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Dartford FC is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Media Department at North Kent College Dartford.
We will be inviting students to the Club to give them opportunities to learn, gain experience, provide new content streams and hone their skills as they continue their studies, with one eye on their future media careers.
As an introduction, we welcomed a group to Princes Park for Saturday’s game against Dulwich Hamlet for a first attempt at writing a match report.
Gareth Morgan, Director of PR and Communications, who gave a careers talk at the college a few weeks ago, said: “We are delighted to be working with North Kent College to provide opportunities for the media stars of tomorrow and help them gain invaluable experience. I enjoyed meeting many of the students on the course and look forward to working with them on projects we are setting around the club in the coming months. Well done to all those who put together the match reports, we hope you enjoyed the experience.”
Dan Baskerville, Media Lecturer, North Kent College, said: “The students had a fantastic day visiting Princes Park and meeting Gareth, who took them on a behind the scenes tour of the club. This partnership with Dartford FC will provide valuable real-world experience for our journalism students to produce work for a non-league club and make a meaningful contribution to the local community.”
Grahame Gladin, Head of Curriculum for Media, North Kent College, said: “Gareth approached us with a fantastic opportunity for our students to gain experience with the Darts. His recent visit to the college inspired plenty of them to get involved, whereby they’re now able to develop their production skills in a real, community club environment, and prep themselves well for their next steps into the sports media industry.”
Read the reports below and keep an eye out for more from the students as the partnership grows. The students involved in these reports are just 17-years-old. We have added photos from Club Photographer Carol White-Griffiths and the headline, but after some words of advice, let the students write the reports in their own styles.
DARTS TAKE ALL THREE POINTS IN DOMINATING DISPLAY AGAINST DULWICH HAMLET
Dartford 1-0 Dulwich Hamlet
Match report
Coming into the game on Saturday, Dartford sat fifth in the play-off spots, hoping to get a vital win against Dulwich who beat them 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in August.
The Darts were missing one of their top scorers Eddie Dsane and defender Joe Tennent, meaning another start for Dan Smith coming off the back of a goal away against Cray Valley last weekend.
Luther Williams also claimed a spot in the starting 11 again for the second game in a row after being called back by Ady Pennock from his successful time on loan at fellow Isthmian league side Burgess Hill Town.
As the Darts kicked off in front of the 1123 eager supporters, disaster struck with No.9 Dan Smith being forced off injured just five minutes in. Dan Carter replaced him and slotted in perfectly.
Early on, Carter was looking to prove himself and did so when he placed a beautiful through ball into the path of Olly Box who couldn’t quite manage to square it into the path of Callum Jones. Later, Jones would miss a chance after Jez Pinder’s whipped cross ended up at George Whitefield’s feet and after a poor attempt at a clearance fell to Jones, where he fired over the crossbar.
In the 32nd minute, Pinder took yet another dangerous corner which reached the back post after a failed punch by the Dulwich keeper put the ball straight into the path of midfield maestro Denzelle Olopade, who passed it onto Carter. After Carter’s shot was blocked, the ball scrambled around in the box and eventually Sam Smith’s eyes lit up and he pounced on the opportunity, striking the ball into the bottom corner for the first and only goal of the afternoon – his first ever goal for the Black and White Army.
Straight after, the Darts continued to pile on the pressure as Olly Box fired his shot right into the keeper’s arms. Shortly after, he had another opportunity to make it 2-0 after a swift counterattack started by the promising winger led to a shot which he narrowly sent wide of the top corner.
Dulwich’s first chance came late in the first half after a shot by Hamlet’s No.16 Solomon Baugh was deflected wide for a corner which ended up panning out to nothing.
The Darts came out firing in the second half after Sam Okoye’s second attempt at a cross was defended by Dulwich and ended up on the edge of the box where Carter was waiting and he fired his shot just over the bar.
Later on, keeper Jonny Henly hoofed the ball forward and Darts defender George Whitefield nodded the ball across the box; this led to shots by Box and Pinder which were both blocked well by the Dulwich defence. Carter tested Toby Bull again with a ferocious shot, which was parried away by the keeper. This was the end of the afternoon for Carter as he was replaced by Jacob Bland in the 71st minute.
Dulwich went close again with another shot by Solomon Baugh as the whipped strike had Henly panicked, but it just went wide of the post. Dulwich Hamlet continued to pile on the pressure after Alfie Payne’s cross ended up on the head of Danny Mills, but it did not threaten, and Henley saved it comfortably.
Adrian Pennock used his reinforcements well, subbing on all four remaining substitutes to help see out the game. Many efforts came for Dulwich, and the Darts fans were worried when a slip up from Luther Williams gave Luke Wanadio a clear-cut chance which he failed to convert, and it flew over the bar.
Two more shots threatened Dartford with one falling into the hands of Henly and one of them narrowly going wide from Dulwich’s No.3 Giovanni Palmer. A late cross was headed away by substitute Ben Frempah, and the danger was cleared.
Full time arrived, and the Darts successfully claimed a 1-0 win over Dulwich to put them up to third in the table.
By Arthur Watmore
DARTS TAKE ALL THREE POINTS IN DOMINATING DISPLAY AGAINST DULWICH HAMLET
Dartford 1 Dulwich 0
Match Report
Before a ball was even kicked, a win would have seen Ady Pennock’s side potentially move up to third in the Isthmian Premier league above Chatham, whereas losing could see them lose their play-off place to Aveley. With it being so early in the season, there would still be plenty of time to win it back. A win would definitely help bolster their play-off place, or even promotion, come the end of the season.
Ady Pennock’s side dominated the first seventy minutes or so, and it would’ve shocked many of the fans that their lead wasn’t much more than just one goal this afternoon at Bericote Powerhouse Prince’s Park.
However, there would be some hindrance to The Darts. An unlucky Dan Smith having to come off with an injury after five minutes of the first half, but his replacement, Dan Carter, would be vital in the Darts’ game today.
Olly Box created an excellent opportunity early on in the first half, with Callum Jones unlucky not to put The Darts ahead. A corner would then come forth, and the No.7 was incredibly close to putting the team ahead, which could’ve been vital and given them an early lead.
Players including Dan Carter and Denzelle Olopade had great opportunities to put Dartford ahead in this game, one after the other, before Sam Smith would put the fans at ease, by firing in the loose ball from a corner to put The Darts ahead in the 32nd minute.
Olly box had a great opportunity soon after the goal to bolster The Darts’ lead, but just couldn’t find the net, seeing his shot straight at the keeper, as Dartford continue their siege on the Hamlet defence.
Going into the second half, it looked as if Dartford would come out of this game as the strong winners, and that they would get further goals.
In the opening minutes of the second 45, the visitors looked to try and equalise, but some superb defending from George Whitefield would see the shot not troubling Jonny Henly.
The Dartford No.2 Sam Okoye showed his brilliance, with a low driven ball into the box which would quickly find Dan Carter, who was unlucky to not find the net this time, seeing his curled effort just over the bar and on to the roof netting.
Dartford came agonisingly close to scoring yet again, where Olly Box would meet a lovely headed cross from George Whitefield, but would see it blocked by the Dulwich defence. However, it fell kindly to Jeremiah Pinder, who would see his effort also blocked. Soon after, Olly box would lay it off to Dan Carter, who forced Toby Bull into a fine save.
Ady Pennock would look to make some substitutions late on in the game, making good use of the players from the bench, with starlet Olly Box and Jeremiah Pinder being the duo to come off, being replaced by Samir Carruthers and Sammie McLeod.
The visitors gained some momentum late on into the game, with a chance whistling just wide of the post as they continued to search for what would be a vital equaliser for them as they looked to gain some points from what had been a tough away game for them.
Dulwich continued their search soon after as Danny Mills saw his header saved by Henly, and some quick-thinking from the Dulwich forwards saw a cross into the box, which led to a shot brilliantly blocked, and then the follow up going way wide of the post. As Dulwich continued to dominate the closing stages of this game, Wanadio’s shot went narrowly over the crossbar, with Henly looking to keep his clean sheet for the day.
Despite Dulwich finishing the game the strongest side, they just couldn’t find that equaliser, which saw Sam Smith, an outstanding performer and having scored his first goal for the club, taking the Man of The Match award.
Dartford’s ninth win this season sees them in third place in the table, further bolstering their play-off place as they look to find promotion this season. Despite it being a nervy end to the game, Ady Pennock will be over the moon with the way his team played.
By Freddy Wells
DARTS TAKE ALL THREE POINTS IN DOMINATING DISPLAY AGAINST DULWICH HAMLET
Dartford 1 Dulwich Hamlet 0
Match Report
Ahead of this game, Dartford were hoping to take all three points as a win could take them into third place and a more comfortable position in their search for a play-off place finish. Dulwich, on the other hand, needed to start stringing together some wins to gain on the teams above and will have been hoping that this match-up could be the start of this. While winning 4-0 in the reverse fixture on the opening day, it was a rare occurrence as they had only won one other match against the Darts since 2018, despite nine other encounters. With Dartford’s strong home record this season, they’d have to be considered favourites for the match.
The first chance of the game fell to 20-year-old starlet Olly Box after terrific work in the midfield by Denzelle Olopade. However, he couldn’t convert as he tried to unselfishly square the ball to Callum Jones who couldn’t quite get there before the Dulwich defenders. This was unfortunately overshadowed however, by the injury suffered to Dan Smith in the opening five minutes, which saw him subsequently swapped for Dan Carter who would now occupy a striker spot.
Another chance came shortly after for Dartford, as a flat, low set piece was kept alive by George Whitefield and fired across to Jones. Leaning back, he could only watch his effort fly over the bar.
Another corner came a few minutes later for Dartford with Dulwich still unable to really get out of their own half. They opted for a different approach this time as the ball was floated high towards the back post and kept in by Olopade who laid it off to Dan Carter. He took one touch and played the ball into a dangerous area with Dulwich only able to clear as far as Sam Smith. The Darts fullback – converted to midfield – kept calm and tucked it nicely into the bottom right hand corner giving Dartford a well-deserved 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute.
Some more half-chances fell for the home side, mainly coming through star man Olly Box who couldn’t quite convert and narrowly missed the top right corner. The dominant Dartford display was pinning Dulwich back, however with the deficit only being one, it was still all to play for.
Dulwich’s first chance of the game fell just before half time with Solomon Baugh trying to squeeze through the unopposed Darts defence. However, his shot was blocked and rolled behind for a corner which like all of their chances as of yet, amounted to nothing.
Mark Dacey will have been livid at half-time as Dartford had dominated and they’d barely been able to mount an attack. He would’ve been hoping for some changes at half time, while Dart’s boss Ady Pennock would have been hoping for more of the same.
Early in the second half, Sam Okoye retrieved the ball well after skilful midfielder Jez Pinder was dispossessed trying to make space for a shot. He then laid it off nicely to Carter, who worked the ball onto his left and curled one delicately towards the top left-hand corner which was a whisker away from making it 2-0.
A few minutes later, more chances followed for Dartford with two ferocious volleys, one from Box and the next from Pinder. Yet the visitors were able to hang on still with both efforts blocked well by the defenders, much to the annoyance of the home side.
Some more great Dartford passing allowed the goal-scorer Sam Smith to play an inviting ball over the top to Callum Jones who could only try and find Box in the middle. However his touch let him down and despite contact in the box it was not enough to earn a penalty. The ball eventually fell to Dan Carter whose shot was blocked, and Dulwich were able to clear. Still, they hung on.
Dulwich finally found some space with some men forward and were able to hit Dartford on the counter, eventually working the ball well to Baugh on the edge of the box whose left footed effort sailed just past the post. A warning for the home side who might’ve been wishing they made more of their earlier chances.
This was the best spell of the match now for Dulwich as we entered the final fifteen minutes of the game. More chances came for the visitors, with their No.9 heading towards goal. However, it was easily claimed by the Darts keeper Jonny Henly, who sat on the ball to waste some valuable time.
It was Dartford now who were hanging on at the death, with huge chances for the visitors. Two volleys within seconds of each other left fans with their hearts in their mouths as one was blocked remarkably by the Darts captain and the other fired wide.
There was panic in the Dartford defence as the ever so solid Luther Williams misread the ball and allowed the Dulwich forward to get in behind. However, like all the rest of the chances in this game, he was unable to make anything out of it and it sailed high and wide over the bar.
As we headed past the 90, Dulwich were running out of time to find an equaliser. However, one final chance fell to them on the edge of the area. It was struck well this time and the ball looked as if it was heading towards the net, yet Dartford captain Michael Olarewaju once again found himself in the right place and was able to flick the ball over the bar and leave the referee with no choice but to blow for full time, giving Dartford the ultimately deserved and much needed three points to keep their promotion hopes alive.
By Jack Gallagher
DARTS TAKE ALL THREE POINTS IN DOMINATING DISPLAY AGAINST DULWICH HAMLET
Dartford 1 Dulwich Hamlet 0
Match Report
A win at Bericote Powerhouse Princes Park was needed in order for the Darts to go into December with a secure playoff position and to continue their three-game unbeaten streak.
Upset struck early on for the Darts as Dan Smith took a knock, being forced off just two minutes in. Although his replacement Dan Carter would soon prove his worthiness within the starting 11.
A superb start for Olly Box saw Ady Pennock’s side dominating the attack in the first 25 minutes. The first real chance coming from a lovely run from Box and a well-placed pass far post, but Callum Jones just couldn’t get there.
Shots came thick and fast for Dartford with Pinder, Jones and Carter all being a threat in front of goal, but the first goal fell in the hands of Sam Smith in the 32nd minute. A poor clearance from Joseph Adewunmi went only as far as Smith on the edge of the box, whose shot crept its way through the defence into the bottom right-hand corner.
The Darts kept their foot on the gas after the goal, with an instant run from Box who managed to get the shot off but was saved well by Toby Bull preventing any further danger (33).
Minutes before half time, play was stopped and a yellow card was given to goal-scorer Sam Smith, after a sliding challenge was just too much – in the referee’s opinion. There was controversy within the crowd as they questioned the decision as it seemed as if the ball was won.
Olly Box came close to doubling the lead with a great shot from the edge of the box which flew just over the bar (45), shortly followed by the half-time whistle.
After a dominant first half from the Darts, Dulwich appeared intimidating in front of goal early on in the second half, with a close chance from former player Wanadio (54).
Yet another yellow was produced from the referee but in favour of Pennock’s side this time round, Dulwich’s Joseph Adewumni was booked after a poor challenge on Olly Box.
The opposing threat didn’t last long, with constant chances within just a couple minutes for Dartford. An extremely close chance fell to Carter whose shot from the edge of the box was inches from the top left corner (60).
Only seconds after, there were two great attempts, after Olly Box hit a great half volley on the edge of the area which was blocked and fell into the path of Pinder who hit a first time shot but was again blocked and placed out for a corner.
Both teams made full use of their bench (71), goalscorer Dan Carter was replaced by Jacob Bland. Dulwich’s Lonit Tall came on.
Dulwich’s hunt for an equaliser came closer in the last 25 minutes with former Dartford man Wanadio creating several chances, with shots from all angles but just not enough to get one past Henly.
Box and Pinner were subbed off late on in the match after both having a fantastic game, replaced by McLeod and Carruthers.
Tension in the final five came with a cross which found the feet of Dulwich’s Giovanni Palmer, whose shot was fizzed just wide of the post and out for a goal kick.
The game ended with a shot from Hamlet which was headed away from goal for a corner, but the referee blew up after overrunning by 2 minutes in extra time.
There was nothing but pure delight for the 1123 Dartford supporters in attendance, as these three points saw them move up to third in the table and a step closer towards a playoff place.
By Oliver Page
