After a two week break, Vanarama National League South football returns with a North West Kent derby as Dartford host Welling United at the Bericoat Powerhouse Princes Park on Saturday.  

Whilst the hosts are top of the league, the visitors sit at the foot of the table. However, no team has played more games than the seventeen that the Darts have contested whilst Welling have taken to the pitch on fewer occasions than any other club having completed just eleven games.

In their last outing, Dartford drew one all with fellow promotion hopefuls Hungerford Town. As a pretty flat first half came to a close, Craig Fasanmade put the Crusaders ahead. However, a few choice words by Steve King seemed to do the trick and his team were far better in the second half. 

Josh Hill levelled eleven minutes into the second half from a Jack Jebb free kick but Hungerford defended well until the game moved into injury time when Dartford thought that they had won it.

Luke Allen’s shot was tipped round the post for a corner in the final of the four additional minutes. 

Jebb delivered and Connor Essam met it with a powerful header that was cleared off the line by a combination of the goalkeeper and a defender. Some Dartford players were convinced that it had crossed the line but the assistant referee was unmoved and it was cleared away.

On that day, Welling were not in action due to a COVID issue at Tonbridge Angels so new manager Steve Lovell is yet to take charge for the first time. It’s likely that there will be a few players making debuts, some for the second time. Olumide Durojaiye and Dominic Vose are ready for second debuts whilst Kristian Campbell and Scott Doe may make their first Welling starts. 

Their last outing was a disappointing two-nil defeat at home to St. Albans City, their fourth consecutive league and cup game without a goal. However, Welling’s last away game was a good away draw at Oxford City, a game in which the Wings hit the woodwork and had three cleared off the line,

Last season’s corresponding game was a straight-forward home win with the Darts notching four unanswered goals. Jacob Berkeley-Agyepang put them ahead before Elliott Romain headed home a second. Romain scored again in the second half before Darren McQueen completed the scoring from the spot. 

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.