Angels: 1

Dartford: 4

IF ONLY a game of football was a game of just 45 minutes.

That would have been the over-riding feeling among Tonbridge Angels fans leaving the Longmead Stadium on Saturday.

They had seen their team completely dominate the opening half against the league leaders, Dartford. Scott Kinch and Lee Minshull were outstanding in central midfield and should really have had more to show than Paul Booth's 19th-minute goal.

However, whatever Dartford manager Tony Burman said at the interval certainly had the desired effect, Johnson, Ryan Harris, Elliot Bradbrook's stunner and substitute Rob Haworth's header gave the scoreline a rather flattering impression, but Angels just couldn't live with the away side's second-half performance.

"We just never got together in the second half, unlike the first half when we were closing down, hunting in packs and getting in behind them," Warrilow said. "Saying that, we still had a couple of chances in the second half, but Dartford were more clinical than us.

"I am very disappointed as I didn't think we deserved to lose 4-1 and really we should have been at least two up at half-time.

"I knew I would get a bit of stick if it came down to subs, I put Anthony Storey and Jon Heath on there so I had a stronger bench, but I didn't want to risk them really. I didn't really have a lot of options to be honest.

"It was never going to be an easy task as they are a very good side, but we had our chances in the first half."

Warrilow named an unchanged team from the side that beat Cray Wanderers 3-2 on Tuesday evening and Angels began well, giving Dartford no time to play in midfield.

The league leaders, who came into this game on the back of two successive defeats, looked rattled and resorted to playing long, aimless balls, which was meat and drink to Sonny Miles and Marc Cumberbatch. Sam Long, continuing where he left off against Cray, gave Adam Gross plenty of problems down the right as Angels flew out of the traps.

Booth had a shot that flew wide and then he saw his header cleared off the line from a Kirk Watts corner. Five minutes later, Liam Harwood's raking pass down the left caught Dartford's defence napping and Booth, seeing Andrew Young off his line, tried to lob the keeper. Sadly, his effort didn't go near the goal and the chance was squandered.

He made up for the miss by opening the scoring with a fine finish in the 19th minute.

Long picked out Jamie Cade inside the penalty area with a lovely pass and the dimininutive forward teed up his strike partner on the edge of the area. Without thinking, Booth struck a low shot which went in via a post.

Minshull saw his shot blocked by some last-ditch defending from the Dartford defence, as Angels continued to dominate and they deservedly went in ahead at the break.

If any neutral had watched the first half of the match then, they would have come to the conclusion that Angels were the team seven points clear at the top of the league, not Dartford.

However, in the second period Dartford upped their performance levels and Angels had no answer.

Six minutes into the second half and Dartford drew level. Ryan Hayes found Danny Harris inside the area and he teed up Johnson, who placed his shot across Lee Worgan into the far corner.

Angels did have two decent chances before Dartford took the lead. Booth shot straight at Young and Cade's left-footed shot, after his strike partner had flicked it into his path, went inches wide of the near post.

How they were to rue those missed opportunities in the 72nd minute.

A long ball down the middle was flicked on by Lee Burns and, somewhat fortuitously, it deflected into Harris' path, who finished well. Dartford got two goals in the last 10 minutes to seal the win. Elliot Bradbrook, who had already struck a post, seized on Cumberbatch's clearance on the edge of the penalty are and unleashed a screamer that flew into the top corner.

Four minutes later, Dartford completed the scoring when substitute Rob Haworth headed home Adam Gross' cross from the left.