THIS was, in many ways, a strange game.

Overall, it was an amorphic encounter with neither side being able to control matters more than fleetingly, a swirling wind not helping.

Thurrock started brightly enough guided by the lively Matt Bodkin, who had a loan spell with Darts a season or so ago.

It soon became obvious the home side are in a spell where goals just will not come, despite creating chances as they did in the opening spell, no more so than when Bodkin fed Lee Roache, who made a hash of the opportunity.

Darts’ first chance fell on the quarter-hour mark when Bai Mass Lette-Jallow was dispossessed but Charlie Sheringham’s 25-yarder was gathered by Joe Woolley, resplendent in a fluorescent lime-green outfit.

That was basically it for the half bar a fleeting chance when Danny Harris just failed to connect with a cute through ball on the stroke of the interval.

Dartford were livelier after the restart with Ryan Hayes doing good work up the right.

Typically the deadlock was broken out of the blue. Leon Lalite won possession in midfield, set Bodkin free and the latter found Lette-Jarrow in the Darts’ area and he slotted a shot past Andy Young.

Stung, Dartford responded by pegging Thurrock back and 11 minutes remained when Elliot Bradbrook took advantage of defensive uncertainty to ram home the leveller following a Darts’ free-kick.

Now Darts were pressing for the winner but Harris was denied by a last-ditch save from Woolley in the last minute.

A fair result? Possibly!

Finally, praise for the referee, Mr Ashvin Degnarain.

A faultless performance from someone who is there to see the laws of the game are applied correctly rather than providing an opportunity to play a Concerto for A Flat Whistle.

* The Darts discovered this morning they will host Lowestoft in the FA Cup second qualifying round on September 25.

Dartford: Young, Bonner, Gross, Bruce, Champion, Shinn, Hayes (Noble 85), Harris, Sheringham (Rook 78), White (Burns 75), Bradbrook. Subs not used: Berquez, Goodacre. Att: 664.