Dartford vs Charlton opens this evening at Princes Park, and Ben Greenhalgh gets his first proper look at a new-look squad in a pre-season setting. The match also carries a blunt record: Dartford have lost all seven Princes Park friendlies against Charlton Athletic.
Greenhalgh’s first look
Greenhalgh will use the game to judge players in competitive conditions, even if the result sits outside league points. That is the practical value of an opener like this — it tells a manager far more about timing, shape and decision-making than training does.
Charlton Athletic arrive as the Championship side in the fixture, so the step up is immediate. Dartford have hosted them in pre-season regularly in recent years, which gives tonight’s meeting more history than a typical summer friendly.
Princes Park record
The numbers at Princes Park are hard to ignore. Dartford have lost every one of the seven home friendlies against Charlton Athletic, and a year ago the visitors won 3-2 after a game that kept swinging one way and then the other.
Callum Jones levelled after Daniel Kanu put Charlton Athletic in front. Greg Docherty then restored Charlton Athletic’s lead before Samir Carruthers scored from the penalty spot, and Micah Mbick struck the winner. That sequence is the clearest reminder that the gap has not been about one early setback or one late lapse; Dartford have been chased down across the full length of the match in this fixture.
Other summer tests
Greenhalgh’s side also carry some sharp recent summer form into the opener. Dartford have won their last three friendlies without conceding, and Greenhalgh scored in the most recent of those wins, a 2-0 result. That gives tonight’s line-up a chance to extend a clean run while facing a much stronger opponent than the one they met in those victories.
The rest of the schedule adds more local reference points. Dartford’s first away friendly is against Folkestone Invicta, while Olly Box will return to Princes Park in Ebbsfleet United’s colours. The last three friendlies between Dartford and Ebbsfleet United have ended in draws, including a 2-2 game 12 months ago when Carruthers and Jones both scored again.
For Dartford, the immediate question is whether a fresh squad can change the pattern that has followed this fixture home. Seven straight Princes Park defeats to Charlton Athletic is the burden; tonight is the first chance to reset it.
