DARTFORD’S FA Cup tie at home to Chelmsford was a pulsating affair with the visitors pocketing the prize money with a scoreline which belied the closeness of the affair.

An excellent crowd of 1,830 were vocal throughout, with the Dartford’s choir in excellent voice to the very end.

City announced their intent from the off with Ricky Holmes making a lightning run up the left and setting up a chance which Darts snuffed out.

Dartford responded with a good Lee Noble run but the deadlock was broken when Antonio Murray hit home a right-side corner on 18 minutes.

The ailing Danny Hockton was replaced by the Peter Crouch-like Robert Edmans, who showed his intent with a surging run and shot which was well taken by Andrew Young.

At the other end a Dartford free-kick was knocked on by Elliot Bradbrook to Noble, whose header was stopped by Craig Holloway in the visitors’ gaol.

This set Darts up for a spell of pressure in which James White was highly involved.

Noble was felled from behind just inside the Chelmsford half and the free-kick was knocked across goal where Lee Burns’ back-header skimmed the near post with Holloway well-beaten.

Just when it looked like Darts had got to grips with the game, danger man Holmes hit home a loose clearance to make it 2-0 at the break.

Darts had more of the game after the interval and looked dangerous when Ryan Hayes arrived on the scene.

Strangely, City went 3-0 up when the classy Dave Rainford hit home from a direct free-kick just after the hour.

Undeterred, Darts hit back and, following a double substitution, Jay May sent a diving header from a Hayes cross wide of the near post.

Then Jamie Day hit the post from all of 30 yards and on 82 minutes, Adam Flanagan power-headed past Holloway from a Hayes corner. It could have been 3-3.

Edmans had the miss of the day, putting the ball wide of the left post from all of four feet, but Murray had the last laugh with a meaningless goal in the final minute.

A final word – Allan Tait silenced the doubters with eighteen minutes of impressive play, coming on for Burns.

Dartford: Young, Burgess, Gross, Flanagan, Coyle, White, Noble (Hayes 52), Day, Haworth (May 72), Burns (Tait 72), Bradbrook. Subs not used: Beales, Dafter, Crouch, Kessell. Att: 1,830.