Perfect day has winning start for Burman (From News Shopper)

Perfect day has winning start for Burman

4:58pm Monday 13th November 2006 in

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Dartford 4 v 2 Horsham YMCA

Ryman League Division One South

TONY Burman kept faith with the side beaten in the FA Trophy last weekend with Brendon Cass up front and Ryan Hayes and Dave Martin as wingers.

Watch our video reports of Dartford FC's homecoming - click here and here

If the players were nervous it did not show and on 10 minutes the fans were cheering the first-ever goal scored at Princes Park.

Cass was the lucky man whose name will go down in history but he owes much to Hayes' persistence on the right.

The winger had possession, lost it and won it back to cross perfectly for Cass to send a downward header past Dean Ruddy.

He ran to the corner flag to be swamped by his team mates and you knew then it was going to be Dartford's day.

Horsham were forced into an early substitution when James Grant limped off to be replaced by Mo Shuga'a on 22 minutes.

Dartford skipper Richard Avery could have scored a hat-trick in five minutes - first he volleyed just wide after good work by Hayes and Anthony Henry.

Second, he forced Ruddy into a wonder save after getting his head on the end of Hayes' free-kick.

And from the corner, Avery's shot from the edge of the penalty was deflected narrowly over.

On the half-hour mark, Horsham came back into the game with Steve Davies heading wide.

The same player saw another effort deflected over.

However, from the corner Matt Ottley rose highest to send a header back across Kevin Hudson into the bottom corner for 1-1.

Cass had a chance to restore Darts' lead almost immediately when Eddie McClements did well on right to send in a low cross, but Cass sent it straight at the keeper.

Darts were ahead again soon after as Henry challenged the keeper for Ryan Briggs' free-kick and the ball fell kindly for Cass who buried it for his 15th goal of the season.

Darts' all but put the result beyond doubt on 54 minutes when McClements rifled a 30-yard screamer past Ruddy.

It was a goal of rare excellence and if fans wanted a reason to return for last night's Westview Cup clash against Boreham Wood, this was it.

Briggs and Martin combined well to give the winger a sight of goal and while the keeper saved well, he had his team mates to thank for preventing Cass' follow-up effort.

As they did in the first half, Horsham rallied and this season's ever-present Hudson had to be alert to Ellis Hooper and then Andy Ottley.

But there was little the keeper could do when Davis found space at the far post to score Horsham's second, stooping low to head home from a deep corner.

Dartford made the game safe with number four from substitute Nick Barnes.

The midfielder's long-range effort deflected off a Horsham player giving Ruddy no chance.

There was to be no further come back by Horsham as the Darts fans sang their team home.

At the final whistle the players took a lap of honour as fireworks lit up the night sky to say: Dartford are back, they're winning, and they're staying.

MATCH FACTS:

DARTFORD: Hudson, Osborne, Hogg, Henry, Avery, Watts, Briggs (Barnes, 71), Hayes (Hafner, 87), Cass (Carter, 87), McClements, Martin.

SUBS NOT USED: Billeness, Potter.

ATT: 4,097.