Dartford trailed 2-1 at Princes Park before beating Hayes & Yeading United 4-2 to reach the FA Cup third qualifying round on 3 October. Max Fiddes scored twice.

Dartford went a goal behind in the second half and then scored three times in twenty minutes to beat Hayes & Yeading United 4-2 at Princes Park on Saturday. The win puts the Darts into the FA Cup third qualifying round.

The club’s own match record gives the goals as:

  • 12 minutes: Ben Greenhalgh puts Dartford ahead
  • 29 minutes: Amari Fashanu equalises for Hayes & Yeading
  • 51 minutes: Kurtis Cumberbatch puts the visitors 2-1 up
  • 60 minutes: Max Fiddes levels it
  • 78 minutes: Jordan Higgs makes it 3-2
  • 80 minutes: Fiddes scores his second

(Dartford FC match centre)

Greenhalgh, who is the club’s player-manager, opened the scoring and was substituted with nine minutes left. Fiddes finished with two.

The club has published a post-match interview but not a written report, and no attendance figure has been given.

What Dartford have won, and what is next

Dartford FC's 2026-27 FA Cup run: first qualifying round 1-1 away at Westfield on 5 September, replay won 2-0 on 8 September, second qualifying round beat Hayes and Yeading United 4-2 on 19 September, third qualifying round on 3 October
The run so far, with the FA's prize money for each round. Graphic by Dartford Online.

The third qualifying round is Saturday 3 October, and the winners of each tie take £5,625. Losing in that round is still worth £1,875 (Emirates FA Cup second round qualifying fixture schedule, PDF).

Saturday’s win was worth £3,375, on top of the £2,250 the club earned for beating Westfield in the first qualifying round. That is £5,625 from the cup run so far, before gate money.

The draw has not been made. The FA had published no third qualifying round ties as of Sunday, and it cannot complete the round until the outstanding second qualifying round matches are played. Its own schedule requires those to be finished by Thursday 24 September.

Two more wins after that would put Dartford in the first round proper on 7 November, where the prize jumps to £47,750 and the televised draws start. The full ladder is in our preview of Saturday’s tie.

The run so far

Dartford entered this season’s competition at the first qualifying round:

  • 5 September: Westfield 1 Dartford 1, away
  • 8 September: Dartford 2 Westfield 0, replay at Princes Park
  • 19 September: Dartford 4 Hayes & Yeading United 2

Hayes & Yeading play a division below Dartford, in the Isthmian League South Central Division, and had also come through the first qualifying round, beating Camberley Town 2-1 (Hayes & Yeading United fixtures and results).

Before Saturday, Dartford’s own match preview said victory would put the club in the third qualifying round “for just the second time in five years” (Dartford FC).

League form is running with the cup form. Dartford won 3-0 at Carshalton Athletic on 12 September and 2-0 at Enfield Town on 15 September, so Saturday made it four competitive wins in a row (Dartford FC results).

What it means for you

If you want to go to the next round. The tie is on Saturday 3 October, and whether it is at Princes Park depends on the draw. Watch the club’s fixtures page early in the week.

If you are driving to a home tie. Princes Park is on Grassbanks, DA1 1RT, which is the same postcode as the Brentlands Drive and Princes View gas works. Both roads are closed with no diversion route, so check our roadworks and travel page before you set off. A 3 October home tie would also fall on a night the QEII Bridge shuts completely from 9pm.

More to do locally is on our things to do in Dartford page.

Sources