A Mini Journeyman Series - UK & Ireland

[FM_TNSSO]

October 2018

October 2018

Apparently, there's a takeover on the cards!

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Saturday 6th October 2018 (15:00)
FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
Dartford vs Southport
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook, Buckley, Pugh, Issa, Reid

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Comfortably through to the next round! Reid was sensational, scoring 2 and setting up the other 2!


The prize money for progressing in the FA Cup takes the club's bank balance into the positive, so I quickly asked the board if they'd fund a coaching course, to which they agreed!

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We'll take on another team from the Vanarama National North in the next round of the FA Cup, in the form of Harrogate Town.

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Tuesday 9th October 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Poole vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Bradbrook (Simpson 73), Durojaiye, Pugh (Fuller 62), Della Verde (Mansell 62), Reid

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Poole have made a good start to their campaign, racking up 18 points from their opening 10 games! So I really wasn't expecting this to be as easy as it was for us. We cruise to a comfortable victory and Reid bags another 2 goals in the process....this guys a machine!


Saturday 13th October 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Braintree
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Durojaiye, Simpson, Pugh, Issa, Reid

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BRADLEY ****** REID....I love you son!


Saturday 20th October 2018 (15:00)
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
Harrogate vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton (Vint 74), Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Bradbrook (Della Verde 61), Durojaiye, Fuller, Issa, Reid (Mansell 45)

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Harrogate are one of the sides expecting to challenge for the playoffs in the National North, so we were expecting a rough ride. But we didn't get it and instead we cruised into the first round proper!


We lose Lyle Della Verde for just under a month through injury. Although he doesn't start many games, the midfielder has featured 8 times from the bench this season already.

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We get a nice draw in the 1st round of the FA Cup against minnows, Folkestone. This is a very winnable game that could see us through to the 2nd round of the competition and hopefully a chance to play a big Championship club at home that would draw the fans in and we can clean up on the gate receipts! Not that I'm looking past Folkestone or anything!?

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Tuesday 23rd October 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Brackley
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Pugh, Issa (Mansell 69), Reid (Fuller 69)

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I have to give credit to Brackley in this one. We didn't play badly, they just did very well to beat us!


Elliott Bradbrook has become Dartford's record goalscorer!

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Saturday 27th October 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Hampton & Richmond vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah (Pritchatt 65), Noble (Durojaiye 77), Bradbrook, Buckley, Pugh, Issa, Pavey (Mansell 65)

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H&R are another club that did really well last year, but this season find themselves struggling at the wrong end of the table so far. Despite that, they gave us a ****** good game here and managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit to win the game. Funnily enough, I'm not massively upset about the result....what I am upset about is the ***** performances from a couple of players in particular. I wanted to give some players a rest and others an opportunity so brought in Pavey and Onyemah and they were both absolutely shocking! Neither of them had better come knocking on my door anytime soon whinging about their lack of first team football!


Things are moving forward with the takeover as it comes to light that it's a Manchester based consortium trying to buy the club. Not quite sure why a North West consorium would be buying a South East club, but hey ho! As long as I keep my job, I couldn't really care less at this stage.

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Despite losing back to back games at the end of the month, we remain top of the league with a 3 point buffer over Chippenham. Billericay and Dulwich are coming more into contention and we'll have to break this mini losing streak we're on quickly if we want to stay at the head of the table.

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Player of the Month
Elliott Bradbrook

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The midfielder had another really good month and was the most consistent performer in the team throughout the whole of October, so was most deservant of this award!


We'll only play 3 league games in November as we have a couple of cup games to play as well, although we're still waiting to find out who our opponents will be in the FA Trophy. Hereford and East Thurrock sit 20th and 19th in the table, so we have the opportunity to pick up some good points next month!

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[FM_TNSSO]

November 2018

November 2018

Saturday 3rd November 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Hereford vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Bradbrook, Buckley (Durojaiye 63), Pugh (Fuller 74), Issa, Reid

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Back to winning ways in emphatic style here with a big away win! 4 goals, 4 different goalscorers and every single player in the team scoring a good match rating! The manager goes home happy today!


This could have been a much easier tie if I'm honest and going away to Poole won't be easy in the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Trophy. They are having a great season so far in our league and find themselves in 9th place.

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Tuesday 6th November 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
East Thurrock vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook, Buckley, Pugh, Issa, Reid

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This was a poor result against one of the weaker teams in the division. We were well on top for the entire game but snatched at our chances today and couldn't put the game out of Thurrock's sight like we should have before they even got their first. Disappointing!


Saturday 10th November 2018 (15:00)
FA Cup 1st Round
Folkestone vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn (Fish 56), Vint, Bonner, Onyemah, Simpson, Bradbrook (Buckley 56), Durojaiye, Pugh, Mansell, Fuller

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We're comfortably into the next round after our lower league opposition here offered very little. Young Jamie Fuller got a full 90 minutes under his belt up front and the 16 year old bagged a goal and an assist in a complete performance. Now we want a big League One club at home, to be shown on the TV, in the next round please!


Well, we got the League One club, but we didn't get the home draw for the gate receipts! Luton are flying in League One and currently sit 3rd, so this is going to be a very difficult tie for us!

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Saturday 17th November 2018 (15:00)
FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round
Poole vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn (Clinton 53), Vint, Bonner, Onyemah, Simpson, Buckley, Durojaiye, Pugh (Fuller 73), Mansell (Issa 62), Reid

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We were always in control of this tie, but it was the substitutes that got us over the line and through to the next round.


We'll take on Vanarama National North side, Leamington, in the 1st round.

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Saturday 24th November 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Concord
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Fish, Vint (Clinton 80), Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Bradbrook, Buckley (Durojaiye 45), Pugh (Della Verde 56), Issa, Reid

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As mentioned before, Concord have so far been one of the surprise packages this season and sit inside the playoff places. They have the best defence in the league at this point and it was obvious to see why....they're well organised and really tough to break down. God ****, we tried hard for 90 minutes but just couldn't find a way through and the game ended in a goalless draw.


Ronnie Vint was just starting to work his way into my team with some solid performances at centre back, so it's a bit gutting for him that he's suffered this minor setback and will now miss the next couple of games.

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After only managing to win 1 of our 3 league games this month, our lead the the top has now been cut to just 2 points. With only 5 points seperating the top 6, it looks like a really competitive season this year and it's hard to call who will be top of the tree come the end of the year. At the other end of the table, it's just as tight with only 6 points seperating the bottom 7!

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Player of the Month
John Buckley

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The young midfielder has strung together some good performances this month and is playing well enough to hold down a starting 11 place in my team. He's worked hard to earn his opportunity and is now starting to realise some of his potential.


We're going to finish 2018 with a ridiculously busy month as December sees us scheduled for 7 games, a couple in the cups and then 5 in the league. That period between Xmas and New Year could be pivotal as we take on Dulwich and Chippenham who are both just behind us!

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[FM_TNSSO]

December 2018

December 2018

Saturday 1st December 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Bognor Regis
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Bradbrook, Buckley, Fuller, Issa, Reid

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We kicked off December's busy schedule with a solid home win against Bognor. A game I fully expected us to win and the lads had us firmly in control within the first 21 minutes!


We're not even half way through the season yet and Bradley Reid is already closing in on the club's goalscoring record.

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Tuesday 4th December 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Kettering vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Fish, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Simpson, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Fuller (Della Verde 64), Issa, Reid (Pugh 64)

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A close game here and a draw was probably fair. We pushed hard for a winner late on and thought we had it when Pugh hammered home, only for the goal to be ruled offside. Replays show it was the correct decision though so I can't complain!


I'm not entirely sure how this will go down with the fans, but I've appointed Elliot Benyon as our new Director of Football. He's the man who scored 4 goals against us in the playoff final last year for Whitehawk, and I've given him his first non playing job since retiring after that game. Benyon has been brought in to relieve some duties from my Head of Youth Development so he can focus on coaching and developing the youngsters at the club. Benyon's responsibilities will include setting assignments for the scouting team, finding and making offers for young players for the future and handling contract negotiations (although I'll have the final say before they sign) and offering youngsters out that I've transfer listed or listed for loan.

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Saturday 8th December 2018 (15:00)
FA Cup 2nd Round
Luton vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt (Onyemah 77), Simpson, Bradbrook (Durojaiye 36), Buckley (Della Verde 77), Pugh, Issa, Reid

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When we went in at half time at 1-1, for just a second I thought 'we could do this'! However, it wasn't to be as Luton came out and steamrollered us in the 2nd half scoring another 4 goals in the process. We had a good run in the competition this year though, have nothing to be ashamed of and have earned some decent prize money along the way!


The worst news to come out of the FA Cup game with Luton was the fact we've lost Elliott Bradbrook to injury for the next 4 months!!

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Tuesday 18th December 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Havant & Waterlooville vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton (Vint 74), Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble (Simpson 62), Buckley, Durojaiye, Pugh (Della Verde 62), Issa, Reid

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An amazing game for the fans and in the end I would have taken the draw. But a stupid mistake from right back, Ben Nunn, allowed them to nick a winner right at the death and I walk away bitterly disappointed with the defender as he's single handedly cost us a point there!


Saturday 22nd December 2018 (15:00)
FA Trophy 1st Round
Dartford vs Leamington
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Buckley, Durojaiye, Della Verde (Murphy 61), Issa, Reid (Pugh 61)

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I'm not quite sure how we only scored 2 goals in this game because we could easily have had 5 or 6! Leamington were extremely poor and we walked all over them in one of the easiest games we've played all season! Onto the next round we go!


We'll take on another Vanarama National North side in the next round of the FA Trophy! Next up is Spennymoor.

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Wednesday 26th December 2018 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Chippenham
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Buckley, Durojaiye, Mansell (Murphy 59), Issa (Della Verde 6), Reid (Pugh 59)

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A late, late goal from Durojaiye earned us the draw that we deserved! Although it was a close game, we certainly didn't deserve to lose this one!


Tariq Issa joins Elliot Bradbrook on the injury list for the next 5 weeks!

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Saturday 29th December 2018 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dulwich Hamlet vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Fish, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Durojaiye, Simpson, Pugh, Mansell, Pavey

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I said on the first day of the season that Dulwich looked like a force and I wasn't wrong as they sit top of the league at the half way stage. And they were just too strong for us here as we fail to get anything out of the game!


My injury situation is becoming a bit of a crisis as I lose Durojaiye for over a month now as well. With Issa and Bradbrook already missing, my squad is seriously weakened for the next few games.

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Our form has taken a dive over the last few weeks and we've now won only 2 of our last 10 league games! That's seen us drop off the top of the league and down to 3rd, with 6 points seperating us from top side Dulwich! At the other end of the table, the bottom 4 are starting to fall away from the rest of the pack.

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Player of the Month
Tariq Issa

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The winger was in fine form before picking up his injury and he'll be sorely missed over the next few games!


As we move into the New Year, we really need to find some form from somewhere if we're going to keep up a title challenge! We've started to fall off the pace and really need some wins in January! We've beaten all of these teams already this season and will be looking to complete the double over them to get ourselves back on track!

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[danjames101]

Although Im doing this kind of save and im in charge of.... Manchester CITY and i had already signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer!

so nothing like this save then?

 

[FM_TNSSO]

January 2019

January 2019

Tuesday 1st January 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Hemel Hempstead
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Vint (Clinton 54), Bonner, Onyemah, Simpson (Noble 80), Della Verde, Buckley, Pugh, Murphy (Mansell 69), Reid

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We kick off the New Year with a draw! This was a game where both teams had a number of good chances and if the attackers had been on form, it could easily have been 3-3! Still, a draw doesn't get us out of the slump we're currently in!


Bradley Reid and Olumide Durojaiye both joined us last Summer on 1 year deals, but both have done more than enough to warrant new contracts!

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With the British weather and poor standard of pitches at this level, I'm surprised this is my first postponement in 18 months of management.

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Saturday 12th January 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs St.Albans
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton (Vint 47), Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Della Verde, Buckley, Pugh (Murphy 61), Mansell, Reid (Fuller 82)

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Are you actually ******* kidding me lads?! We take the lead twice in the final 10 minutes and somehow end up losing the game! I'm not sure what the **** is going on at the moment but this is not ******* good enough lads!!


The injuries continue to rack up as we lose Kyle Clinton for the next 2 weeks!

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Alfie Pavey has been on a rolling contract all season as I refused to meet his wage demands when his contract expired. Due to his lack of first team football, he's decided to leave the club!

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Tuesday 15th January 2019 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Weston-super-Mare
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Fish, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson (Noble 83), Della Verde, Buckley, Murphy, Mansell (Pugh 77), Reid (Fuller 77)

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With WSM being bottom of the league, I'd have been really disappointed at anything but a win in this game. Although we didn't look confident at any point in the game, we did get the all important victory! Now I really need the boys to push on from here!


Saturday 19th January 2019 (15:00)
FA Trophy 2nd Round
Spennymoor vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Fish, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt (Onyemah 67), Noble, Della Verde (Buckley 60), Simpson, Murphy, Mansell, Reid (Fuller 60)

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Our league form might have been shocking over the past couple of months, but one thing I can't deny is that my lads have turned up in all the cup games this season and this was no different. We looked like the team that was virtually unbeatable in the first 10 games of the season here and I just hope I can get some more of these performances out of the lads over the coming weeks in the league.


Tuesday 22nd January 2019 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Gloucester vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Vint, Bonner (Clinton 57), Pritchatt, Noble, Della Verde, Simpson, Pugh, Mansell (Issa 57), Reid (Fuller 57)

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You know you're on a bad run of form when you go into games like this as 4-1 outsiders despite being predicted a 3rd place finish in the league. And the odds prove correct as we lose again, in what was a tight game.


The 3rd round of the FA Trophy is drawn and we'll play Chippenham away!

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Saturday 26th January 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Billericay vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Fish (Nunn 44), Vint, Clinton, Pritchatt, Noble, Della Verde, Buckley (Simpson 17), Mansell, Issa (Murphy 63), Reid

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If we were 4-1 to win the last game, then we were a massive 7-1 to win this one!! So I guess this was a good result?!


Just as I was looking forward to some players coming back from injury, I lose two more. Buckley will miss 3 months, while Matt Fish is out for 5 weeks!

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Only 1 league win this month and we continue our slide down the table. I'm actually pretty amazed that we are still comfortably inside the top 7, but I guess that's credit to our superb start to the season!

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Player of the Month
Lewis Mansell

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The whole team has struggled this month and a couple of very good performances from Mansell are enough for him to take player of the month for January.


Next month, we simply need a couple of wins minimum!!

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​

 

[Sammuthegreat]

so nothing like this save then?

Pff, if you can't see the similarities between Dartford and Man City then there's no helping you I'm afraid

 

[FM_TNSSO]

February 2019

February 2019

Saturday 2nd February 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Hungerford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner (Vint 73), Pritchatt, Noble (Durojaiye 73), Della Verde, Simpson, Mansell, Issa, Pugh (Reid 73)

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I said at the end of last month, that we badly needed to pick up a couple of victories in February as an absolute minimum! So I'm delighted to kick off the month with one! Although we only won by the odd goal, it was the best we've played in the league for a while and I can only hope it is a sign of a return to form for the lads!


Tuesday 5th February 2019 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Wealdstone
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Della Verde, Durojaiye (Noble 70), Mansell (Murphy 59), Issa, Pugh (Reid 59)

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We definitely didn't deserve to lose this game as we were much the better side, but we can only have ourselves to blame as we squandered so many good chances in this match! Four clear cut chances created and none taken!


Saturday 9th February 2019 (15:00)
FA Trophy 3rd Round
Chippenham vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Vint, Onyemah, Simpson, Della Verde, Durojaiye (Noble 65), Mansell (Murphy 65), Issa, Reid

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Oh I do love a cup game! We coast past Chippenham at their place, a team that is 2nd in our league! I just wish we could replicate this standard of performance into the league!


I complete my National C License and finally have my first coaching badge! Now I'm hoping that this could be a reason for our poor league form is because of my absence from training as our form definitely dipped as soon as I started this. So I'm hoping that now I'm back, we'll see an improvement!

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Blyth Spartans await us in the 4th round of the FA Trophy!

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Saturday 16th February 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Bath vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Vint, Onyemah (Pritchatt 57), Simpson, Della Verde, Durojaiye, Mansell (Murphy 68), Issa, Reid (Pugh 79)

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Again, we don't get the result, but the football is much better! If we keep playing this way, I'm confident the results will start to come again!


Saturday 23rd February 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Welling vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Vint, Pritchatt, Simpson, Della Verde (Bradbrook 83), Durojaiye, Murphy (Bonner 43), Issa (Mansell 45), Reid

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I mention in the last game that we are starting to play a lot better and then we get walked all over by 3rd placed Welling! Although it didn't help that we played the entire 2nd half with 10 men after Ben Nunn's sending off. The only positive for us in this game was the long awaited return of captain, Elliott Bradbrook as we attempt to nurse him back to full fitness as soon as possible!


Tuesday 26th February 2019 (19:45)
Vanarama National South
Braintree vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide (4-2-2-2 Wide)
Lineup: Stedman, Fish, Clinton, Vint, Pritchatt, Simpson (Mansell 71), Della Verde, Durojaiye (Noble 60), Fuller (Bradbrook 60), Issa, Reid

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What a result that was against 5th placed Braintree as we come from behind to win! Once they had a man sent off, I went gung ho and threw men forward in search of a winner and we only went and ****** got it! A massive, massive result!


I said last month that the minimum requirement from february would be two league wins, and that's exactly what we got! I feel like it should have been more with the games against Bath and Wealdstone, but it's a step back in the right direction. We remain 6th and our realistic target this year now is to ensure we make the playoffs as the league title looks out of reach with only 10 games remaining. Down at the bottom, Hampton & Richmond and Weston-super-Mare will do well to stay up, but there's a battle on to survive the third relegation spot between a few teams.

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Player of the Month
Lyle Della Verde

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Lyle has been given an opportunity for a run of starts in the first team with the injuries to both John Buckley and Elliott Bradbrook, and although he hasn't been fantastic, he's certainly come in and done a consistent job for us and for that he deserves this!


We kick off March with the 4th round of the FA Trophy as we bid to make the latter stages of the competition. With Hampton & Richmond and Hereford both in the bottom 3, we really need to treat those as 'must win' games! Although the most important for us could be against 7th placed and playoff chasing Poole.

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[FM_TNSSO]

March 2019

March 2019

This year's youth intake doesn't look anything special!

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Midfieder, Matthew Dowse, and centre back, Gareth Woodford, look like the most promising prospects!

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Saturday 2nd March 2019 (15:00)
FA Trophy 4th Round
Blyth vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner (Vint 80), Pritchatt, Noble, Della Verde, Simpson (Bradbrook 72), Fuller, Issa, Reid (Mansell 72)

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It says a lot for our cup form this year, when this is probably the worst we've played in a cup game all year (except the Luton game) and we were still the better side! However, we had to settle for a draw and will now have Blyth back at our place for a replay!


Tuesday 5th March 2019 (19:45)
FA Trophy 4th Round Replay
Dartford vs Blyth
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Simpson, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Pugh, Issa, Reid

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The last game was the worst we'd played in the cup this year.....until this game! Simply not good enough today as we crash out of the FA Trophy. We exceeded our expectations of making the 2nd round but I'm still disappointed as I feel this was a winnable tie, especially when we got the replay with home advantage. One plus point was to see Elliott Bradbrook back on the scoresheet in his first start following his injury.


Saturday 9th March 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Poole
Formation: 4-2-2-2 Wide
Lineup: Ibrahim, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Bradbrook (Simpson 66), Durojaiye (Della Verde 73), Pugh, Issa, Reid, Mansell (Fuller 66)

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I tried a new formation for this game in the hope it would spark a better result. The 4-2-2-2 wide (basically a 4-4-2 with wingers pushed up)! But it didn't work and we looked unimpressive in defeat! We had our moments in the first half, but on the whole, Poole were much better than us and the scoreline flattered us to be fair!


Our form has been pretty **** for months now, so I'm surprised it's taken this long for the players to have a whinge about it! Is the writing on the wall for Ernie Allan again?!

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Saturday 16th March 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Hampton & Richmond
Formation: 4-2-3-1 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Durojaiye (Della Verde 73), Noble, Pugh (Fuller 73), Bradbrook, Issa, Reid

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What a boring game this was and I feel sorry for both sets of fans! Neither team here created any kind of decent chance and only a penalty converted by Bradbrook was enough for us to take the win!


Saturday 23rd March 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Brackley vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Fuller (Mansell 72), Issa, Reid (Murphy 72)

View attachment 37736

Again, we weren't at our best but we got the job done to record back to back wins in the league for the first time since October!!


Saturday 30th March 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Hereford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Fuller (Murphy 62), Issa, Reid (Mansell 62)

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Well that's football for ya! We play better here than we did in our last two games and actually don't get the ****** win! Despite dominating the whole game, we can only manage a 1-1 draw! However, that does make it 3 games unbeaten for us in the league which again is a first since November!


Our little run of improved form this month has seen us rise to 5th in the table. It looks like it's going to be a very similar finish to the season as last year, with a number of teams in the hunt for the playoffs and one will just miss out! Dulwich are gradually pulling away and are now hot favourites to lift the title!

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Player of the Month
Elliott Bradbrook

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The captain is back and oh, how we've missed him! Although his match ratings are not the greatest here, he wins player of the month due to his immediate impact on the team going forward with 4 goals and an assist in his last 5 games!


We have 6 league games remaining and 5 of them will be next month! Chippenham and Kettering are both sides in the top 7 and chasing down those playoff spots, so they'll both be very big games for us!

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​

 

[dporter8999]

Hang in there mate, surely player power can't force you out!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Hang in there mate, surely player power can't force you out!

Cheers mate! I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now that we seem to be turning our form back around again! We've really missed our captain Elliott Bradbrook over the past few months but now he's back the team immediately looks more organised and the performances have improved dramatically so hopefully we can keep that up to the end of the season now

 

[Brane_Orsou]

Perhaps the players thought that after your cracking start they were going to be no bumps in the road along the way. CRAZY FOOLS!! Hopefully can have a **** sandwich season, cracking start, **** middle and cracking end

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Perhaps the players thought that after your cracking start they were going to be no bumps in the road along the way. CRAZY FOOLS!! Hopefully can have a **** sandwich season, cracking start, **** middle and cracking end

Fingers crossed mate. Hoping to get the season finished tonight when home from work

 

[MWPlayz]

Get way up to 2nd-3rd to avoid the qualifying rounds

 

[MWPlayz]

I signed good players when in charge of Truro City!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

April 2019

​

April 2019

​

Saturday 6th April 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs East Thurrock
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner (Vint 79), Onyemah, Noble, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Murphy (Della Verde 79), Issa, Reid

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That's 4 games unbeaten in the league...are we hitting a run of form just at the right time?! This was a pretty tight game on the stats, but it was clear on the pitch that we had the extra bi of quality and having a guy up front who scores 30 goals a season always helps ;-)




Saturday 13th April 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Concord vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Bradbrook (Buckley 75), Durojaiye, Della Verde (Murphy 75), Issa, Reid (Mansell 75)

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Concord had to win this game to keep any chances of reaching the playoffs alive. However, we ruined any chances they had by beating them here! My defence are in top form at the moment only conceding 1 goal in our last 5 games! It's amazing what a difference it makes to the organisation of the side when your captain is back in the team and barking orders! We really did miss Bradbrook over those 4 months!




Dulwich Hamlet have wrapped up the league title. Everyone else is now playing for the playoff places!

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After our good run of form, the players are becoming happier again! Everything is starting to come together again!

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Bradley Reid, Jordan Simpson and Elliott Bradbrook make the shortlist for player of the season! I can't vote for my own players so my vote goes to Bradley Sach of Chippenham.

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Saturday 20th April 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Bognor Regis vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah, Noble, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Della Verde, Issa (Mansell 57), Reid

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We nicked it right at the death and you've gotta feel a little for a resolute Bognor side that had worked so hard to fight back to level terms twice in the game! But it's onwards and upwards for us and that's now a 6 game unbeaten run for us as we move up to 3rd in the table!




Monday 22nd April 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Chippenham vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Vint, Bonner, Pritchatt, Noble, Buckley, Durojaiye (Bradbrook 45), Murphy, Issa (Mansell 45), Reid

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Our unbeaten run comes to an abrupt end as Chippenham get a little revenge on us for knocking them out the FA Trophy a couple of months ago. With only a 2 day gap between games, I was working with a very tired squad and some rotation was necessary! I think that disturbed the flow of the side and I didn't get the best out of the lads against a Chippenham team that move above us into 2nd.



Saturday 27th April 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Kettering
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Della Verde, Issa (Murphy 62), Reid (Mansell 54)

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The team was back to full strength for this one (and by that I mean Bradbrook was back in the starting lineup), and the performance was much better! This was a massive game between two teams in the playoff spots that would decide who still had a shot at the top 3 going into the final game of the season, so this was an important win for us!




A playoff place is confirmed and with 1 game remaining, there is still plenty to play for. The teams that finish 2nd and 3rd effectively bypass the first round of the playoffs and there are still 4 teams in contention for these 2 spots! Kettering, Braintree and Poole will all fight it out for the the final 2 playoff spaces! At the bottom of the table, the bottom 3 are confirmed with Hereford and St Albans both breathing a sigh of relief.

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Player of the Month
Lyle Della Verde

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Lyle picked up his 2nd player of the month award of the season after some good games this month! He was instumental in two of our wins, with 5 assists!




May's update will include our final game of the season against Havant & Waterlooville, as well as the playoffs! Wish me luck guys!

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​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

May 2019

​

May 2019

Saturday 4th May 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South
Dartford vs Havant & Waterlooville
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner (Vint 78), Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook, Durojaiye, Della Verde, Issa, Reid (Mansell 78)

View attachment 37641


We were dominant but nowhere near clinical enough and we labour to a 1-1 draw on the final day of the season!




So there's the final league table confirming a 4th placed finish for us and we'll have to go through all 3 rounds of the playoffs if we're to go up this year! Chippenham and Welling secure 2nd and 3rd, whilst Poole and Kettering claim playoff spots at the expense of Braintree on the final day!

View attachment 37640




Wednesday 8th May 2019 (19:45)
Vanarama National South Playoff 1st Round
Dartford vs Kettering
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Pritchatt, Simpson, Bradbrook (Buckley 69), Durojaiye, Della Verde (Murphy 82), Issa, Reid (Mansell 69)

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After recently thrashing Kettering 4-1 in the league, we had every right to come into this game full of confidence! And the lads played exactly that way as we dominated the first half, but couldn't find the back of the net! However, within 15 minutes of the restart, we found ourselves 2-0 up and in complete control! Kettering were rattled and it clearly showed as they struggled to get any kind of foothold in the game, and when the 3rd goal went in on 73 minutes, it was game over! We march on to the semis!




We take on Chippenham in the semi final, in a repeat of last year's playoff 1st round where we knocked them out with a 1-0 win in extra time!

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Saturday 11th May 2019 (15:00)
Vanarama National South Playoff Semi Final
Chippenham vs Dartford
Formation: 4-1-2-3 Wide
Lineup: Stedman, Nunn, Clinton, Bonner, Onyemah (Pritchatt 66), Noble, Bradbrook, Buckley (Durojaiye 71), Della Verde, Issa (Mansell 78), Reid

View attachment 37636


I was required to make some changes to the starting lineup due to tiredness in the squad, so Onyemah, Noble and Buckley all come in! It didn't seem to throw the team off their stride as we started quickly and were 1-0 up within minutes! However, it didn't last long and by 16 minutes, we were 2-1 down and up against it! We fought hard to get back on terms and took control of possession throughout the rest of the 1st half and finally got the goal to level things up before the break! Both teams looked very nervous in a largely uneventful second half and the game was set to go to extra time for the 2nd year running! We definitely didn't have the best of it during extra time as Chippenham increased the pressure and in the 116th minute, it was heartbreak for us as they finally got the goal that I have to admit had been coming! They got their revenge for last year and dump us out of the playoffs and we'll be playing another year of National South football next season!




With the season over, the budgets have been set for next year. The wage budget sees a slight increase and there will be £10k available to spend on players. However, there is still an embargo in place while the impending takeover goes on (which has lasted around 6 months now!).

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Chippenham went on to win the playoffs after beating Billericay on penalties in the final!

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I made the shortlist for manager of the year again and my vote went to Dulwich boss, Nicky Forster, as I think he deserves it for back to back promotions and they were predicted 10th at the start of the season but absolutely ****** the league!

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Some more sponsorship deals are announced, with the season having come to an end.

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Got to be the longest takeover in football history ain't it?!

View attachment 37631

​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

End of Season

​

End of 2018/19 Season

​

After a full season here this year, the club share their best eleven with me. I'd largely agree with where it stands at the moment with the only position potentially up for discussion being the right wing role, but only because I've rotated several players in that position!

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Elliott Bradbrook picks up the fan's player of the year for the 2nd year in a row, despite missing 4 months of the season with injury! He clearly has a huge relationship with the supporters and they love him as much as I do! He was run close by striker, Bradley Reid, though, who picked up signing and young player of the season!

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The media confirm that we met our targets in their season review. We performed very well in the cups this year!

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The board are happy with what I'm doing, despite the disappointment of missing out on promotion this year.

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Manager's Player of the Season
Tariq Issa

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Had he played the entire season, I'd have probably given this to Bradbrook! But Tariq Issa is one of the unsung heroes of this squad as he quietly goes about his business, and has contributed this year with 14 goals and 15 assists in all competitions. That's a pretty amazing return and without him, Bradley Reid probably wouldn't have scored half as many goals this year!




Looking over the whole squad's performance this season, the player's individual stats were a **** of a lot better than last year, with the average ratings of most of the players significantly higher. Three players, Bradley Reid, Elliott Bradbrook and Tariq Issa all managed double figures for goals! The assists were shared much wider amongst the team with everyone chipping in and doing their creative part! Bradley Reid and Tom Bonner both managed 50+ appearances this season, and it's interesting that I gave both my goalkeepers an equal number of games with both of them doing OK!

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Chippenham's Bradley Sachs had a ridiculous goalscoring record this year, with 37 goals in 38 games...even better than Bradley Reid! So he takes the top goalscorer and player of the season awards from the league!

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It;s Chippenham's manager who takes the manager of the year title as well!

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Manager Summary: Year Two


It's been a very up and down year for us! We started the campaign extremely well and were absolutely flying in the league with (I think) a 6 point lead at the top at one point and it looked like we could romp to a league title! However, a few things happened which could have all culminated in a mid season crisis....my absence from training to go on a coaching course, the loss of our inspirational captain Elliott Bradbrook for 4 months to injury and the fact that the club has been under transfer embargo amidst rumours of a takeover for 6 months meaning we couldn't strengthen the side in the 2nd half of the season! However, the league form picked up again towards the end and we finished strongly, it's just a shame we couldn't make it through the playoffs for what I think would have been a well earned promotion! As far as the cups went this season, we did ourselves proud and brought in some decent prize money for the club along the way! Hopefully, that's something we can replicate again next season!




Ernie Allan's Career To Date


Dartford; 13/01/18 - Present
Played 75: Won 40; Drawn 17; Lost 18; Win Ratio 53%


2018/19 Season;
National League South; Finished 4th (Playoffs); Lost in Playoff Semi Final
FA Trophy; Knocked out in 4th Round
FA Cup; Knocked out in 2nd Round


2017/18 Season;
National League South; Finished 7th (Playoffs); Lost in Playoff Final
FA Trophy; Knocked out before I arrived
FA Cup; Knocked out before I arrived


Tamworth; 16/06/17 - 23/12/17; Sacked
Played 24: Won 6; Drawn 4; Lost 14


2017/18 Season;
National League North; Was 18th when sacked after 21 games
FA Trophy; Knocked out in 1st Round by Weston-super-Mare
FA Cup; Knocked out in 2nd Qualifying Round by Welling



Manager's All Time Best Eleven


Ben Nunn and Lyle Della Verde work their way into my all time best eleven!


GK - Deren Ibrahim (Dartford) - 51 games
DR - Ben Nunn (Dartford) - 49 games
DC - Kyle Clinton (Dartford) - 68 games
DC - Tom Bonner (Dartford) - 71 games
DL - Callum Pritchatt (Dartford) - 60 games
MR - Lyle Della Verde (Dartford) - 54 games
MC - Jordan Simpson (Dartford) - 57 games
MC - Elliott Bradbrook (Dartford) - 55 games
ML - Tariq Issa (Dartford) - 67 games
ST - Danny Mills (Dartford) - 19 games
ST - Bradley Reid (Tamworth/Dartford) - 75 games



​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

UK Competition Winners

[FONT=&quot]2018/19

[/FONT]​

England

Premier League Top 4 (in order): Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool
Championship: West Ham (winners), Hull (promoted), Huddersfield (playoffs)
League One: Sunderland (winners), Wigan (promoted), Oxford Utd (playoffs)
League Two: Coventry (winners), Bristol Rovers/Gillingham (promoted), Doncaster (playoffs)
National League: Tranmere (winners), Aldershot (playoffs)
National League North: Salford (winners), Stockport (playoffs)
National League South: Dulwich Hamlet (winners), Chippenham (playoffs)
FA Cup: Liverpool (winners), Brighton (runners up)
Carabao Cup: Crystal Palace (winners), Man Utd (runners up)
Community Shield: Arsenal (winners), Chelsea (runners up)
Checkatrade Trophy: Rochdale (winners), Tottenham U23s (runners up)
FA Trophy: Salford (winners), Kidderminster (runners up)


Scotland

Premiership Top 4 (in order): Celtic, Rangers, St Johnstone, Aberdeen
Championship: Ayr (winners)
League 1: Airdrie (winners)
League 2: East Fife (winners), Montrose (playoffs)
Scottish Cup: Hearts (winners), Hibernian (runners up)
Betfred Cup: Celtic (winners), Rangers (runners up)
IRN-BRU Cup: St Pat's Athletic (winners), Dundee Utd (runners up)


Wales

Premier League: TNS (winners), Bangor City/Connah's Quay (European qualification)
Welsh Cup: Bangor City (winners), Bala (runners up)
Nathaniel MG Cup: Bangor City (winners), Flint Town (runners up)


Northern Ireland

Premiership: Crusaders (winners), Linfield/Glenavon/Glentoran (European qualification)
Championship: Portadown (winners)
Bluefin Sport PIL: Queens University (winners)
Northern Irish Cup: Glenavon (winners), Hanover (runners up)
Bet McLean League Cup: Crusaders (winners), Ards (runners up)
Northern Irish County Intrim Shield: Linfield (winners), Carrick (runners up)
Northern Irish Steel & Sons Cup: Larne Olympic (winners), Ballymoney Utd (runners up)
Northern Irish Intermediate Cup: Armagh (winners), Larne Olympic (runners up)
Northern Irish Mid Ulster Cup: Warrenpoint (winners), Banbridge (runners up)
NIFL Charity Shield: Ballymena Utd (winners), Coleraine (runners up)


Ireland

Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers (winners)
First Division: Galway Utd (winners)
Irish Senior Challenge Cup: Limerick FC (winners), Waterford (runners up)
Irish League Cup: Galway Utd (winners), Bray Wanderers (runners up)​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

June 2019

​

June 2019

​

Finally, the club takeover is completed and I officially have a new boss!

View attachment 37577

View attachment 37576




The new board immediately take action to keep hold of me by offering me a new contract with a £100 pay rise tipping me over the £500 per week mark for the first time in my career! I'm enjoying my time at Dartford and am glad to accept and agree to stay on for another year!

View attachment 37575




I make my first signing of the Summer as Femi Akinwande has agreed to join us from Concord! The 22 year old striker was coming to the end of his contract and we will pay £8,000 in compensation for him! He should provide stern competition up front for Bradley Reid as he has scored 49 goals in 77 games for Concord in our league over the past 2 seasons, so he certainly knows how to find the back of the net!

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I'm also delighted that my player of the season, Tariq Issa, will be staying here on loan from Colchester for his 3rd straight season!

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Jordan Simpson will also stay for another year!

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The next player that comes in to bolster the attacking options this season is Jack Compton from Bath! The winger can play down both sides and has been impressive in our division this year scoring 10 goals and getting 9 assists in 38 appearances!

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It's fixture day and we get to see who we start against next season! We definitely could have had a tougher 5 games and I see a good opportunity to get off to another good start!

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We have 5 pre season friendlies to play next month in preperation for the new season!

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​

 

[dporter8999]

Shame you didn't go up, but looking at the impressive signings you've made, might be better to have a stronger squad when you do go up!