Dartford 1-1 Welling United

Ten yellow cards, six for Dartford and four for Welling, plus the five yellow cards shown to Dartford on Boxing Day, would suggest a feisty two games. However, although there were over two thousand spectators at each game, the encounters were fairly low key for local derbies.

Danny Bloor’s Welling team were unfortunate to lose in the first game between the two teams and it appeared that their difficulties in front of goal would again prove costly before their late equaliser.

Despite the two teams playing in very different styles, there was nothing to choose between them in the opening exchanges. However, that changed in the nineteenth minute when Dartford went ahead. Luke Coulson lost his marker and swung his right foot at Luke Allen’s cross and it flew into the bottom corner.

Allen and George Alexander for Dartford, and Kain Adom for Welling, were unsuccessful with shots from outside the penalty area before Welling came close just before half time. Ike Orji delivered a low cross towards the far post and Adom got a touch on it, but not a heavy enough one to turn it in.

After the half time break, the game continued in a similar vein until Enoch Muwonge found Antony Papadopoulos, who hasn’t scored since his F.A. Cup hat-trick at Dartford in September. He almost broke that run when he unleashed a shot that hit the inside of the upright before flying back out.

Richard Chin, who scored the only goal at Welling on Boxing Day, was set up neatly but Ben Winterbottom was alert and pushed the shot away before Taylor Curran made an important block from Alexander’s effort.

Tristan Abrahams had a shot deflected past the post before Dartford goalkeeper Ryan Sandford made an outstanding save at the bottom corner to keep out a missile from Dominic Odusanya.

Coulson then missed out on a great chance to double Dartford’s lead when Welling’s two central defenders had gone up for a corner that was cleared into midfield, and knocked forward quickly to send the former Bromley wide man away. He went past the last defender easily but Winterbottom cut down the angle and blocked Coulson’s clip with a combination of chest and shoulder. Paul Rooney headed over from the subsequent corner and the chance was gone.

Papadopoulos again chanced his arm but Sandford saved comfortably before TJ Bramble hit a drive that was heading for the top corner but was turned away acrobatically by the Dartford goalkeeper.

Harvey Bradbury, who had replaced Alexander, hit a free kick over before Adom again went close with a shot that went just wide.

Seven additional minutes were signalled and Welling levelled in the final one of them. Orji sent in a similar cross to the one at the end of the first half and, in an attempt to cut it out, Moussa Diarra could only turn it into his own net.

Bloor will want to use that as a boost for January in which they have seven matches which may determine how the season will pan out.

Welling United: Winterbottom, Orji, Green (Tanga 90+1), Grant, Curran, Bramble, Muwonge (Lema 81), Odusanya, Abrahams, Papadopoulos, Adom (Chambers 85). Subs not used: Roscrow, Byrd.