Dartford 3-2 Leiston

Despite persistent pre-match drizzle and the standard M25 delay, the game started promptly with Darts being asked to attack the Jimmy Hill End.

Within three minutes, a Leiston defender failed to control a through ball from Darts and Danny Harris latched onto the error, strode into the penalty area and planted a shot inside Jamie Stannard’s left hand post.

Buoyed by this, Darts piled forward and almost added a second when Tom Bonner narrowly headed behinf from a left-side corner.

Ryan Hayes’ free-kick from the right was cleared under pressure by Stannard, double punching the danger away.

Leiston stuck to their game plan, moving the ball forward with neat passing through the midfield and the front line peeling off wide, attempting to pull the Darts back four apart.

It almost worked on 15 minutes when Danny Cunningham put his effort just wide of John Whitehouse’s post.

They then forced a trio of corners in quick succession.

Carl Rook pounced on a partial save by Stannard and netted a typical close range goal on 25 minutes.

The rest of the half saw the old Darts’ swagger begin to emerge and a soft goal gifted to Stuart Broadley a minute after Rook’s strike did little to loosen Darts’ grip.

On the hour, the game was really wrapped up when Bonner headed home a testing free-kick from way out left delivered by Hayes.

Thereafter it was Stannard versus the world as the keeper pulled off a succession of outstanding saves.

In the first minute of time added on, Leon Ottley-Gooch headed a late consolation.

Leiston never gave up battling and in both matches showed they had the quality to do a Lowestoft in the next season or so.

Dartford will play Port Vale on November 6 at Princes Park, their first appearance in this stage of the competition since 1989.

Dartford: Whitehouse, Burgess, Bonner, Champion, Goodacre, Shinn (White 55), Hayes, Harris, Rook (Sheringham 70), Burns, Bradbrook. Subs not used: Noble, Bruce, Berquez, Burchellm Young. Att: 1,024.