Kingstonian 2-6 Dartford
DARTS CHAMPION

For the second season in a row Kingsmeadow saw champions-elect become champions but this time it was the visitors who secured the top spot as they put six goals past Kingstonian.

With two goals in reply, the result looks one-sided but Ks were good value for the two and indeed Dartford were fortunate to rack up such a score.

A header from Simon Huckle just after the half hour and a shot from Traynor in the second half did not represent the sum total of the chances and near misses by the hosts who were a different side in spirit from the one that were at Waltham Abbey three days before.

The visitors, who at one time had threatened to be runaway champions, were on the attack from the first whistle and Ryan Hayes was only denied by Rob Tolfrey's hands after only two minutes before defender Billy Burgess crossed the ball in minutes later for Elliot Bradbrooke to tap in from close range.

Another attack soon after saw Tolfrey punch the ball straight to Adam Thompson but his attempted shot out of defence went straight to Hayes who shot the ball from 20 yards out past Tolfrey.

Two up in 13 minutes the visitors sensing a win relaxed and Ks began to come into the game; however it would take many more minutes before a long shot upfield from Huckle unlocked the defence and with Carl Wilson-Denis latched onto the ball, only the keeper Andrew Young could stop the shot or an official and duly the linesman waved for offside.

Matt Gray was then remiss as he headed the ball beyond the goal; however in the 33rd after Huckle had won a corner, his kick found Traynor who passed the ball high up to a brave Huckle and Ks had clawed back a goal.

Within minutes he tried to chip Young but the ball went wide. From the goal kick the ball found itself worked up to the front before a throw-in was conceded. Adam Gross' pass in found the head of Danny Harris and the Darts had their third.

But Kingstonian were not finished and a free kick by Gray, just before the break, once again found Huckle but his header could only go wide.

The break saw Dean Lodge replace Christian Jolley and within a minute he was in action as he fought through on the right in the area only to come crashing to the ground from a defender's tackle.

At the other end, an uncharacteristic error by Tolfrey saw Bradbrooke get his second and the visitors' fourth goal of the afternoon when a moment's hesitation saw Rob Howarth take the ball off the shot stopper and Bradbrooke complete the move with a shot.

From the restart Ks once again went on the attack and nearly reduced the deficit again when Lodge's cross hit the far left post before rebounding back to the right to Bashiru Alimi. His follow-up shot went just wide of the near post.

Huckle then tried a minute later but was dispossessed by two or three defenders, however finally the goal was breached as Traynor's shot hit the far post, only for it to rebound into the back of the net, this time.

At the other end Dartford attacked and a header onto the bar by Thompson saw a corner conceded before Danny Baxter headed over. A brief respite was ended with Wilson-Denis' head latching onto a pass but the ball then wide.

Once again attack was rejoined and Hayes shot went over the bar in the 68th minute but this was only temporary as he was gifted a goal two minutes later by Tolfrey when the 'keeper dropped a cross from Bradbrooke straight to Hayes and the midfielder had a simple tap in for a fifth goal.

A sixth followed nine minutes later when substitute Lee Burns shot powerfully from within the area.

A minute later Gross tried his chance with a long shot from outside the area but this time Tolfrey was more than equal to it and held the ball well.

With the game winding down there was still time for another assault on a goal and in the 86th minute Wilson-Denis was twice denied by defenders in the area. Finally in injury time, Lodge failed to control a long shot up the field and could only shoot wide.

As the travelling revellers poured over the barriers to celebrate promotion to the Conference South, Kingstonian could only look back at the game and say that they gave the game it all and rather than try and soak up the pressure to avoid a heavy defeat, they continued to look for goals that would give them a win. The score line may suggest otherwise but then bare facts never go to matches.