Dover Athletic 1 Dartford 3: Reaction from Darts boss Alan Dowson to National League South derby victory

Manager Alan Dowson declared he was delighted with Dartford’s first-half display after their derby victory at Dover on Tuesday night.

First-half strikes from Samir Carruthers, Luke Coulson and Maxwell Statham put the Darts in command.

Despite a strike from Dover’s Luke Baptiste in first-half stoppage-time, Dartford held on relatively comfortably after the restart to claim the points from the National League South clash which finished 3-1.

Dowson said: “I thought, first half, we were excellent. If we had gone in at 3-0, I think we’d have gone on a bit to be honest, but I was comfortable-ish.

“Hess [Whites boss Andy Hessenthaler] is, obviously, a very experienced manager and a good manager so I’m just delighted to get the win, to be honest, against a decent side and a decent club.

“Hopefully we kick on.”

Dowson was disappointed to concede on the stroke of half-time but Whites never really looked like finding a way through again in the second half.

“When they score like that, it’s a big deal for them, scoring with 30 seconds to go. But I was very positive at half-time,” explained Dowson.

“We knew they’d have a little spell with the ball, but I think there’s only one save the keeper, Joe Young, has made and we maybe could have had one or two more on the counter.”

Coulson, 28, made it 2-0 to Dartford with his first goal for the club.

On the ex-Ebbsfleet and Bromley man’s goal, Dowson said: “It’s a good finish, he got in a good position and it’s a good pass by [Keiran] Murtagh.

“He’ll be all right. We just need to get the best players we have on the pitch.”

The midweek result moves Dartford up to 10th in National League South, just a point outside the play-off places.

But Dowson conceded: “I’m disappointed [with that points