Dartford beat AFC Totton 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Princes Park, reaching the FA Trophy third round for the first time in five years.

Dartford FC are in the third round of the FA Trophy for the first time in five years. They beat AFC Totton 5-4 on penalties at Princes Park on Saturday, after a 1-1 draw. (Dartford FC match report)

Totton play in the National League South, one division above Dartford. The club’s preview put the gap at fourteen places in the non-league pyramid. (Dartford FC match preview)

Overview

  • Result: Dartford 1, AFC Totton 1. Dartford won the shootout 5-4 in sudden death.
  • Round: FA Trophy second round proper. Dartford are now in the third round.
  • Crowd: 572 at Princes Park.
  • Dartford’s goal: Max Fiddes, his seventeenth of the season.
  • Man of the match: Brandon Davey, who scored the decisive penalty.

How the game went

Fiddes put Dartford ahead about ten minutes before half-time, after work by Dan Smith. Totton’s Ralph Vigrass had already hit the Dartford post.

The first half ended badly. An argument broke out between the two benches just before the break, and the referee showed a red card to a staff member from each side.

Totton pushed in the second half. Vigrass equalised in the 72nd minute, reacting first after his own shot came back off the post. Neither side scored again, so the tie went straight to penalties.

The shootout

  • Fiddes scored Dartford’s first penalty, then Totton keeper Ryan Gosney saved from Matty MacArthur.
  • Dan Smith, Louie Atkins and Jordan Higgs all scored for Dartford.
  • Totton scored their first four. Dartford keeper Ryan Sandford then saved from Reece Fleet, taking it to sudden death.
  • Davey scored, and Charlie Osborne hit the crossbar for Totton.

A cup run the club wanted

Player-manager Ben Greenhalgh set a cup run as one of his targets for the season. Before this season, Dartford had not won an FA Trophy tie since January 2022, the club’s preview says.

They have now won three ties in a row. Fiddes scored twice in a 3-0 win at Leiston, in Suffolk, and twice again in a home win over Three Bridges, according to the preview.

The Darts sat fourth in the Isthmian Premier before the game, the club said on Friday. (Dartford FC, 13 November) Greenhalgh rested players in midweek for the Totton tie, and Dartford went out of the Isthmian League Cup on Wednesday, losing 3-0 on penalties at AFC Whyteleafe after a 2-2 draw. (Dartford FC, Whyteleafe report)

Totton entered the competition at this stage. They had reached the third round in each of the last three seasons but never gone further.

What it means for you

  • If you want to be at the next round, watch the club’s news page for the third-round draw and ticket details. Neither had been published on Sunday morning.
  • Dartford are also in the Kent Senior Cup quarter-finals, after beating League One Bromley last month.