Invicta head to Princes Park on Saturday to take on playoff-chasing Dartford.

Jay Saunders’ side saw their nine-point lead cut to eight on Tuesday evening when Brentwood Town drew 2-2 with Cheshunt.

Dartford have made Princes Park a fortress so far this season, currently boasting the strongest home record in the division. Their only home defeat so far came courtesy of a 94th minute strike from Wingate & Finchley. Invicta are hot on their tails, having played three games fewer at the Alcaline Stadium and also hold the strongest away record with 26 points from 11 games on the road so far.

Both sides are unbeaten in four Kent derby fixtures so far this season. Dartford were also unbeaten in Kent derbies during the 2024/25 regular season, their last defeat coming against Maidstone United in March 2024.

Only six players have hit double figures in the Isthmian Premier Division so far this season and four of them could be on show on Saturday. Dartford’s Olly Box’s tally of 11 sees him second in the race for the golden boot behind Brentwood’s Daniel Ogunleye. Joe Pigott, Jake Hutchinson and Dartford’s Eddie Dsane are all in the chasing pack on 10 goals along with Aveley’s Suley Zuhdu.

Supporters’ Coach

There will be no supporters’ coach running for this fixture.

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Kit

Invicta will wear our sky blue away colours at Dartford, with our hosts in white and black.

From The Manager

Jay Saunders spoke ahead of Saturday’s trip: “We head to Dartford on good form but every game is different and this is a Kent derby so you’d expect form to go out the window. It was Invicta’s last game before I took over last season, a 2-2 draw and you had tackles flying in and great support for both sides. It’s one we’re really looking forward to. I’ve got a lot of time for Ade [Pennock] and Edgy [Roland Edge], I’ve known them a long time and look forward to seeing them.

“It’ll be a really tough game. We’ve prepared this week – going Saturday to Saturday is perfect as it gives us a chance to prepare and check everyone is right. Are we confident? Of course we go into every game confident – you do when you’re winning games but football can change very quickly so we can’t afford to get ahead of ourselves. We go to Dartford, we look to win the game and then we move onto the next one.”

The Opposition

Starting the season with just one win in seven, Dartford struggled to get going following last season’s playoff final defeat. A run of 11 games unbeaten lifted The Darts to 4th at the start of November, putting them firmly back amongst the playoff-chasing pack.

Recent Form

11/11 – Billericay Town (A) – Lost 3-1
15/11 – Chichester City (H) – Won 2-1
22/11 – Cray Valley PM (A) – Drew 1-1
25/11 – Whitehawk (A) – Won 2-1
29/11 – Dulwich Hamlet (H) – Won 1-0
06/12 – Lewes (A) – Lost 1-0

Recent Meetings

Dartford took four points from the meetings between the sides last season – with a 1-0 win at the Alcaline Stadium just before Christmas and a 2-2 draw in the return fixture in April. Invicta led 2-0 at Princes Park through an Amadou Kassaraté double but were pegged back in the second half.

Invicta will be looking for a first win over The Darts in more than 20 years – Jimmy Dryden the only scorer in a Kent Senior Cup Quarter Final tie in January 2005. Dryden was also the only scorer the last time Invicta beat Dartford in a league fixture, a 1-0 win in March 2004.

Last 6

12/09/06 – Dartford 2-2 Invicta (5-3 on pens) (Westview Cup)
07/11/11 – Invicta 1-4 Dartford (Kent Senior Cup)
25/02/20 – Dartford 4-0 Invicta (Kent Senior Cup)
17/05/22 – Invicta 2-6 Dartford (Kent Senior Cup Final)
21/12/24 – Invicta 0-1 Dartford
05/04/25 – Dartford 2-2 Invicta

The Manager

Former Gillingham manager Adrian Pennock was appointed Dartford manager in March 2024 as the club looked to survive relegation from the National League South. Pennock boasts experience across non-league football with Welling United, Forest Green Rovers and Barrow as well as a spell in Brunei with Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota where he led them to the 2019 Singapore Premier League title.

One To Watch

Olly Box is the Isthmian Premier Division’s second highest scorer this term with 11 goals, having netted 14 times last campaign to fire Dartford to the playoffs. A product of Dartford’s academy, Box has also spent time on loan at Margate and the 20-year-old won Dartford’s Young Player of the Season award in 2024/25.

Familiar Faces

There are plenty of faces set to take on their former clubs on Saturday. Dartford assistant manager Roland Edge made 178 appearances for Invicta over two spells before joining Neil Cugley’s coaching staff and eventually succeeding him as joint-manager. Current Dartford no.1 Jonny Henly donned the gloves for Invicta last season, while Dan Smith was Invicta’s top scorer and defender Sam Smith (no relation) had a brief spell on loan from Maidstone United, making five appearances.

For Invicta, Ade Yusuff had a loan spell with The Darts last season before leaving Hornchurch permanently for Cheriton Road while Jack Jebb made 63 appearances during his time at Princes Park between 2020 and 2022. Adam Lovatt also had a brief loan spell in 2022.

The Venue

Directions can be found here.

Travel

Always check rail times/strike action before you travel. 

Dartford Station is approximately a 25-minute walk from Princes Park, or an 11-minute journey using the B Fastback bus service that will take you direct from the station to the stadium.

Admission

Supporters can buy tickets online for this fixture. Click here.

• Adult – £15
• Concession – £10
• Youth (13-16) – £5
• Junior (under 12) – FREE