BENDER’S GIFT GIVES TOP DOGS DAYLIGHT!
TOM BENDER’S own goal handed Dartford victory which saw them move two points clear of St Albans City at the top of National League South.
The Darts started the day as one of four teams on 28 points along with their visitors, Braintree Town and Chelmsford City and were the only top six side to record a win yesterday, having taken an early lead through Elliot Bradbrook.
Charlie Walker pulled the Saints level before Bender turned into his own net on the hour mark to give the Princes Park club a lead they held onto.
Dartford manager Tony Burman told The NLP: “I thought in the first half we played really well. In the second half, we started well but to be fair to St Albans they came at us. We had to dig in and got a little bit of luck which we have not had in other games.”
His Darts side went ahead on six minutes, when captain Bradbrook nooded in Richard ShoSilva’s long throw-in past City keeper Dean Snedker.
The game then became a cagier affair, although on 34 minutes it kicked back into life, with Alfie Pavey laying the ball to Bradbrook who fired wide.
Two minutes later, St Albans registered their first shot as Nathaniel Pinney’s wonderful volley went marginally wide.
The Saints equalised on 40 minutes when Walker, an early substitute for the injured Harold Jospeh, fired captain David Noble’s corner past Deren Ibrahim in a slick move straight from the training ground.
Dartford almost went back ahead on 42 minutes when Bradbrook headed against the bar.
Two minutes after the restart, St Albans went close when Rhys Murrell Williamson’s free-kick was held by Ibrahim.
The visitors continued to threaten with Shaun Lucien unable to control his shot after a surging run down the left channel.
But Darts retook the lead when Bender deflected Lyle Della-Verde’s cross into his own net.
City should have equalised on 70 minutes when a mistake let in Walker, but he was thwarted by a low, point-blank save from Gibraltar international keeper Ibrahim.
Ibrahim again denied Walker with 14 minutes to go, tipping his goalbound header away.
Saints boss Ian Allinson spoke of his side’s wastefulness, saying: “It comes back to chances. We have got to be clinical in front of the opponent’s goal.” STAR MAN: Richard Sho-Silva (Dartford) ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★