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Dartford’s Jordan Wynter says he thrives off keeping goals out.
The midfielder made a telling block in stoppage time to deny Bath an undeserved equaliser in National League South on Saturday.
Former Maidstone and Woking man Wynter admitted those moments can help the team just as much as creating goals at the other end.
“I thrive off those sorts of opportunities, to put in a last-ditch tackle or cover the back four,” said Wynter.
“As I don’t get to go forward that much, I would say that is my sort of game. The aim is always to show as much determination and desire whenever it is during the 90 minutes.
“Their player had a free shot so I wanted to throw my body in the way and luckily, I ended up blocking the shot.
“It gives the whole team a little boost of morale. If one of the players put in a good tackle or block it gives everyone else a bit of momentum or adrenaline to finish off the game.
“If anyone else was in that position then they would have done exactly the same. You need to get the three points and put yourself on the line to get a clean sheet.”
With the current climate around awarding penalties uncertain, Wynter admitted that you’ve got to make sure you block the ball correctly.
“Of course, it goes through your mind,” he added. “I try to watch as much football as I can and we’ve all seen the penalty decisions in the Premier League.
“We’re all aware of if it hits your hand then it’s a big possibility of giving away a penalty. You have to be mindful of that when you’re in the box and be smart about how you try to block it.”
Wynter’s block ensured Dartford won a game that they could have wrapped up in the first half.
As it was, they were left holding on at the death to some extent as Bath pushed bodies forward in the last five minutes.
“It was an interesting game because in the first half we dominated possession and going forward but didn’t end up finishing off our chances,” said Wynter.
“One of the officials got injured and that delayed the second half and it killed the momentum for the second half a bit. But we had to stay professional and keep our heads on the game to finish off the job.
“There was word that they didn’t want to continue but we always felt it was going to get sorted out so we were mentally prepared that there was going to be another half of football.
“We were confident but we had to stay switched on and finish off the job professionally.”
