Chatham Town Women host local rivals Dartford tonight after their weekend game against Cambridge United was abandoned following a serious injury.

An air ambulance landed on the pitch to deal with an injury to home player Brooke Cheal-Ferris, with less than half an hour played of Sunday’s game. She’d suffered a triple leg break and an ankle dislocation.

Chatham were trailing 2-0 at the time but manager Keith Boanas said they would have been happy to play on, confident his team could have turned the game around with an hour left.

They now have to wait for the FA to go through the formalities of rescheduling the game - it’s expected to be replayed. Both teams were happy to meet again this Sunday, as neither has a fixture, but the association insist they need to meet up to make it formal and their next meeting isn’t in the diary for another few weeks.

Looking back at the weekend game, Boanas said: “It would have been easy for me to say I want the game called off because we're 2-0 down. That never entered my head.

“We felt we could get back into it. We knew we'd made errors, but we probably had two clear-cut chances leading up to when they got their pen, where we should have been in front.

“The referee made the decision to call it off. I didn't have to do that.

“Some of our girls were upset, some of theirs were. Their manager said they were fine and wanted to play, of course they did, they were 2-0 up.

“Lottie (Sharp) had seen the injury and was upset but we would have played it if the time allowed, no question of us trying to duck out of it. With 60 minutes left there was plenty of time for us to get back into it.”

Sunday’s league game was played at St Neots Town’s Premier Plus Stadium and Chats started well, with Amelia Woodgate’s early chance cleared off the line and Amy Russ hitting the crossbar.

Cambridge managed to take the lead on 25 minutes from the penalty spot and scored a second almost straight away, despite big calls for offside. It was from Chatham’s restart that the home player got injured.

“The ankle was completely the other way around,” explained the Chats boss.

“The ambulance service asked for a picture before they agreed to send an ambulance and once they saw the picture they sent the air ambulance.

“It was over 45-60 minutes before the ambulance landed and that was that.

“We know where we went wrong. Whenever we play them next, it will be a different situation.”

When they do play next, however, is yet to be determined. It’s almost certain to be replayed but the wait for confirmation is frustrating.

Boanas said: “We could have played it this Sunday, but the FA are not holding a relevant meeting of the right committee, or whatever it is, for three weeks.

“There's no question it's going to have to be replayed. They could have made the decision quicker but an official meeting, not for three weeks. They don't see it as a matter of urgency. Who knows what will happen and when it will happen.”

Chatham are now focused on a game against Dartford - familiar cup rivals in recent seasons. They meet tonight (Wednesday) at the Bauvill Stadium in the Isthmian League Cup with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Dartford are promotion chasers in the London & South East Premier Division, with six wins from their opening seven league games. Like Chatham, they’re also into round two of the Women’s FA Cup.

Games are scheduled for later this month where Chatham Town face a long trip to take on Exeter City while Dartford will host Keynsham Town.

Chats beat Dartford in the Isthmian League Cup last season and also in the final of the Kent Cup but Boanas knows his team always face a tough match against the lower-league opponents.

“It's always very tight,” he said. “They’re local rivalry, there’s bragging rights and it'll be a battle. It always is.”

Chatham’s next game after this will be at home to promotion rivals Norwich City at the Bauvill Stadium on Sunday, November 16.

Chats won their last league game 6-0, a week ago, when they played Dulwich Hamlet at the Bauvill. Goals that night came from Ellie Perkins, Ellie Jeffkins (2), Lottie Sharp, Karesha Iton and an own-goal.