Alfreton Town:

Welcome to a new season at Princes Park and today’s opening game against Alfreton Town.

I hope everyone had a nice summer.  Last season was a long one for all of us, so it was nice to have a break, but it feels good to be back.  The summer months have bought about a number of personnel changes in the playing squad and I can only wish those players that are no longer with us the very best and thank them all for their hard work over the past few years.  This means that we are effectively a completely new squad/team and much of pre-season has been spent getting to know one another and trying to build some chemistry on the pitch.  The gaffer has bought in some excellent new signings with plenty of experience in the game, and hopefully we can gel as a team very quickly.  It is also nice to see some of the academy lads breaking through and signing contracts with the first team.  This will be a great experience for them so early on in their careers, so congratulations to them.

Reflecting on pre-season, we have played a number of tough games against decent opposition.  I do not see much point in arranging games against lower league opposition and winning by four or five goals at a time.  Yes there can be benefits to this, but pre-season is a time to get fit and try to gel as a team, and from this angle it has been very successful.  We have shown glimpses of good football at times and there are a lot of positives that we will be looking to build on over the coming weeks.  It may take a little time with so many new faces around, but we have a great set of lads and we are all determined to make this another successful season for this football club.

Alfreton have bought in a number of experienced players over the summer and, like us, will want to get their season off to a good start.  So this looks set to be a great game.  Both teams/clubs are likely to be of a similar level come the end of the season, so this will be a big test for us as a new team so early on.

Thanks for your continued support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Alfreton Sat 10 Aug 2013 FT 1-0 Att 1202
Aldershot v Dartford Tue 13 Aug 2013 FT 3-0 Att 2138
Halifax v Dartford Sat 17 Aug 2013 FT 2-0 Att 1296

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Braintree Town:

Welcome to today’s game against Braintree Town.

So, the new season is a week old and it was certainly a mixed week for us in terms of results and performances.  To start the season off with a home game is obviously nice, but to then have to make two tough away trips in a row to both Aldershot and Halifax is a tough ask.  I personally can’t see too many teams going to either of those grounds this season and coming back with points.  Having said that, I don’t think we did ourselves justice in either of those games.  We conceded some very sloppy goals (which came largely from our own mistakes) and then didn’t put our chances away at the other end when they came.  Goals change games, and unfortunately for us we conceded rather than scored them this week.

Having played reasonably well against Alfreton, keeping a good clean sheet and creating plenty of chances going forward, it was pleasing to pick up three points on the opening day.  However, we have then gone into two away games and caused many of our own problems.  We conceded five goals in those two games, four came from our own mistakes and the other was a deflection.  This tells a story in itself.  You can’t afford to give teams the upper hand in this league, and we have certainly been punished for our mistakes in the last couple of games.  It took a while for us to realise this last season, and it looks like we will need to learn the same lessons again this year….hopefully sooner rather than later.

Admittedly our performances have not been great, but I think that is to be expected when a team is still so new.  We have shown glimpses of some good stuff and hopefully that will continue to develop in the coming weeks.  We have looked reasonably solid defensively which is positive and have been creating chances.  Football can change in an instant and we just need to keep working hard and battling to turn things back in our favour.

Braintree have had a very good start to the season with two good results.  Both clubs know a lot about each other and this will be another tough game, but one we are looking forward to as a chance to put a few things right.  There is a long long way to go, and we need everyone to stick together.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Braintree Sat 24 Aug 2013 FT 0-2 Att 1015
Tamworth v Dartford Mon 26 Aug 2013 FT 0-2 Att 864

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Lincoln City:

Welcome to today’s game against Lincoln City.

It was a mixed bank holiday weekend for us.  In the first half against Braintree I thought we produced some of the best football we have played yet this season, but we failed to make it count with goals.  We then didn’t get going in the second half and were punished.  Braintree play a certain way – they look to upset the opposition and then grab a goal from a set piece, and we fell into their trap.  As I have said before, you need to make good play and pressure count in this league as there is such a fine line between winning and losing, but we didn’t do that on Saturday.  They did.

It was a complete role reversal at Tamworth on Monday.  We didn’t create a great deal of chances, but we scored early on through a well taken goal from Danny Harris and then punished them with a second before half time.  This relieved the pressure a little bit and all of a sudden it was us on the front foot and it made it easier for us to deal with all their long balls and throws into the box.  Jules pulled off a few decent saves to keep us in it, but overall I felt quite comfortable. 

It was good to get three points after three straight defeats.  Losing is not nice and it is sometimes hard to stay positive when things are going against you, so it was pleasing that we were able to respond so well at Tamworth.  Today will likely be our toughest game so far this season.  Lincoln are certainly one of the in-form teams at the moment.  They have already beaten both Forest Green and Wrexham and had good results elsewhere, so they will come here with lots of confidence and looking to turn us over.  Hopefully we can put a performance together like we did at Tamworth and make it difficult for them.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Lincoln City Sat 31 Aug 2013 FT 1-2 Att 1306
Chester v Dartford Sat 7 Sep 2013 FT 0-0 Att 2587

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Nuneaton Town:

Welcome to today’s game against Nuneaton Town.

After a mixed start to the season, the last few games and performances have been encouraging.  We picked up a very good win away to Tamworth, and then despite losing to Lincoln I thought there were many positives to take from the game.  I fully expect Lincoln to be in the mix come the end of the season – they were big, strong and organised and made it very difficult for us in the first half.  However, having conceded from two set pieces, I felt we then spent a lot of the second half on the front foot causing them problems.  We pulled a good goal back and had it not been for a chance cleared off the line, the post and then a clear cut penalty shout turned down we may well have got something from the game.

We then managed to bring back a good point from last weekend’s long trip to Chester.  Despite being a nil-nil draw, the game was pretty end-to-end and both teams could have probably nicked it in the end.  Chances for both teams were at a premium, but I felt we created chances to win the game and played some decent football in the process.  Those chances are not being turned into goals at the moment, but all we can do is keep working hard and hopefully our luck in front of goal will change.

Today marks the start of a run of very tough games.  Nuneaton have started the season very strongly and are unbeaten at the moment, so they will come here with lots of confidence.  We then play Luton, Kidderminster and Grimsby in the next three games so September is looking like a very tough month.  We have shown glimpses of what we are capable of as a team so far this season, but we are still waiting for everything to click.  I feel that we have been slowly improving, so hopefully we can continue along that path over the coming month and start scoring goals and picking up points more regularly.  It is not going to be easy with the opposition we have coming up, so it’s important we stick together, work hard and try and grind out some results.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.  

Dartford v Nuneaton Sat 14 Sep 2013 FT 1-2 Att 1155
Luton v Dartford Tue 17 Sep 2013 FT 3-0 Att 5433

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Kidderminster Harriers:

Welcome to today’s game against Kidderminster Harriers.

It has been yet another tough week for us with two defeats to both Nuneaton and Luton.  Nuneaton are flying at the moment and you can’t afford to give teams with that sort of confidence a head start – which we did by conceding two goals from set pieces in the opening 10 minutes.  Then on Tuesday night at Luton, I have missed an absolute sitter at one end which should have taken the game to 1-1.  Chances to score at this level are so few and far between, and you can’t afford to miss those if you want to win games or even compete.  Luton then went on the counter attack and within 30 seconds made it 2-0 with a deflected shot.  That is the difference at the moment.  You just can’t miss those sort of chances and it cost us dearly in the end, so I can only apologise to my teammates, management and supporters for that.

Everyone knew this was going to be a difficult season.  We have a new team which is clearly still trying to find its feet and we are in the middle of what it going to be a very tough run of games.  I don’t think anyone is under any illusions – we need to start fighting and scrapping for points.  However, we have to take heart in that there is still close to 40 games left this season and a run of two or three wins can completely change the course things.  Yes, things are not going well at the moment but that can change in an instant in football.  There is no point feeling sorry for ourselves, as we are the only ones which can change things around.

This club has certainly been spoilt for success over the past five or six seasons, and none of us want to see all that hard work go up in smoke.  But we have to accept that this league is very unforgiving and if you are not 100% right, you will get beaten.  We have played well in spells but it has not been enough to put points on the board consistently.  We need to turn that around and start grinding out some results to build some confidence.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Kidderminster Sat 21 Sep 2013 FT 3-0 Att 1020
Grimsby v Dartford Tue 24 Sep 2013 FT 5-2 Att 2503

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Southport:

Welcome to today’s game against Southport.

It has been another mixed week for us.  Last weekend’s 3-0 win against a very good Kidderminster side was a great achievement.  I felt we really made life difficult for them for the entire 90 minutes, and that made the difference on the day.  We didn’t give them time to settle on the ball and we scored goals at important times which took the game away from them.  It was nice to see our hard work and effort pay off, as that hasn’t happened often so far this season, and I thought we thoroughly deserved the result.

To follow that game with a long Tuesday trip to Grimsby (another club looking for promotion) was a tough ask for a part time club.  However, I thought the 5-2 score line was a bit harsh.  They had plenty of shots on goal, but most were from distance and didn’t really trouble us.  We played some very good football throughout the game, and could/should have been 2-0 up but for a great save from their keeper……and 30 seconds later its 1-1 from an unstoppable shot.  There is nothing we can do about that one, but again we have then been caught out at set pieces which is just isn’t good enough and is certainly an issue.  It was a good effort to get back in the game in the second half, but those two late goals were sucker punches when it seemed like we might be able to get something in the closing few minutes.

Like I have said before, games against the likes of Luton, Kidderminster and Grimsby are not going to define our season.  Our goal is to stay in this league, and we will do that by getting results against a select 10 or so clubs and trying to pick up points where possible against the bigger sides.  That is why three points against Kidderminster last weekend was so important.  We have just come through a tough run of four games against a number of either in-form teams or those that will be challenging for promotion.  To have got three points from those games can only be seen as a bonus….yes, of course we would have liked more, but three is ok.

We now enter a run of games where we absolutely need to picking up points consistently.  No disrespect at all to our opposition, as they will all be good experienced sides, but if we want to stay in this league it is vital that we make the most of the next five or so games, particularly at home.  We have started to find the back of the net more regularly, so let’s hope we can push on now and put some points on the board.

Thanks for your support – especially those few which made the long trip to Grimsby on Tuesday night.  It was really appreciated
.
Bradders.   

Dartford v Southport Sat 28 Sep 2013 FT 1-0 Att 1025
Gateshead v Dartford Sat 5 Oct 2013 FT 2-0 Att 561

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Salisbury:

Welcome to today's game against Salisbury.

I won't spend too much time reviewing the last weeks results.  I thought we ground out an excellent 1-0 win against Southport last weekend, but Saturday's trip to Gateshead was very disappointing. It is not very often I have been embarrassed to be on the football pitch, but Saturday was certainly one of those occasions.  Gateshead are a good side, despite their league position, and they use their home pitch well by making it big and passing it around.  We simply couldn't get out of our own half and they put us under almost constant pressure throughout. Had it not been for Jules pulling off some great saves, it could have been a cricket score. I can only apologise to those that travelled up there on Saturday and who paid good money to watch that.

After Saturday's performance and result, it is good to get back on the pitch tonight and try and put things right. Salisbury have had an excellent start to the season after being promoted, and they are clearly enjoying life back in this league. They have always been a tough team to play against, and that will certainly be the case again tonight.  But from our point of view, we have to move on from Saturday quickly and tonight is the ideal opportunity. We have to win our home games and that includes beating the top teams here, and Salisbury are certainly one of those at the moment.

Lastly, I would just like to wish Dartford FC a very happy 125th birthday.  A lot of good people have helped put this club where it is today, including many which are still with us. Those people have put their blood, sweat and tears into this club over the years and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, including all of you which come out to support us each week. I am very proud to be club captain during some of the most successful years this club has ever had, and I can only hope the next 125 years are even more successful.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Salisbury Tue 8 Oct 2013 FT 1-1 Att 920
Hereford v Dartford Sat 12 Oct 2013 FT 2-2 Att 1583
Dartford v Hyde Sat 19 Oct 2013 FT 4-3 Att 1083 (no notes - captain injured)
Forest Green v Dartford Sat 2 Nov 2013 FT 1-0 Att 960
FA Cup First Round Proper Salisbury v Dartford Sat 9 Nov 2013 FT 4-2 Att 1297
Woking v Dartford Tue 12 Nov 2013 FT 3-0 Att 1157
Macclesfield v Dartford Sat 16 Nov 2013 FT 3-1 Att 1543

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Wrexham:

Welcome to tonight's game against Wrexham.

It seems like a long time since we last played a league game at home. After a run of decent results and performances, the past couple of weeks have been tough and we find ourselves out of the FA Cup and in the relegation zone. Not a pretty picture, but one that we just have to accept, address and try to improve. There is such a long way to go yet this season (after all it is only mid-November) and there are so many twists and turns left to come. We are certainly in a bit of a low place at the moment, but we just have to dig deep and work hard. Only by doing that will our luck change.

I can fully recognise that this is a club used to winning football games, and of course it is disappointing when we lose.  Having said that, I have been hearing lots of talk about relegation and the Conference South in recent weeks - something I find a bit strange. This club has had nothing but success over the last few seasons and we have not managed to achieve that by being negative. It's very easy to be a critic, but if we are to stay in this league it is going to need everyone pulling in the same direction. As I have said, there is a long way to go and lots of points left to compete for.

We now go into three big home games in a row. As I have said all along, our season will be determined by our form at home and our ability to scrap for points away from home. We are unbeaten in quite a few games at home now and hopefully we can keep that going in the next couple of weeks. Wrexham are a big side, and although they have had a bit of an indifferent start, I fully expect them to be up in the playoff places at the end of the season. This is another big test for us, particularly with things not going so well. Character is everything, and we will need to show plenty of that tonight to get a result.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Wrexham Tue 19 Nov 2013 FT 1-5 Att 816

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Gateshead:

Welcome to today’s game against Gateshead.

Things admittedly went from bad to worse on Tuesday night against Wrexham.  I had a good feeling before the game and I really thought we could get a result.  A win would have not only pulled us out the relegation zone but also given the lads some much needed confidence, but unfortunately it was not to be.  I thought we looked bright and positive going forward for much of the game – we created some decent chances and took the lead early on.  But defensively it was a horror show, and we conceded some poor poor goals.  Conceding like that didn’t even give us a hope of getting anything from the game, and it was over as a contest even before half time.  For a team that is struggling like us, letting the opposition off the hook like that is just not acceptable…..at least make them earn it – it was just too easy for Wrexham, as it was for Woking and Macclesfield. 

I don’t see any point in dwelling on the Wrexham game, or the results over recent weeks.  The only positive we can take at the moment is that there is a long way to go yet this season, and points-wise we are very much in touch with those teams around us. However, I won’t be able to say that for very much longer unless we turn the corner quickly.  As we saw last year, those teams which became adrift by Christmas had a tough time recovering that lost ground afterwards.  None of us want that for this club, so things have got to improve massively.

From the sidelines, I saw a lot of hard work and effort from the lads on Tuesday night and we are going to need plenty more of that if we are to dig ourselves out of this hole, plus a lot more quality at both ends of the pitch.  Things are obviously not good at the moment, but we have only ourselves to blame and ourselves to do something about it.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders
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Dartford v Gateshead Sat 23 Nov 2013 FT 0-1 Att 975

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Barnet:

Welcome to tonight's game against Barnet.

We were on the wrong end of another disappointing result on Saturday, but I thought the performance was generally more positive than it has been over the past few weeks.  Gateshead are probably the best side we have played against this season in terms of their movement and ball retention, so to have kept a team like that largely at bay all afternoon was encouraging - especially with 10 men for the last half an hour.  Obviously it was a shame to concede so late, but in the position we are in that is often how it goes in football.

There is no point dwelling on the disappointment of Saturday.  It is important to look at the bigger picture, take the positives from the game and try and build on that performance. If we can do that, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel and I really believe we can start to pick up more points and improve our position. We defended well and had good movement going forward. The quality in the final third was still lacking, but that will hopefully improve as confidence grows - and that will come from being tighter defensively and staying competitive in games for longer periods.

Barnet will be another strong side with plenty of experience. Tonight is obviously going to be another difficult game for us, but as I have said, Saturday has given us some positives to work with and we need to build on those and quickly start turning the corner.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Barnet Tue 26 Nov 2013 FT 0-2 Att 803

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Forest Green – FA Trophy:

Welcome to today’s game against Forest Green.

Everyone is obviously very disappointed with how things are going at the moment.  Tuesday night’s loss to Barnet was our seventh straight defeat in the league, leaving us all very disheartened and pretty low in confidence.  I strongly believe the last two performances (against Gateshead and Barnet) have been more positive – we have created chances going forward and defended a lot more solidly as a team – but unfortunately we have nothing to show for it.  There was plenty of hard work and effort on Tuesday night, but when you are struggling things tend to go against you.  Barnet were by no means the best side we have played and they scored two goals from just two shots in what was a pretty even first half, and the ball just wouldn’t go in for us in the second.  You need a slice of luck in situations like this, and we certainly are not getting any of that at the moment.

Nobody likes to lose football games, and the recent run is making everyone pretty miserable both on and off the pitch.  However, like I have said before, we can either fall apart and accept our fate, or we can pull together and keep working hard to try and change things around.  One or two good results and all of a sudden the league table looks very different and that is something we must focus on.  I can’t deny that times are tough at the moment, but we must take heart in the fact that there is a long way to go and things can change very quickly in football.  It is important that we all stick together –we all want the best for this football club and it is going to need us all pulling in the same direction to dig us out of this difficult patch.

Things do not get any easier today.  Forest Green are a very good side and have come into some form recently with the change in management.  But from our point of view this is another chance to put a stop to our recent bad run of results and give us something to build on.  We did so well in the FA Trophy last year and only just missed out on a trip to Wembley, so it would be nice to go on a little run again this year.

I would lastly like to wish Jason Prior the best and a speedy recovery after he fractured an ankle on Tuesday night.  He has had a terrible time with injuries over the past few years, so I can only hope that he is back fit again soon and everyone can begin to see the best of him in a Dartford shirt.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Forest Green Sat 30 Nov 2013 FT 1-1 Att 511
Forest Green v Dartford Tue 3 Dec 2013 FT 1-0 Att 459
Barnet v Dartford Sat 7 Dec 2013 FT 1-0 Att 1461

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Halifax

Welcome to today's game against Halifax.

Although we haven't managed to pick up that elusive win over the past couple of weeks, I think it is clear to see that we are moving in the right direction. We were the better side at home against Forest Green in the FA Trophy, which is something I haven't been able to say in a while, and then  we completely dominated them for large periods in the replay without managing to score. We created plenty of chances, defended well and were well organised in both those games, but unfortunately a lack of luck and quality in front of goal let us down.

It was a similar story against a very good Barnet side on Saturday. We had them on the run for large periods of that game, and could/should have got at least a draw and probably a win. Had it not been for an unfortunate own goal, some lack of good fortune and a few woefully poor refereeing decisions things might have been very different. However, having said that, we must start doing better in the final third. I really feel like we are getting close, but we must start scoring goals to put us in a position to win these games. Good performances are one thing, but it is points that matter and we must start picking them up.

Overall I can only try and feel positive about how the last few weeks have gone. The performances are there - we look solid defensively and positive in attack which all bodes well. We just need that little spark or stroke of luck to turn things around, give us some confidence and force ourselves out of trouble. There are certainly some positives to take from the last few games, and today is a great opportunity to continue those and try and get that much needed win.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Halifax Sat 14 Dec 2013 FT 1-2 Att 952
Alfreton v Dartford Sat 21 Dec 2013 FT 2-1 Att 575

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Welling United:

Welcome to this year’s Boxing Day game against our old rivals Welling United.  I hope everyone had a nice Christmas.

I am writing these notes just after our home defeat to Halifax.  I honestly can’t think of many times where I have felt that disappointed after a football game.  We are obviously on a poor run in terms of results, but our performances over the previous games had me believing that things were about to change.  If anything, some of the enjoyment had come back into the game and we were growing in confidence because we had given a good account of ourselves at both Forest Green and Barnet, and really should have got something from both games.  However, to come off on Saturday having lost again was really disheartening.  I thought we battled well and had lots of drive and effort, but it is just that lack of quality (all over the pitch) which is letting us down.

Having said that, our only option is to roll our sleeves up and carry on working hard to try and turn things around.  There will be no giving up, there will be no accepting the position we are in, all we can do is try and address the problems we have and change them.  I do not think we are a million miles away – we have been a lot more organised and solid defensively over the past month, and we look dangerous going forward…..we just need to make that count in the final third and be more ruthless in front of goal, which is what has really been missing all season.

We travel to Alfreton on Saturday and then we are into the busy Christmas period with three more big games in the space of a week, so we have got to put things right now.  Welling have had a fantastic first half of the season and will be looking at the table and thinking this is a great time to turn us over.  However, form tends to go out of the window in these local derbies and it will be a case of digging deep and trying to battle and grind something out.  Nobody is going to do us any favours, so we have to start making our own luck now before things it’s too late.  

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Welling Thu 26 Dec 2013 FT 1-2 Att 1759
Welling v Dartford Fri 10 Jan 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1336

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Woking:

Welcome to today's game against Woking.

Again, I am writing these notes quite early, just after the defeat against Alfreton. I am not sure what else I can say at the moment - things are starting to get out of hand and the footballing gods are certainly not sending any luck our way. I know everyone (both on and off the pitch) is hurting because there are a lot of people here which care deeply about this club and who want it to be successful. All I can ask for is that we stick together, try not to play the blame game too much, and make an even bigger effort to change things around. The way I see it we either give up, or we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, battle even harder, work even harder, and try and make something happen. Lets go with the latter shall we??

I was quite proud of our performance at Alfreton. They are an in-form side and in a playoff spot, but I thought we were the better team for much of the game despite having 10 men for 70 minutes.  We went 1-0 up and they were not really causing us any problems at all, but then obviously we have lost a man and things became stretched. I thought Lee's red card was harsh - his only intention was to bring the ball down out of the air and it has ended up being a nasty collision with a player he didn't know was behind him. The ref has made his decision based entirely on the injury of the player and not the actual challenge, and I don't think that was right. However, after that the only difference between the two sides really came down to a bit of ruthlessness in the box from them, something that we are clearly lacking. We had chances but missed and they had two opportunities and scored. Therein lies the rub.

The first half of the season has clearly not gone well. But I think it is important to recognise that there is a long way to go and lots of points left to play for. Lets not jump the gun and resign ourselves to relegation at this early stage. Football is a funny game and our fortunes could change in a moment. Lets stick together, keep the faith, and see what the second half of the season brings us.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Match postponed. Due to play: Dartford v Woking Tue 18 Feb 2014
Salisbury v Dartford Sat 18 Jan 2014 FT 1-0 Att 850
Kidderminster v Dartford Tue 21 Jan 2014 FT 1-2 Att 1580

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Cambridge United:

Welcome to today’s game against Cambridge United.

Everyone is well aware of the situation we find ourselves in.  Football is a results business and our results have not been good over the past couple of months.  However, there is such a fine line between winning and losing in this division and I honestly feel like many of our performances over the last 10 games or so have deserved a lot more.  If you look back to games like Gateshead, Barnet (away), Alfreton, Welling (both times) and even the FA Trophy games against Forest Green, we could quite easily be sitting on another six points at least.  But, each of those games have gone by without us even picking up a point. 

There can be no excuses, regardless of whether the cause is a moment of poor defending, a lack of quality in front of goal or losing people to injuries or suspensions.  However, what I will say is that a huge amount of time, effort and hard work has been put in over the past few months for very very little reward.  That made Tuesday night’s win over Kidderminster all the more rewarding because it felt like we had finally got what we all have been working so hard for.  Was that performance much different from many others recently? I would say, no.  Yes, we had more of a presence up front in Alex Wall which is what we have desperately needed, but we were solid and organised defensively, broke up play well in midfield and scored goals.  That is what it takes to win football games and that is what happened on Tuesday night.  There is no substitute for scoring goals and putting teams under pressure, and we have just not scored enough goals on a consistent basis this season to trouble our opposition.

Hopefully, Tuesday night was the start of better things to come.  There is no secret ingredient to winning football games – it’s just a matter of organisation, hard work and quality in front of goal.  With the likes of Cambridge, Luton, Aldershot, Wrexham and Grimsby coming up it certainly doesn’t get any easier.  But if we can put together more performances like Tuesday night, good things can happen.  It is a massive task for us to stay in this league now, but we certainly won’t be going down without a fight, so it’s time to stand up and be counted.

Thanks for your support (particularly the handful that made the trip up to Kidderminster).  I know it has been a tough few months for all of us, but we all want this club to be successful and the only way that will happen is if we all stick together.

Bradders.

Dartford v Cambridge Sat 25 Jan 2014 FT 3-3 Att 2023

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Luton Town:

Welcome to today’s game against Luton Town.

Last week has really given everyone a lift, both inside the changing room and in the stands.  No matter what anyone says, losing football games knocks your confidence and it becomes really hard to pick yourself up, go again and change things around.  A huge amount of time and effort has been spent behind the scenes to try and fix some of the problems we have been having, and it is nice to see that hard work (finally) paying off with a couple of good, solid performances, and some points being put on the board.

It was also nice to see us handle two very different situations so well, and come away with a result both times.  The performance at Kidderminster was excellent, with us going two goals in front away from home and defending solidly throughout.  We were away from home, with six or seven players out injured or suspended and managed to turn over a team high on confidence and challenging for promotion, which was a great effort.  The Cambridge game was very different with us conceding two poor goals in the early stages, but then having the character to come from behind, take the lead and in the end get a draw.  Cambridge are a very good side, so to do that against them was excellent again.  Would we have managed that if we had not beaten Kidderminster?  Probably not.  As I have said before, you need something to believe in, and last week shows what a bit of belief can do.

However, let’s not get carried away.  Two decent performances do not even come close to getting us out of trouble - it is going to take another three months of producing that on a consistent basis to even have a hope.  What last week has shown though is that it is possible.  We are not that far behind and if we fight and scrap, we might just be able to pull it off.  We are in the middle of a tough run of games now, with Luton today and Wrexham and Grimsby coming up, but then we have a run of about 12 games all against the sides that are down there with us.  That is where our fate will be decided, so let’s stick together and believe!!

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Match postponed.
Wrexham v Dartford Sat 8 Feb 2014 FT 1-2 Att 2645

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Grimsby Town:

Welcome to tonight’s game against Grimsby Town.

This will be our fourth game in a row against a team hoping to claim a play-off place at the end of the season.  A few weeks ago, most people would have probably looked at this little run of games (Kidderminster, Cambridge, Wrexham and now Grimsby) and thought that we would pretty much be relegated come the end of it.  But, as it stands we have managed to take seven points from those games, including a huge result away at Wrexham on Saturday.  Wrexham are a very good side but we went there with a bit of confidence taken from previous results, battled hard and managed to bring home three points.  Now, all of a sudden the mountain we have to climb has just got a little bit smaller and we are back in touching distance of those teams around us.

With 15 games left to go, it is still going to be a massive task for us to stay in this league, but our recent form has given everybody that bit of belief that it is possible.  Twelve of those games are against those teams in the mid-bottom half of the table, including all those teams that are right in the relegation scrap with us.  I am sure there will be highs and lows over the next 15 games but absolutely anything can happen from here on in, especially if we can maintain our recent form.  If we are to go down, we must at least do it showing the sort of fight and determination that we have done in recent weeks.  At least then we can say we did all we can to stay up.

As I have said before, let’s all stick together, keep fighting, and believe it can happen.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Match postponed.
Dartford v Woking Tue 18 Feb 2014 FT 5-1 Att 1002

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Hereford United:

Welcome to today’s game against Hereford United.

It really feels like the buzz has returned to the club over the past few weeks.  A string of good results has given everyone (both on and off the pitch) some real hope that we can pull off the impossible and retain our place in this division after such a lengthy period of doom and gloom.  Winning and losing can quickly become a habit in this game, but the confidence that is gained from winning football matches cannot be underestimated.  Having the belief that you can win is so important and I think that is really showing at the moment in terms of our performances and results.  On a personal level, it is such a nice feeling to walk out onto the pitch again with the belief that we have what it takes to get three points, and then playing to win the game rather than just not to lose it.

However, I want to urge everyone not to get too carried away.  There are still 14 games left to go this season, so plenty of points to be won and/or lost depending on how we go about the next couple of months.  We cannot afford to become complacent and take our eye off the prize, and what it will take to achieve it.  There are too many big games coming up against those teams fighting for survival with us for that.  It so important that this club is still playing Conference Premier football next season, so we have to fight for it.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Hereford Sat 22 Feb 2014 FT 2-0 Att 1137

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Aldershot Town:

Welcome to tonight’s game against Aldershot Town.

We managed to pick up another valuable three points on Saturday against Hereford.  I was really pleased with how we conducted ourselves throughout the game because it is very easy to become complacent after a few good results, but that didn’t happen and I thought we were excellent.  There were a lot of tired bodies out there who have put in a hell of a lot of work over the past few weeks, so to score two goals and keep a clean sheet was great.  Hereford are a good side and have some dangerous individual players, and they showed that in the second half where they put us under a lot of pressure until Lee Noble came up with one of the best goals I have ever seen to seal it for us.  It was another much needed performance to cut the deficit with those teams around us, and we need that to continue.

There is absolutely no respite for us though, with our next three games being against Aldershot, Southport and Chester, the three teams immediately above and below us in the table.  These are three huge games and if we can pick up another couple of good results it will really put us in a good place in terms of trying to stay in this league.  The point totals at the bottom are so tight now that a win or a loss can make a big impression on league position, so it’s vitally important we stick at it and keep picking up points regularly.
 
Aldershot are another good side, who wouldn’t be in the position they are had it not been for a points deduction, so this is going to be another very tough game.  I don’t see them as part of the relegation battle at all, as I think realistically only one of five teams will survive, so we must focus on trying to get a result here.  Again, we cannot let complacency creep in as these games are far too important.  There are 13 games left and we need to be at our best in each of them in order to have a hope of staying up.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Aldershot Tue 25 Feb 2014 FT 1-1 Att 1125
Southport v Dartford Sat 1 Mar 2014 FT 3-0 Att 1041

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Chester:

Welcome to tonight’s game against Chester.

Over the past couple of months, our performances and results have been excellent and this has given us a real chance of staying in this league, regardless of the dropped points in the last week.  We came within three minutes of beating Aldershot last week, but for a tremendous strike which levelled it late on – I don’t think they deserved that goal as they really didn’t cause us any problems all night, but we left ourselves open to being punished by not extending our lead and that is exactly what happened in the end.  The loss at Southport on Saturday was disappointing.  It was always going to be a tough place to go, but I thought they bullied us a little bit which doesn’t often happen.  Having said that, we did look in the game at 1-0 but a lack of concentration allowed them to score a second and there was no way back after that.

Let’s not kid ourselves – there are going to plenty of ups and downs over the coming 11 games.  No team can realistically expect to win or even take points from every game, so one win or loss can completely change things from week to week.  Although Southport are in the same relegation battle as us, we were not guaranteed to stay up if we beat them, and we are certainly not guaranteed to go down because we didn’t…..the same goes for the game tonight against Chester who are in a similar position.  Not wishing to dumb down the importance of these games but there are still plenty of points left of the table yet and the job remains to pick as many up as possible, regardless of who we are playing against.

The TV cameras are back at Princes Park tonight, which again just goes to show how far this club has come over a short space of time.  It is obviously a big game between two teams in a relegation battle, so it should be a good spectacle.  We have been looking dangerous, especially at home, in recent weeks so let’s hope we can put in another big performance tonight and make things even tighter at the bottom with 10 games to go.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Chester Fri 7 Mar 2014 FT 0-1 Att 1610
Cambridge v Dartford Sat 15 Mar 2014 FT 1-1 Att 2885
Hyde v Dartford Sat 22 Mar 2014 FT 0-2 Att 358

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Macclesfield Town:

Welcome to today’s game against Macclesfield Town.

Last week’s win up at Hyde was an important one for lots of different reasons.  Although it wasn’t mentioned before the game, it really was a must win situation for us.  The teams around us had difficult fixtures on the day and so we really needed to win in order to make up some ground.  That put a lot of extra pressure on us beforehand, especially with Hyde being bottom of the league by some distance and already relegated.  But I thought we handled that pressure really well.  Hyde keep the ball for fun, so we had to be very patient throughout, pick the best moments to press and take our chances when they came.  It wasn’t pretty by any means (particularly with the poor conditions) but we did the job and picked up three valuable points.

That win and other results elsewhere over the past week has put us right back within touching distance of getting out of the relegation zone.  We also now have games in hand on those teams directly above us, which is great but they obviously have the advantage of already having the points in the bank.  The next eight games are going to be very tough, but we have to keep believing that we can get out of it.

There is no point sugar coating the situation – today is another massive game.  We are deep into the business end of the season, and we must be looking to pick up as many points as possible.  Macclesfield will be another very tough team who have beaten us earlier in the season, and will be looking to do the same again.  Our general form over the past few months has been very good, so we need to keep that going over the next five weeks and do all we can to keep this club in this league.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Macclesfield Sat 29 Mar 2014 FT 2-1 Att 1105
Dartford v Luton Town Tue 1 April 2014 FT 1-2 Att 2869
Lincoln City v Dartford Sat 5 Apr 2014 FT 0-0 Att 1947
Dartford v Grimsby Thu 10 April 2014 FT 1-0 Att 1257

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Forest Green Rovers:

Welcome to today’s game against Forest Green Rovers.

There are now just four games left to go this season and we are still in with a fighting chance of staying up.  Most people had us written-off just before Christmas – we were nine points adrift, having lost 10 games on the spin, and were in big trouble.  However, since the turn of the year our performances and results have generally been very good.  Yes, there have been some poor results in there, but there has also been some very good ones too, and it has really kept us in the mix.  A lot of time and hard work has gone on behind the scenes to try and ensure that this club will be playing Conference Premier football next season, and I just hope that it pays off with one last big push over the next couple of weeks.

I am writing this before the re-arranged visit of Grimsby Town on Thursday night.  Grimsby are a tough, experienced side and nobody will be expecting us to get anything from them.  But we were very unlucky against Luton last week, who are walking away with the league title, so anything is possible.  Hopefully we can get a result.  I am also writing this before Tuesday night’s fixtures, so I am yet to see how both Aldershot and Hereford get on – both have tough away games.

Regardless of other results though, we have to focus on ourselves.  If we win our remaining games, we will be safe and that’s how we have to look at it.  In reality, things will not be that smooth and it is going to be a bit of a rollercoaster between now and the end of the season.  I know everyone has their own opinions about team selection, formation, individual players, tactics etc, but in the end we all want Dartford Football Club to be successful so all I can ask is for you to put those opinions aside for the next two weeks, get right behind the team and help us make the impossible possible.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders.

Dartford v Forest Green Sat 12 Apr 2014 FT 0-1 Att 1061
Braintree v Dartford Fri 18 Apr 2014 FT 0-1 Att 1200

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Tamworth:

Welcome to today’s final home game of the season against Tamworth.

There are now just two games left to go and it really is impossible to predict how things are going to pan out.  I am writing this before our trip to Braintree on Friday, so I am hoping for a result there.  Braintree have been excellent this season, and you can only respect what they are doing there as a part time club in such a demanding league, but we have to go there looking for three points.  Realistically, two of four teams are going to go down – I think Southport have just done enough to escape.  That leaves us, Aldershot, Hereford and Chester in a dogfight to stay up.  Looking at it, all four clubs will be eyeing two wins minimum from their last three games in order to be safe, and that is the task that faces us now.  Of course, Tamworth may not be down yet either so they may also be fighting for their lives today.

We had a fantastic result against Grimsby last Thursday night, and it was just unfortunate that the Forest Green game followed so closely.  Our lads were pretty much dead on their feet in the second half and I can’t blame them after Thursday’s efforts.  I felt we were the better side in the first half but just didn’t take our chances which kept Forest Green interested and their fresher legs were the advantage in the end.  However, on paper I think we could only optimistically expect three points maximum from those two games, and we managed to get them - albeit on Thursday rather than Saturday.

These are obviously my last notes of the season.  I wish our circumstances were different – there are so many fantastic players, staff and supporters at this club and I just hope that everyone’s efforts are rewarded in the end.  This season was always going to be tough and it has certainly proved that way.  But our fate is still in our own hands and I for one firmly believe we can stay in this league, and that would be one hell of an achievement from where we were at Christmas. 

I would lastly just like to thank you all for your support this season.  It is easy to be a supporter when your team is winning, but it can be difficult when things are not going so well.  The level of support the team has received both home and away has been fantastic once again this year, and that is a testament to you and this club.  All I can ask is that you stay behind the team today and next week against Nuneaton, and hopefully we can pull it off.

Thanks for your support.

Bradders
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Dartford v Tamworth Mon 21 Apr 2014 FT 2-3 Att 1465
Nuneaton v Dartford Sat 26 Apr 2014 FT 3-1 Att 903
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Thanks to Elliot Bradbrook for his notes & to Tony Jaglo for the match programme.