Whitehawk belied their League position with a great win against Play off hopefuls Dartford.

Dartford must be rueing the chance they had after going two up & getting back into the Play off positions.

Whitehawk came to Princes Park needing a victory to help them in their Relegation fight & for most of the match they were the better side.

The game started quickly for Dartford as in the 1^st minute Ryan Hayes cross from the right wing was deflected into the path of Danny Harris on the far post & he slammed the ball into the back of the net but he was given offside.

Whitehawk had their first chance in the 8^th minute when Nick Arnold received the ball from Jake Robinson in the area & his powerful shot was pushed around the post for a corner.

Three minutes later Robinson 30 yards out tried his luck but his shot went over the bar. Dartford nearly took the lead in the 18^th minute when Hayes just on halfway passed forward for Andy Pugh who ran on & saw his shot from 20 yards bounce just past the post.

The game then went a little scrappy as both sides gave the ball away but Whitehawk were the better side then Dartford in the space of ten minutes had to use two substitutes as first George Sykes went off with a neck injury & then Harris went off with a leg injury.

This seemed to disrupt Dartford but in the 2^nd minute off added on time they scored when Arnold fouled Jack Simmons in the area, up stepped Pugh who shot into the bottom right hand corner.

The second half was only five minutes old when Dartford increased their lead when Simmons passed to Barry Cogan on the edge of the area & his flicked pass into the area found Pugh who ran on & shot past Craig Ross.

At this moment in time they were back in the Play off positions but Whitehawk had other ideas & in the 54^th minute they pulled a goal back when Robinson’s cross from the right to the back post found Danny Mills who stabbed it home from 3 yards.

Dartford needed another goal & three minutes later Pugh nearly got it when he latched onto a long ball went into the area & from an acute angle saw his shot saved by Ross.

Whitehawk were now enjoying a lot of possession & in the 70^th minute they nearly equalised when Arnold 20 yards out centrally saw his shot fumbled by Ibrahim & then cleared & the Dartford had a great escape when Scott Nielson’s cross shot 10 yards out came to Mills whose stabbed shot beat Ibrahim but came back of the post & into the grateful arms of Ibrahim.

Four minutes later a corner into the Dartford area was half cleared to Alex Osborn whose first time volley was instinctly saved by Ibrahim. Time was running out for Whitehawk but in the 81^st minute they equalised when Scott Nielson flicked pass forward saw Mills get on the other side of Cogan & he raced into the area before shooting past Ibrahim.

Four minutes of added time was what the board said & Dartford was hanging on for the point whilst Whitehawk were trying to win the game.

With two minutes of added on time gone Whitehawk broke Dartford’s hearts when Arnold on the right crossed to the back post for Mills to stab home for his hat trick.

In the last minute Dartford had a chance to equalise when a free kick into the area was cleared & to rub salt into the wound the ball came to Osborn who passed to Neilsen who laid it back for Osborn who then passed the ball forward for Neilsen to run onto & once in the area he slotted the ball past Ibrahim.

The final whistle went as Dartford kicked off & their Play off hopes were damaged but news came through that Truro had lost so no ground was lost but Tony Burman will be worried after his team conceded 4 goals in 40 minutes & did not play very well whilst Whitehawk would be ecstatic  at how they played & the result.

 

DARTFORD:

1. IBRAHIM 2. T.GARDNER  3. M.ONYEMAH  4. R.VINT  5. K.WOOD  6. T.WYNTER  7. R.HAYES (83) 8. A.PUGH 10. G.SYKES (29)  11. D.HARRIS (39)

SUBS USED:  12. J.SIMMONS (29)  15. B.COGAN (39)  16. B.FRANCIS (83)

UNUSED SUBS:  14. B-K. DEMBELE  17. J.GLANDER

BOOKINGS: 15.B.COGAN (75)  16. B.FRANCIS (90)

 

WHITEHAWK:

1. ROSS 2. N.ARNOLD  3. S.RENTS  4. D.IJAHA  5.C.SESSEGNON  6. D.LEACOCK  7. A.MENDY (59) 8. S.TORRES 9. J.ROBINSON (90+3)10. D.MILLS  11. M.WEST (62)

SUBS USED:  15. A.OSBORN (59)  14. S.NEILSON (62)  16. T.FRASER (90+3)

SUBS NOT USED:  NONE

BOOKINGS:  NONE

 

REFEREE: Mr. S.PURKISS

ASSISTANTS:  Mr B.GILL &  Mr P.KILLIP

ATTENDANCE: 906