as far as I’m concerned without looking at it again, there’s no way that he can see if it’s a sending off.”

“Yes it was a foul, but in the spirit of the way that the game was played a lot of people went round him and I think he reacted to that and I don’t think it was a sending off!”

“Kenny’s gone for the ball and unless I’m proved wrong and I was standing close to it, the referee isn’t to one side, he’s behind the play and in my opinion he’s got the decision wrong!”

Given that there was so much on the game it really was a remarkable spectacle, and it was the visitors who went close early on when Paul Benson sprinted clear only to be denied by the legs of keeper Alan Julian and as the ball looped up, Jake Howell’s header cleared the empty goal.

The Darts responded well and after Max Cornhill’s shot was blocked skipper Elliot Bradbrook flashed in a low drive that fizzed just wide of the left post. And it was the Dartford left post that was struck just past the half hour as Howells’ trickery down the left resulted in a super ball into the box which Benson glanced off the inside of the post and straight back into Julian’s grateful arms.

Then eight minutes from half time came the moment when the Darts fans dared to dream the impossible dream. A left wing corner was met by a thumping header from Mikel Suarez who powered home his first goal in a Dartford shirt.

It could have been even better for Burman’s side as in the closing stages of the first half Cornhill’s shot was blocked on the edge of the box, before a neat flick to a near post corner forced keeper Tyler into a stunning reflex save at his left post.

As the two sides left the field at half time, you couldn’t help but to marvel at the final delivery into the box from both sides – but in particular Luton and you could see why they’re 13 points clear at the top.

The incredible pace of the game continued after the break – Lee Burns brought a smart save out of Tyler low to his left before at the other end Andre Gray bobbled a shot across the face of Julian’s goal. The end to end nature of the game continued as Tyrone Sterling battled through on the edge of the box only for Tyler to block with his feet.

Then with just thirteen games left the game was turned on its’ head as Clark clattered into Lawless, and despite being 20 yards away referee Martin was insistent that there was only one card coming out of his pocket and that was red.

Dartford were rocked and Luton went for the jugular – and sadly succeeded!

The leaders piled forward sensing that the game was now there for the taking and levelled with just seven minutes left on the clock with a contender for Goal of the Season. Substitute Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu picked the ball up in the centre circle sprinted forward before unleashing a shot that fizzed into Julian’s top right hand corner with the poor Darts keeper grasping at thin air as the ball rocketed past him.

Former Gills midfielder Luke Rooney thought he’d beaten his former team mate with a twenty five yard free kick that didn’t leave the ground, until Julian made a fabulous stop with his feet and from the resulting corner Lawless drew another terrific save from Julian to keep the scores level.

But in their next attack, Luton won the game with another great goal as a brilliant ball came in from the right and Gray arrived like a train at the back post to power his header into the net.

The final whistle was greeted with crys of “the Hatters are going up” and whilst they will be worthy Champions, they probably won’t have been pushed as far the Darts did in this game, which meant that the decision to send Clark off with the home side a goal up probably annoyed the Darts boss even more.

Reflecting on the game, he said, “It’s the wrong decision tonight, but there you go! I hope that the way we’ve been beaten tonight will make it easier for us to go again at Lincoln on Saturday.”

“Tonight I’ve seen the guys out there – a team proud to be wearing the shirt and having a go for the club and that’s all we can ask, and I think that in all fairness since the turn of the year, they’ve done that with flying colours.”

“Our supporters again tonight were magnificent in a great atmosphere and that’s another reason for wanting to stay in this league – games and nights like this! It’s going to be difficult for us but we’ll keep of battling to stay in the League if we can!”

DARTFORD – Alan Julian, Tyrone Sterling, Kenny Clark, Max Cornhill, Lee Noble, Elliot Bradbrook, Danny Harris, Mat Mitchell-King, Lee Burns, Mikel Suarez (Nathan Collier 71), Rory McAuley

Subs not used – Ben Swallow, Femi Akinwande, Craig Holloway, Alex Woodyard

LUTON TOWN – Mark Tyler, Fraser Franks, Steve McNulty, Alex Lawless, Jake Howells Luke Rooney 65), Scott Griffiths, Cameron McGeehan, Matt Robinson (Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu 57), Ronnie Henry, Paul Benson (Marfk Cullen 54), Andre Gray

Subs not used – Anthony Charles and Elliot Justham

Referee – Richard Martin
Assistants – Jonathan Burridge & Stuart Pawley
4th Official – Christopher Francis