Tony Burman’s Dartford earned their sixth successive win in National League South, with a relatively comfortable 3-1 win over Whitehawk, who historically have caused the Darts considerable problems over the last two seasons.
Ryan Hayes opened the scoring after 20 minutes to move to within two goals of his century for Dartford, and Tom Murphy added a second with a deft lob twelve minutes later. Whitehawk gained a foothold in the game with a hotly disputed penalty, confidently despatched by Glen Southam, but Andy Pugh applied a composed finish to a slick passing move on 71 to seal the three points.
In football, a change of manager often brings an instant response from a team, and Whitehawk’s new manager, Alan Payne, saw his side push Dartford back in the early stages, but there was no final ball into the box. The only real problem came from a softly conceded freekick on the right corner of the area that Tom Wynter intercepted for a corner.
With a low, bright sun shining into the eyes of Hawks’ keeper Tom Stewart, Ryan Hayes’ curling freekick from the right touchline almost brought a reward, just sliding past the left hand upright with the keeper scrambling across his goal.
The sun probably played its part in Dartford’s opening goal in the 20th minute as well. Luke Wanadio found Andy Pugh 25 yards out from goal on the left. Pugh immediately switched play to the right side of the area to Hayes, who shifted the ball inside left-back Dan Harding and curled a dipping left foot shot, that was heading in under the bar before Stewart got his right arm up, but could only deflect the shot into the inside of the right side of the goal.
Three minutes later, Deren Ibrahim had to be smartly off his line to deny former Ebbsfleet winger Alex Osborn, as the Osborn picked up a throughball from Lucas Rodrigues and tried to lift a shot on the turn over the Dartford keeper.
Dartford doubled their lead in the 32nd minute from a route-one Ibrahim clearance. The Whitehawk defence waited for the long ball, and deceived by the bounce, left Tom Murphy free to loft the ball over the advancing Stewart; the shot went into the net off the underside of the bar.
It could have been three on a couple of occasions in the first half, as Wanadio turned past Marvin Hamilton and saw a left foot shot parried by Stewart, and the keeper was grateful for the referee’s whistle as he flapped at a diagonal ball into the box, but was awarded a foul for Elliot Bradbrook’s challenge. Bradbrook had tapped into the unguarded net. In reply, Whitehawk’s only real sight of goal came from a header over, under pressure from two defenders, from Danny Mills.
The second half opened with Dartford continuing to find space on the wings, as Tom Wynter’s ball forward allowed Pugh to play Murphy in behind the right-back Hamilton, but Murphy’s return ball gave the Whitehawk defence time to smother Pugh’s eventual shot.
Just as early on in the first half, Whitehawk were looking threatening, and from a Michael West corner, Ramon Aldavert powered a header against the underside of the bar. As the ball bounced up again, not over the line, Rodrigues somehow managed to put a header over from almost underneath the woodwork.
After 57, Hawks’ Harding skipped past Danny Harris’ challenge in the left corner and pulled a ball back into the box for substitute Brian Howard. Bradbrook slid in with what seemed to be a well-timed block tackle on the former Barnsley midfielder, but the Darts’ players and bench were incensed as Mr Parsons pointed to the spot. Southam stepped up to slam the penalty down the middle, with Ibrahim diving to his left, to give Whitehawk a way back into the game.
The home side looked rattled by the penalty award but settled any nerves with a third goal on 71, with arguably the passing move of the game. Hayes chased down a lost cause into the right hand corner and clipped a pass into Murphy within the area. Murphy’s first time deft touch played the ball into the path of Pugh who was able to sweep home from 10 yards.
The Darts would wonder how it wasn’t four soon after as the beleaguered Stewart made two instinctive blocks to keep the scoreline 3-1. Wanadio’s cross from the left allowed Murphy to spin past Jamal Howlett-Mundle, and his left foot shot was beaten away by Stewart. The ball came out to the right side, where Hayes clipped his cross to the back post, and Murphy’s diving header cannoned back off the Whitehawk keeper’s hip before he could really react.
Once again, Mills found room in the Dartford box, but could only head over from a Southam freekick, but as good as Whitehawk’s football was up to the final third, all too often there was no end product. The visitor’s day was summed up by a speculative volley from Javier Favarel in stoppage time that posed no real danger to Ibrahim’s goal.
DARTFORD: Deren Ibrahim, Danny Harris, Tom Wynter, Tom Bonner, Ronnie Vint, Keaton Wood, Ryan Hayes (Richard Seixas 85), Elliot Bradbrook, Tom Murphy (Becka-Kah Dembele 87), Andy Pugh (Shai Thorley-Porter 90), Luke Wanadio.
Subs not used: Michael Habte, Tony Coxall
Goals: Ryan Hayes 20, Tom Murphy 32, Andy Pugh 71
Cautions: Elliot Bradbrook 58, Danny Harris 65, Ronnie Vint 74
WHITEHAWK: Tom Stewart, Marvin Hamilton, Dan Harding, Ahmed Abdulla (Javier Favarel 82), Ramon Aldavert, Jamal Howlett-Mundle, Michael West, Glen Southam, Danny Mills, Lucas Rodrigues (Brian Howard 55), Alex Osborn.
Subs not used: Lucas Covolan, Chris M’Boungou, Almpi Lengka.
Goal: Glen Southam 59 (pen)
Caution: Glen Southam 86
Attendance: 875
Referee: Mr Gary Parsons
Assistants: Mr Damith Bandara and Mr Gerry Heron