The 4-2 scoreline will flatter Dartford, who crashed out of this season’s FA Cup following a woeful defensive performance.

Trailing by 3 goals at the interval, the game was over as a contest, but although Lee Burns scored a wonderful goal midway through the second period that could have induced nerves in an outstanding Salisbury side, Dartford’s second through Max Cornhill, late in stoppage time, was a mere consolation.

All four Salisbury goals could be attributed to defensive errors that riddled Dartford’s day, and Daniel Fitchett, with two, Ben Wright and Elliott Frear were in no mood to pass up on the opportunities presented to them.

Burns and Cornhill did reply with classy finishes for the Darts, but with Alan Julian being by far the busier keeper, the gap in class between the full- and part-timers was vast, as Salisbury’s players were far more tactically aware all over the park.

Dartford’s long-serving manager, Tony Burman, was despondent following his team’s display, and pinpointed where things went wrong for his team. He said “It was kamikaze defending individually, rather than as a unit. Individual mistakes have cost us; it was dreadful defending. We just had no end product.”

“Every time it broke down they came hard at us, but you’ve got to be able to clear a ball, win tackles on the edge of your box, and we got punished. That’s what happens at this level. If players do what they want to do and it doesn’t work, I’ve got to sort it out.”

“We changed our system. We didn’t want to come here and just stick people behind the ball. We thought playing three up top would cause their back three problems, and I thought we started brightly.”

“But you cannot defend the way that we did. We spoke about it all week, but we just had too many players doing their own thing unfortunately, and not doing what they were asked to do.”

“Once that happens, your gameplan goes and you find yourself 2-nil down. It’s disappointing because you work all week, you think you’re doing the best thing, and I thought we could create problems for them, but with the players we’ve got, it didn’t happen.”

“I thought the midfield three (Lee Noble, Max Cornhill and Alex Woodyard) were excellent and they were up against some good players.”

“I thought Salisbury were outstanding, but we tried something and if people are not capable of doing it, you have to have a rethink.  You can lay out all the tactical plans, but if you have kamikaze, schoolboy defending by some individuals; that’s wrong!”

Admittedly Dartford were hamstrung somewhat with loan strikers Adam Birchall (Gillingham) and Matt Godden (Scunthorpe United) unable to play to avoid being cup-tied, and talismanic skipper Elliot Bradbrook still some weeks away from a return having picked up an injury in the replay against Ebbsfleet.

In the early stages, with all players struggling to maintain their footing on a pitch soaked by a heavy shower in the hours before kick-off, Dartford more than matched their high-flying hosts.

But once Salisbury found they could use the space being granted to wide men Theo Lewis and Elliott Frear, along with the willingness of strikers Daniel Fitchett and Ben Wright to run in behind the Dartford back-line, Salisbury gradually gained control that they rarely let slip.

The first warning signs came from a Dartford corner that saw Salisbury counter with a SIX-on-two break that Wright’s poor touch ended before the striker could get a shot away.

But the space that was being granted to Salisbury’s forward running players would soon lead to the opening goal after 12 minutes.

Former Ebbsfleet Wembley hero, Chris McPhee (the man who scored the winning goal in the 2008 FA Trophy final) ghosted away from Matt Fry into the area between the Dartford defence and midfield and played a simple ball through towards Fitchett.

The turf defeated Matt Mitchell-King as he tried to stretch to clear, and Fitchett was left with the task of blasting his shot past the sprawling Alan Julian.

Max Cornhill had a rare foray into the Salisbury area and, under heavy pressure from Glenn Wilson, turned Nathan Collier’s teasing centre past the post, before Salisbury doubled their lead on 17.

The hosts switched play quickly from right to left, and Frear hit a deep cross towards the back post. Julian’s movement across goal towards the cross seemed to distract the unfortuante Fry, whose header dropped back to the penalty spot where Ben Wright had time to measure a volley into the centre of the unguarded net.

Julian pulled off an outstanding full-length save to deny Theo Lewis’ fierce drive, and Alex Woodyard was fortunate not to be penalised as Lewis’ cross skidded off the surface onto his arm inside the area.

With Salisbury dominating, Dartford’s front players were unable to hold onto the ball to take the pressure off their defence, but Ryan Hayes finally managed to cause some concern within the hosts’ defence.

Hayes saw a shot deflect off James Clarke, which Willem Puddy was down quickly to save, then attempted a curling shot when both Kenny Clark and Mitchell-King were well placed for a cross.

If it hadn’t been before, the game was effectively over as a contest on the stroke of half-time, as Frear scored Salisbury’s third. Fry tried unsuccessful to anticipate and intercept a through-ball down the right wing, allowing Fitchett space to break into the area.

Fitchett picked out his winger with a low ball that Frear dispatched emphatically into the roof of the net.

Fitchett’s movement was pulling the Dartford defence left and right, and the forward got on the wrong side of Clark, but could only fire straight at a relieved Julian.

This prompted a sustained period of pressure from the Darts, with Hayes, twice, and Danny Harris putting dangerous crosses into the Salisbury area, but every time it was a defender in white who reacted quickest to clear the ball.

Dartford changed both front men, with Jason Prior and Uche Ibemere replacing Collier and Harris, but it was their skipper on the day, Lee Burns, who relived his former days as a striker with a controlled volley finish to give Dartford hope.

Angus MacDonald headed Hayes’ cross back across goal to the overlapping Burns, who had time to measure a dipping volley over Puddy into the far corner.

McPhee drew another full-length save from Julian before Fitchett claimed his second and Salisbury’s fourth as he was once again missed by the Dartford defence.

Frear’s curling freekick into the 6-yard box saw Fitchett sneak in behind his marker, Clark, to glance a header goalward. Julian did all he could to get a foot onto the goalbound deflection to no avail.

McPhee had golden chance, blazing a header over when unmarked in the area, before substitute Ricky Wellard ran a one-man campaign to get himself on the scoresheet.

Wellard had three efforts in the last ten minutes having been brought on for Fitchett; Julian, who recovered to save bravely at the feet of Wright, spilled Wellard’s first long-range drive.

Then, Wellard drew two more good saves from the Dartford keeper, the second of which came after Wellard had powered through three tired tackles from the demoralised defence.

Dartford had the final say in the match, as Max Cornhill lashed in a consolation deep in stoppage time. Hayes powered into the Salisbury area before clipping a cross to the back post, where Cornhill’s volley was directed away from Puddy’s dive to give the travelling Darts fans some cheer for the long journey home.

SALISBURY CITY: Willem Puddy, Brian Dutton, James Clarke (Angus MacDonald 63), Glenn Wilson ©, Theo Lewis (Jake Thomson 78), Clovis Kamdjo, Stuart Sinclair, Elliott Frear, Christopher McPhee, Ben Wright, Daniel Fitchett (Ricky Wellard 80).

Subs not used: Callum Hart, James White, Warren Feeney, James Bittner.

Goals: Daniel Fitchett (2) 12 & 76, Ben Wright 17, Elliott Frear 45.

Bookings: James Clarke 51, Christopher McPhee 67.

DARTFORD: Alan Julian, Lee Burns ©, Kenny Clark, Matt Mitchell-King, Matt Fry, Lee Noble (Tyrone Sterling 68), Max Cornhill, Alex Woodyard, Ryan Hayes, Nathan Collier (Uche Ibemere 61), Danny Harris (Jason Prior 61).

Subs not used: Josh Hill, Tommy Forecast, Becka-kah Dembele, Mohamed Eisa.

Goals: Lee Burns 67, Max Cornhill 90.

Attendance: 1279
Referee: Mr Simon Bennett (Stoke-on-Trent)
Assistants: Mr Jonathan Burridge (Papworth) and Mr Brian Durie (Westmancote)
4th Official: Mr Gary Parsons (Hordle)