Dartford recovered from an early setback from Scott Rendell’s early goal to dismantle 10 man Woking at Princes Park on a damp Tuesday night.

Two goals apiece from Alex Wall and Max Cornhill before substitute Lee Noble added gloss to the scoreline with a fifth in stoppage time.

On what turned out to be a comfortable night for the Darts, it was Woking who took a deserved lead in the fourth minute when Josh Payne shot from the edge of the area was deflected beyond Alan Julian by experienced striker Scott Rendell to give the Surrey club a lead there early possession and composure merited.

From the kick off, Dartford fashioned an equaliser, Danny Harris slid through on loan Luton striker Alex Wall who cut inside ex Gillingham left back John Nutter and precisely slid the ball into the bottom corner with just 5 minutes gone.

In what was a frenetic opening 15 minutes, it was Woking who should have regained the lead when Kevin Betsy low cross left John Goddard with an open goal eight yards out but the left winger scuffed his shot wide.

Woking continued to dominate possession and were having the majority of the good attacking moments but this changed on 31 minutes when Joseph Jones flew in late on Dartford midfielder Jim Stevenson in the centre circle and the inevitable red card soon followed.

This gave the home side the impetus to get on the front foot with Jim Stevenson shooting over and captain Elliot Bradbrook having claims for a penalty turned down before Dartford took a lead into the half time interval. Alex Woodyard was fed the ball on the right hand side and his diagonal ball from his own half found Alex Wall capitalising on the slow turning Joe Mcnerney to race on and slot cooly into the corner with his left foot.

The second half started a lot like the first with Woking having the possession but potshots from Guiseppe Sole was all they could muster. Dartford extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half and it was started and finished by Max Cornhill.

His tackle in  the centre circle was picked up by Elliot Bradbrook who fed the tireless Alex Wall wide right. His low centre found the marauding Cornhill 8 yards out to dispatch home.

The confidence that has been lacking in Dartford for the majority of the season was back and Alex Wall nearly had a hat trick when his ferocious free kick on the edge of the area flew centimetres wide of the top left hand corner.

Dartford made the game comfortable with just under twenty minutes remaining when Woodyard right wing corner was headed home by Max Cornhill at the near post for his fourth in four matches to make the majority of the 1002 crowd happy.

Woking almost had a consolation goal and maybe should have when ex Gills loan player Jack Marriott bundled home Kevin Betsy low right wing cross into the back of the net but the young striker was adjudged to be offside and judging by some of the comments from the crowd to the assistant referee, seemed to suggest the official may have got it wrong.

Dartford manager Tony Burman started killing time by making three late substitutions and it was two of the substitutes who combined to add gloss to the scoreline.

Goalkeeper Alan Julian’s long free kick was flicked on by new signing Mikel Suarez and Lee Noble volleyed home as the final whistle blew.

A great night for the Darts and is the great escape possible?

 

Dartford: Julian, Sterling, Cornhill, Bradbrook ©, Harris ( Swallow 86), Mitchel-King, Burns, Woodyard,( Noble88)  Stevenson, Mcauley, Wall ( Suarez 82)

Subs not used: Clark, Wellham

Woking: Beasant, Nutter (Marriott 54), Ricketts, Mcnerney, Johnson, Sole ( Murtagh 54), Betsy, Payne( Wright 80), Rendell, Goddard, Jones.

Subs not used: Howe, Mcnamee.

Attendance: 1002