Dartford F.C.
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Dartford Football Club is a semi-professional
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club participates in the
National League South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1888 by members of the
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
Working Men's Club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...
. After winning the
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
Division One North in the 2007–08 season and the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2009–10 season, Dartford were promoted to the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
in 2012, in which they spent three seasons. The club's best performances in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
came in 1936 and 1937, when they reached the third round of the competition; they have also reached the final of the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
once, in 1974. In terms of prestige of trophies won, Dartford are the most successful club that currently compete in the National League South, as of the
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season. Home matches are played at the club's
environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...
stadium, Princes Park, opened in November 2006.


History


Early history

Dartford Football Club was formed in 1888 by members of the Dartford Working Men's Club, initially playing only
friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
. The club soon was entering cup competitions, reaching the final of the Kent Senior Cup in 1894. Following this, Dartford were founder members of the Kent League for the 1894–95 season, and entered the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time the season after. Two seasons later, Dartford became founder members of the Southern League Division Two, winning the Championship at the first attempt. The club moved between the Southern and Kent Leagues several times over the following seasons, dropping to the West Kent League in the 1900s, following financial difficulties. Around the same time the club found its first permanent home ground, Summers Meadow in Lowfield Street, obtained on a long lease. In 1908–09 Dartford won the West Kent League and Cup 'double' and rejoined the Kent League where they remained until the outbreak of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In 1913 Dartford undertook a short tour of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
culminating in a 6–1 win over a Norway XI.


Post-1918

Darts continued their association with the Kent League, winning the league cup in 1923–24, before switching to the Southern League in time for the 1926–27 season. At the start of the 1930s the Dartford Board appointed the successful
Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
manager, Bill Collier, as manager. The Scot continued his pattern of success with Dartford and won trophies by the shoal during the decade leading up to the 1939–45 war. Dartford won the Southern League Eastern section title in 1930–31 and 1931–32 (missing a hat-trick by just one point the season after) and the overall Championship of the League was won with victories over the Western Section winners Exeter City Reserves 7–2 away and Yeovil & Petters United 2–1 at home respectively. In county football Dartford won the Kent Senior Cup four times in five seasons and the Kent Senior Shield three times. In addition Dartford gained a reputation nationally by becoming the first club outside the Football League to reach the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
Third Round Proper in successive seasons. In 1935–36 Dartford lost to a star-studded Derby County (then second in Division One) by 3–2 at the
Baseball Ground The Baseball Ground (sometimes referred to as the BBG) was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 19 ...
having at one time led by 2–0. Leading player
Fred Dell Fred Dell (10 December 1915 – 1970) was an English footballer who played as an inside right for Dartford and in The Football League for West Ham United and Doncaster Rovers. Club career Born in Dartford, Kent, Dell joined his hometown club ...
was transferred to West Ham United for a reported £2,000 immediately after the game. The following season saw Dartford lose 0–1 at home to
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
at the same stage. Towards the end of the decade Mr Collier, who had brought a distinctive Scottish flavour to Dartford, resigned to take over a business in Scotland and the period was seen out in a comparatively quiet vein.


Post-1945

For a decade and a half following the 1939–1945 war, Dartford had little to show for its efforts except for a sparkling win over
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
in Kent Senior Cup in 1947. At the time, Bromley vied with
Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...
as the premier amateur club in the land and the Lillywhites look a 2–0 lead in the final before Dartford struck back with three goals to lift the trophy. Included in the Dartford line-up that day was
Ted Croker Edgar Alfred Croker (13 February 1924 – 25 December 1992) was an English football player and administrator. He was Secretary of the Football Association from 1973 to 1989. Life and career Born in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1924, Croker joined th ...
, later to become the Secretary of the Football Association. Soon after this win Dartford transferred Riley Cullum and Fred Alexander to
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
for £6,000, which wiped out the club's debts entirely. Dartford's first post-war manager had been
Warney Cresswell Warneford Cresswell (5 November 1897 – 20 October 1973) was an English international footballer who was described as "The Prince of Full Backs" for his renowned tackling and positional skills in the right-back position. In a seventeen-year ca ...
(ex- Everton and
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
) but poor results led to him being rapidly replaced by Bill Moss who gradually put some stability into the club's playing performances. In the late 1950s the Southern League was totally reorganised and Dartford spent most of the ensuing twenty seasons in the Premier Division. The key managers of the era were George Green, Alf Ackerman and Ernie Morgan, each of whom bring extensive Football League experience to the club resulting in a reasonable level of respectability to the playing side affairs.


1970s

In the early 1970s Dartford appeared in four successive Kent Senior Cup finals, winning the first and the last. Around this time, the club acquired the services of ex-
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and England winger Doug Holden as manager. Doug laid down the foundations of the team, which won the Southern League Championship in 1973–74, though they failed to gain election to the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. This is their most recent serious attempt to gain Football League status. Holden left before the start of that season and was replaced by Ernie Morgan who grafted three or four quality players on to Holden's squad and steered the Darts to the Southern League title and a place in the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
final at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
. For the next few seasons Dartford drifted along and just failed to clinch a spot in the newly formed Alliance Premier League (now the Football Conference). Even though the period was barren by Dartford's standards, the club did win the Southern League Cup for the first time in 1976–77.


1980s

Then came the 1980s, a period dominated by two managers with contrasting styles: John Still and Peter Taylor. By winning the Southern Division of the Southern League in 1980–81 Dartford had gained a short-lived place in the Alliance Premier League. Relegated after just one season but having tasted life at the top of the semi-professional game Dartford wanted more. John Still who had led Leytonstone/Ilford to a clean sweep of trophies, was the man for the job, in 1983–84 he steered Dartford to a fourth Southern League Championship and a resultant return to the Alliance Premier League. This time Darts stayed two seasons finishing third in 1984–85. Another periodic crisis was looming, and with Still departing in February 1986, Dartford were relegated once again. In summer 1986 former Tottenham and England winger Peter Taylor took charge of the club. In the four seasons of his reign Dartford were never out of the top four in the Southern League Premier Division, won the Southern Cup twice (and were denied a unique hat-trick by VS Rugby in the 1989–90 final), the Southern League Championship Trophy twice, the Kent Senior Cup twice and reached the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
semi-finals twice. In each of his four seasons at Dartford the team scored over one hundred goals – a feat unmatched before or since. In addition Taylor saw average attendances rise from around 450 to almost 1,000.


1990s

In the wake of the
Bradford City stadium fire The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. The stadium was k ...
and the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...
, Dartford, like so many clubs, needed to either relocate or upgrade their current facilities with the Board going for the latter option. Large sums of money were spent on planning and design fees, which burdened a manageable financial deficit with crippling interest charges. At the same time
Maidstone United Maidstone United Football Club is a professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league system. The current club filled the void left by the ol ...
, who had sold their own ground, needed a suitable home to launch the ill-fated foray into the Football League and the Dartford board agreed to let Maidstone ground-share at
Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main R ...
, the rent income providing a welcome boost for finances. The ground share began at the start of the 1988–89 season, at the end of which Maidstone reached the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
as Football Conference champions. However, Maidstone United went bankrupt and had to resign from the league in August 1992, most of their cash being taken up to gain the eagerly sought Football League place. Ground improvements, which
Maidstone United Maidstone United Football Club is a professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league system. The current club filled the void left by the ol ...
had paid for, were sold to Dartford at a cost (around £500,000), which pushed Darts' debts beyond manageable proportions. Watling Street was sold to pay off creditors and Dartford withdrew from the Southern League four games into the 1992–93 season. The club's Supporters' Association, around 400 strong, came to the rescue. A private limited liability company was incorporated in November 1992 to manage affairs which meant, primarily, keeping the Youth team operating, an action which was rewarded when the Youth team beat Maidstone Invicta (the club rising out of the ashes of the old United Club) in the final of the John Ullman cup by 2–0 at Gravesend & Northfleet before a gate of 562. The contributing existence of the Youth team enabled Dartford to maintain both its Senior status and Full Membership of the Football Association. In February 1993 former player Tony Burman was appointed Manager and with the club being offered a ground-share arrangement by
Cray Wanderers Cray Wanderers Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Sidcup, London. Based on later reports, the club has a claim to have been established some time in 1860 in the twin villages of St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cr ...
Dartford were able to make a successful application for membership of the Kent League. Spurred on by an average attendance of well over 300 Dartford finished that first season in sixth position.


Home from Home: Erith

With a view to the future, Dartford negotiated a ground-share with Erith and Belvedere and played home games at the Park View ground from the 1994–95 season. The club finished mid-table, but did reach the final of the Kent League Cup. The following season saw Dartford involved in a season-long battle with Furness for the Division One title. Dartford lost only one league game all season. It came at the last fixture of the season – away to Furness – to decide which of the two teams would win promotion. The home side held on to a 1–1 draw to deny Dartford the title on goal difference. Dartford were winners of the Kent Senior Trophy, having beaten Chatham Town 3–0 at
Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...
's ground, whilst the newly formed reserves team carried off a (South London Federation) League and Cup 'double' under the guidance of former Dart Gary Julians. In May 1996, Dartford gained promotion to the Southern League, exactly one hundred years after the club first entered that competition. Manager
Tony Burman Tony Burman (born 13 June 1948) is a Canadian broadcaster, journalist and university official. Starting in the 1960s, Burman has worked as a journalist, in print, radio, television, and online. For most of this time (35 years), he was at the Can ...
was forced to resign in December due to business commitments but the club quickly promoted reserve team manager Gary Julians to the role.


Home from Home: Thurrock

In September 1997 a disastrous fire at Erith & Belvedere's Park View ground put the club's future and standing with the Southern League into serious doubt. A new ground sharing arrangement was made with Purfleet in time for the 1998–99 season. The season saw the Youth team, under the guidance of Grant Spelling and Simon Halsey, win the Northern Section title after a play-off penalty shoot-out with
Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...
and reach the finals of the Kent Youth League Cup and Kent County Cup. The 1999–2000 season saw the Darts reach the semi-final of the Kent Senior Cup and the reserves reach the same stage of the Kent Intermediate cup. The club remained in the Southern League for the following three seasons, with the best performance in 1999–2000 when the club finished eighth.


2000s


Home from Home: Gravesend

The club moved closer to the borough with a new arrangement to play home matches at Gravesend & Northfleet's (now
Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1946 from ...
)
Stonebridge Road Stonebridge Road is a multi-purpose stadium in Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent, England, also known as Kuflink Stadium for sponsorship reasons. It is primarily used for football matches. Stonebridge Road was constructed in 1905, and was initial ...
ground from the 2000–2001 season. In November 2001, the club parted company with Manager Gary Julians and Coach Micky Crower. Former manager and player Tony Burman returned to the club as caretaker manager to be assisted by former captain and player Paul Sawyer. With Dartford languishing in the relegation zone, Tommy Sampson, who had played over 200 games for Dartford during the five-year period 1975–80, was appointed as the new manager the following month. He was assisted by Martin Farnie and Paul Sawyer. In early 2002 long time Dartford favourite Steve Robinson returned to the club as reserve team player manager. Many changes were to follow on the playing front and by the end of the season Dartford had finished in a very creditable eighth position and in doing so were the highest-placed Kent club in the Dr Martens Eastern Division. The reserves too had a very good season, winning the Northern section of Kent League Division One. In a play-off for the overall winners of Division One, the Darts missed out on the title by losing after extra time to
Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
Reserves. The ground-sharing agreement at Gravesend & Northfleet, coupled with an upturn in performances on the field, saw a significant increase in attendances to help the financial position of the club. Season 2002–03 saw a further expansion of the playing side with the addition of an Under-16 side in the Kent Youth League, thus making the progression of players from Under-16 level to the senior squad possible. The decision paid off as the team achieved a league and cup double. The Under-18 team were runners-up in the Central Division.


Return to Dartford

Season 2003–04 saw the first team finish in 16th position in the Eastern Division but the news that everybody had been waiting for came on 10 April 2004 when Dartford Borough Council announced it would provide funding and a site for the building of a stadium in Dartford in time for the 2006–07 season. Construction work began on 14 November 2005. The 2004–05 season saw the restructuring of non-league football. Dartford remained in the Southern League in a division made up of largely teams from the
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
. The season as a whole was disappointing with the Darts on the edge of the relegation zone for much of the season. Manager Tommy Sampson left the club towards the end of January and director and former player and manager Tony Burman took over on a caretaker basis. An early upsurge in results pulled the Darts away from the relegation zone to retain their Southern League status. Meanwhile, the Reserves under the managership of Bob Pittaway improved on the previous season's poor performances. An influx of players previously under Bob's guidance at
Tonbridge Angels Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The club was founded as Tonbridge Football Club in 1947 and became known as "The Angels" in 1949 when they started playing at the Angel Ground. S ...
and several youth team players from the previous season's Under-18s helped the team achieve a creditable mid-table position. Dartford finished the 2005–06 season in seventh place. Following the second stage of restructuring the non-league football system, the club moved into the
Isthmian League Division One South The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 teams ...
. Dartford played their first game at new stadium Princes Park on 11 November 2006, less than 12 months after building work began. They beat Horsham YMCA 4–2 in front of an all ticket capacity crowd of 4,097. On 20 July 2007 Dartford hosted Crystal Palace in a friendly match at Princes Park as part of Dave Martin's transfer to the Eagles. The game ended in Crystal Palace winning 3–0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,097, exactly the same attendance as the first game played at Princes Park. After a strong season, including an undefeated run of twenty-one matches, they finished as champions, securing automatic promotion to the
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
Premier Division. Dartford finished their first season back in the Isthmian Premier (2008–09) in 8th position thanks to a 90th-minute strike by Richard O'Reilly . The following season the "Darts" won the title on 10 April 2010 when they beat
Kingstonian Kingstonian Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London which currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was founded in 1885 by YMC ...
, who were at that point the team in second place, 6–2 away. They won the title with six games to spare & began the 2010–11 season in the
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
. In the 2010–11 season, Dartford finished tenth in the league after a turbulent Christmas which saw them in the relegation zone. They won the Kent Senior Cup for the tenth time against
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
at Princes Park after a coin-toss decided the venue of the final. It ended 4–1, with Bradbrook, Hayes, Harris and an own goal giving them victory. The 2011–12 season saw Darts hovering around the top 5 up until Christmas, being 14 points behind leaders Woking. Starting with the new year victory over Welling, The Darts amassed 49 points from 21 games (15 wins, 4 draws, 2 defeats) at one stage closing the gap on Woking to only 5 points, eventually finishing on 88 points, 9 short of the Champions. They then played Basingstoke Town over two legs in the Play Off semi final, winning both games, 1–0 and 2–1. On Sunday 13 May 2012, Dartford beat
Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...
1–0 at Princes Park in the
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
league play-off in front of a sell out crowd of 4,088, and returned to the
Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
for 2012/13. The 2012/13 season saw Dartford surprise many of the top full-time clubs, recording wins against Champions to be
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
,
Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
,
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, Newport County, Grimsby Town,
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
, and a memorable double over Luton Town. Despite this, the Darts failed to perform well against the bottom half sides, losing to 10 of the 16 teams that finished below them, therefore finishing 8th in their return to the Conference Premier. Dartford had a poor 2013–14 season and finished 22nd, relegating them to the
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
after two years. However,
Salisbury City Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
were demoted to the Conference South on 13 June 2014 after missing a deadline for paying their debts. With
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
having already been expelled from the Football Conference for the same reason, Dartford therefore became the second team (alongside Chester) to be reprieved from relegation. But after a season drifting in and out of the bottom four, Dartford got relegated to the renamed National League South. In the 2017/18 season, Dartford narrowly missed out on automatic promotion via goal difference to
Havant & Waterlooville Havant & Waterlooville Football Club is a professional football club based in Havant, Hampshire, England. The club participates in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, after relegation from the National League in the 20 ...
. They played
Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team o ...
in the Playoff Semi-Final and lost 1–0. It was announced after the playoff that Tony Burman and his management team would step down from their managerial positions. A few days later ex-players Adam Flanagan and Jamie Coyle were confirmed as the new Dartford joint-managers. The 2019/20 season saw managers Adam Flanagan and Jamie Coyle removed from their position. On 10 October Steve King was announced as the new manager of the club on a three-year deal. Having taken the job with the team in the bottom four, King went on to guide Dartford to the play-off final, which saw Dartford lose on penalties to Weymouth.


Players


Current squad


Out on Loan


Club officials


Dartford FC (1992) Limited

Co-chairmen: Dave Skinner & Steve Irving
President: Bill Archer
Directors: Bob Blair; Mark Brenlund;
Tony Burman Tony Burman (born 13 June 1948) is a Canadian broadcaster, journalist and university official. Starting in the 1960s, Burman has worked as a journalist, in print, radio, television, and online. For most of this time (35 years), he was at the Can ...
; Harry Extance; Norman Grimes; Jeremy Kite;
Company Secretary: David Boswell
Football Secretary: Peter Martin
Operations Manager: Jack Smedley
Front of House: Hayley Thomas
Safety Officers: Dave Skinner
Programme Editor: David Shafford


Dartford Football Club Supporters Association

Chairman: Michael How
Vice-chairman: Scott McKinnon
Treasurer: Geoff Ashburn
Secretary: Gary Clark


Football Management

Manager:
Alan Dowson Alan Dowson (born 17 June 1970) is an English football manager and former professional player who manages Dartford. He made 55 appearances in the Football League between 1988 and 1993, before spending 13 years as a player in non-league football ...

Assistant Manager: Christian Jolley
First Team Coach:
Martin Tyler Martin Tyler (born 14 September 1945) is an English football commentator. He has worked as a commentator for Sky Sports since 1990, covering the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, as well as other domestic and international competitions. T ...

Goalkeeping Coach:
Jim Stannard James David Stannard (born 6 October 1962) is an English retired football goalkeeper. Whilst playing for Gillingham he set a record for the lowest number of goals conceded in a 46-match season in the Football League, when he let in just 20 go ...

Kit Man: Terry Groom


Seasons


Honours

Dartford, historically, are the most successful club that currently play in the
National League South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
followed by rivals
Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1946 from ...
and Bath City.


League

* Southern League Division Two **Winners (1): 1896–97 * Southern League (Tier 4) **Winners (2): 1929–30, 1930–33 * Southern League Eastern **Winners (2): 1930–31, 1931–32 *
Southern League Premier Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
**Winners (1): 1973–74 *
Southern League Premier Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
(Tier 6) **Winners (1): 1983–84 *
Conference South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
(Tier 6) **Play-off winners (1): 2011–12 * Isthmian League Premier (Tier 7) **Winners (1): 2009–10 * Southern League Division 1 (Tier 7) **Winners: 1980–81 *
Isthmian League Division One North The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 teams ...
(Tier 8) **Winners (1): 2007–08


Cups

* Southern League Cup **Winners (3): 1976–77, 1987–88, 1988–89 * Southern League Championship Match **Winners (3): 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89 * Kent Senior Cup **Winners (13): 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1946–47, 1967–70, 1972–73, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2021–22 * Kent Senior Trophy **Winners (1): 1995–96 * Kent League Cup **Winners (1): 1924–25 * Inter-League Challenge Match **Winners (1): 1973–74 (beat
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
( NPL) 5–3 on aggregate) *
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
**Runners Up: 1973–74


Club records

*Highest league position: **First in Southern league ( Tier 4) 1929–30, 1930–33 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
best performance: **Third round: 1935–36, 1936–37 *
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
best performance: **Runner-up: 1973–74 *
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
best performance: **First round: 1994–95


Former players


References


External links

*
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{{Authority control Football clubs in Kent National League (English football) clubs Association football clubs established in 1888 Dartford Southern Football League clubs Isthmian League 1888 establishments in England Football clubs in England