Dartford beat Chatham Town in the Isthmian Premier Division on Monday and host Marlow in the FA Cup this Saturday
05:00, 29 August 2024
A strong finish from Dartford on Monday ensured their winning streak continued.
A 3-1 home victory over last season’s play-off finalists Chatham Town followed a 1-0 victory at Carshalton Athletic on Saturday. It’s now three Isthmian Premier wins on the trot.
Assistant boss Roland Edge sees the side getting stronger by the game, with four wins from their first five league matches.
Edge said: “We have a young group and we need to keep them grounded and keep working hard.
“At the minute they are listening to all of what Ady (Pennock, manager) is telling them. He has been there, seen it and done it.
“All the sessions we do are linked to us improving and I think you can see we are gradually getting stronger.
“It’s still so early, isn’t it? You just want to come out of the blocks and get the points, it steadies the ship.
“We have had one slip-up (losing to Potters Bar) but we bounced back from that which is another thing that’s good and I feel like we are getting stronger every game.”
Pennock and his management team have got the Darts clicking straight away - not an easy task when they were starting from scratch in the summer.
“It’s unbelievable,” said the assistant. “He has had to go out there after the rest of the team left for whatever reasons.
“Ady has worked very hard in the summer, I think he has been to Costa [Coffee] so many times he owns shares in them! He has done his homework on their capabilities and the people that they are.
“Dartford supporters keep telling me this has a new feel to it, a new desire, and they wouldn’t lie to me. Ady has done his homework and it’s paying off at the moment.
“It is a great place to be working. There are people in there who have been there but still want to do well and then the young ones trying to restart their careers maybe because they have been at pro clubs where it hasn’t quite worked out.
“There is a lot of talent and the older boys are helping them out. Ady is helping them out in the sessions he puts on and I think there is more to come.”
Eddie Dsane scored the only goal of the game to see off Carshalton on Saturday and also scored from the spot in stoppage-time against Chatham.
Chats had led 1-0 at the break and only a good save from keeper Matt Kerbey denied goalscorer Jamie Yila a second for the visitors just before the interval.
Darts got straight back into it at the start of the second half when left-back Sam Odaudu let fly from 25 yards.
Edge said: “Sam has got bags of ability and just needs that belief and I think that is starting to grow in him. I think the performances are showing it.
“The minute he hit that shot I thought that has got a chance and it was a hell of a finish. Luckily for us that bit of magic got us back into it, but then I thought we grew from that.”
Callum Jones fired Darts ahead on 84 minutes as the hosts put the pressure on late in the game and when Dsane was tripped in the box he stepped up to score.
Edge said: “Samir [Carruthers] went on and made a difference and young Deano came on and has seen it through. Everyone is chipping in and doing their bit.
“It was a really good win. We know Chatham are going to be there or thereabouts, they are a really good side with a good manager.
“We went 1-0 down a little bit against the run of play I thought. We got into the changing room and Ady spoke to the lads about what we needed to do to get back into it and I thought they executed it brilliantly, so all in all it was a really good day.
“Chatham are a brilliant side because they are not only technically very good, they have got very well-schooled players, they are wise and they see a game out.
“They are a really good side, Kev (Hake, manager) will guide them and get them going like he always does. He has done a fantastic job at Chatham and it is always nice to win a game but to beat a side who are going to be a front runner that adds a little more importance to it.”
Dartford host Southern League Premier side Marlow in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup this Saturday.
Edge said: “Everyone loves the FA Cup don’t they? It puts a little twist on it.
“Our boys just want to win every game. A run of wins always makes you better, makes you stronger, the confidence comes into the team and at the minute we go into Saturday feeling confident, but respectful.
“You have to do the hard stuff first and we will be well aware that Marlow will be coming here to spoil the day. We have to be on it.”
