Darts Chip in six (From News Shopper)

Chipstead 1-6 Dartford

9:55am Wednesday 16th September 2009 in Sport By Mike Brett-Smith

DARTFORD secured their progress in to the second preliminary round of the FA Cup with an emphatic victory at Chipstead.

A most hospitable welcome greeted the players and travelling supporters for the tie and Dartford repaid their hosts by establishing a two-goal lead in the first six minutes – a shock from which Chipstead only momentarily recovered.

This was when the hosts were awarded a penalty, allowing the chirpy home skipper to reduce Darts advantage to just 4-1.

Garath Graham duly converted the spot kick and, chirpily, exalted his team to greater efforts by claiming “Come on – we only need another four!”.

Pre-match speculation revolved around the maxim of not changing a winning side, the result being Beales in for Coyle, May for Haworth, Noble for Day and under-18 keeper Adam Malloy for Kessell.

With barely a minute on the clock, a free-kick on the right touch-line was lined up by Ryan Hayes who, spotting the home custodian move a yard off his line, smacked a left-foot curler over his head for the opener.

Five minutes later, it was game and first set to Darts as a cute through ball allowed Lee Burns to leave his marker for dead and score with aplomb. Already Dartford throttled back a tad and delighted the crowd with some precision passing.

Unawed, Chipstead mounted one or two counter-attacks via the nippy Reis Aslan and Kofi Quarty.

But they found the visiting back four in uncharitable mode and the half-time tea and talk tasted even better since, on 38 minutes, Hayes sent a left-side cross to the far post and Billy Burgess headed his maiden goal.

Sporting a cap for the second half, home keeper Martin Grant made three flying saves but was unable to keep out James White who rounded off a neat move with a hard-struck goal.

Tony Burman made a triple substitution with 20 minutes left – Coyle for Flanagan, Day for Noble and Haworth for Bradbrook.

Then came the supposed consolation penalty, which Chipstead supporters later claimed to have been a dive.

There remained time for Rob Haworth to back-head home a cross to the back post and, in the dying embers, for Adam Gross to score the goal of the game, a sort of dipping, swerving volley from all of 30 yards.

Dartford: Young, Burgess, Gross, Flanagan (Coyle 70), Beales, White, Hayes, Noble, May, Burns (Haworth 70), Bradbrook (Day 70). Sub not used: Molloy. Att: 351.