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Dartford 0 Uxbridge 1 match report

Dartford suffered FA Cup humiliation at Princes Park on Saturday.

They were beaten by an Uxbridge side 44 places below them in the non-league pyramid and finished the afternoon with 10 men after defender Tom Gardiner was sent off.

It's the first time Dartford have lost in the second qualifying round since 2008.

Andy Pugh is tackled during Dartford's FA Cup defeat against Uxbridge Picture: Andy Payton
Andy Pugh is tackled during Dartford's FA Cup defeat against Uxbridge Picture: Andy Payton

Tom Wynter made his debut at left-back, having signed for Dartford in the week after leaving Dover. He lined up behind winger Jack Simmons, fit again after missing four games with an ankle injury, while Ebou Adams and George Sykes also came into the Darts XI.

Lee Noble was absent for personal reasons and a knee injury ruled out Luton loanee Mark Onyemah, with Tom Bradbrook and Kaka Dembele dropping to a bench which also included academy players Ben Francis and Dajon Golding.

Uxbridge, who arrived 11th in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 Central, made just one change from their previous game - a 2-0 reverse at Ware. Jon-Jo Bates came in for Zak Joseph, who wasn't involved.

The home side made a positive start, Elliot Bradbrook glancing a header wide from Ryan Hayes' cross before Pugh collected a pass from Simmons and cut inside, curling a shot wide of the far post.

Andy Pugh was then fouled on the edge of the box but the ball ran for Adams, whose low shot tested Paul McCarthy in the Uxbridge goal.

However, the visitors took a shock lead on 15 minutes.

Some pretty ordinary Dartford defending allowed the ball to run free in the 18-yard box and Bates pounced to crash the ball beyond Deren Ibrahim.

Darts looked a mess at the back and only a point-blank save from Ibrahim kept the score at 1-0 when Uxbridge captain Wayne Carter got on the end of a Dave Thomas free-kick.

The mood around Princes Park was summed up when groans greeted a heavy Simmons touch which carried the ball behind for a goal kick when the winger looked to be clean through down the left.

Hayes played a smart ball over the top moments later and Pugh had time to consider his options but he took one touch too many, allowing the Reds to clear their lines.

Dartford kept pushing forward. Adams saw a shot deflect just wide and a curling effort from Hayes was creeping inside the far post until Mark Dennison got his head in the way.

Pugh then headed wide from a Hayes cross and Sykes also failed to hit the target when Adams produced a decent delivery from wide on the right.

Another shot from Adams deflected narrowly behind for a corner and the Darts then looked certain to equalise when Sykes set up Pugh, just a few yards out. He squeezed his low shot past McCarthy but defender Mitchell Wiseman got back to rescue Uxbridge with a last-ditch block.

But the visitors almost doubled their lead with the last action of the first half, Kevin Warner drawing a good diving save from Ibrahim when he let fly from distance.

Ryan Hayes cuts inside from the right wing Picture: Andy Payton
Ryan Hayes cuts inside from the right wing Picture: Andy Payton

There were chances at both ends at the start of the second half.

Bradbrook capitalised on hesitancy in the Uxbridge midfield by bursting past three players and pulling the ball back from the byline. Sykes had a clear shooting chance but blazed the ball over.

At the other end, Lewis Cole's cross almost dropped for Carter but a crucial touch from Callum McNaughton took the ball off the Uxbridge skipper's head.

Bradbrook volleyed against the bar from a Hayes corner and Sykes shot over again when Pugh chested the ball into his path.

Tony Burman sent on Kaka Dembele and Tom Bradbrook just before the hour mark and Dembele almost made an instant impact.

He met a right-wing cross with a header back across McCarthy, who did superbly to change direction and get fingertips to the ball, which just wouldn't fall for a Dartford player in the six-yard box.

A minute later, Dartford's afternoon took a turn for the worse when Gardiner picked up a second yellow card for fouling Matt Woods as he bore down on the penalty area.

It took them a while to regroup and when they did, more Uxbridge heroics kept them out. Dembele had a shot saved by McCarthy and Tom Bradbrook turned the rebound goalwards, only to see his shot hacked off the line.

Dartford kept huffing and puffing but when Hayes' corner dropped in the six-yard box, no-one in white could force the ball over the line and McCarthy dropped to save.

Danny Harris headed over from a yard out in stoppage-time and that summed it up.

Dartford: Ibrahim, Burns, Wynter, Gardiner, McNaughton, Adams, Hayes, E Bradbrook, Sykes (T Bradbrook 58mins), Pugh (Harris 76mins), Simmons (Dembele 58mins). Subs not used: Vint, Francis, Turner, Golding.

Uxbridge: McCarthy, Wiseman, Scott, Bailey, Dennison, Warner (Phillips 78mins), Cole (McCalmon 70mins), Bates, Woods, Carter (Julienne 59mins), Thomas. Subs not used: Howes, Peden.

Attendance: 503.

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