Dartford line up at Princes Park for the third time in a week on Saturday, as they play host to promotion-chasing Worthing.
The Darts’ theme of dropping points this season continued on Tuesday, as they threw away a 1-0 lead over Aveley to lose 1-2. Despite Funmaya Shomotun opening the scoring, they were pegged back by goals from Nana Kyei and Siju Odelusi within the last ten minutes of play. This came after failing to beat a struggling Taunton Town last weekend, who boast the third worst away form in the National League South this season.
Dartford’s managerial vacancy is still yet to be filled – interim manager Tony Burman will oversee his ninth game back in charge this weekend, winning just one of his previous eight. There have been some net improvements on the pitch in recent weeks, but goals remain hard to come by, and preventing the opposition from scoring an equally difficult task.
Worthing also arrive at Princes Park with an interim at the helm. After the departure of long-term manager Adam Hinshelwood to National League strugglers York City, recently retired Aarran Racine has taken the post. Racine made his debut for the Rebels in 2018 and went on to make 139 appearances for the Club, whilst also being captain.
While Worthing have experienced a blip in form in recent weeks, Ollie Pearce, the league’s top scorer, presents a gargantuan test for the Dartford defence. Pearce has 33 goals and 10 assists in 33 appearances, with Shaun Jeffers of St Albans City his closest competitor with 20. Worthing have scored the most goals in the division with a current tally of 77, with 57% of these made by Pearce.
On the topic of strikers, Dartford may see the return of a familiar face in Jake Robinson. Robinson, who claimed Dartford’s golden boot in 2021/22, has missed all three of Worthing’s games against the Darts since joining last season. The 37-year-old striker has featured in all but one of the Rebels’ last 14 league games, so will likely make an appearance on Saturday.
After losing their two games to Worthing last season, Dartford claimed victory at Woodside Road earlier this campaign. The Darts fought back twice in the game, leading 1-3 at half-time after trailing, and claiming an 83rd minute winner via Tyrell Miller-Rodney after the hosts clawed back a 3-3 scoreline. It’s hard to split the two sides with such a small sample size of games, but the vast divide from 3rd to 18th forecasts a mountainous task for a struggling Dartford.
Avoiding defeat will be crucial in the relegation landscape for Burman’s side, as the sides below continue to mount their respective charges to beat the drop.
Kick-off is 15:00 on Saturday, with tickets priced at £16 for adults and £11 for concessions.