Aveley 4, Dartford 3

A SEVEN-goal thriller in Saturday's local Isthmian Premier derby ended with two sides geographically separated by the QEII Bridge, split by another very narrow margin as Aveley took the three points.

The hosts started the game brightly and looked like they would be the team to open the scoring. Malachi Napa and Francis Mampolo came close, before an acrobatic effort from newly-returned Alejandro Machado was an inch wide of the right-hand post of Dartford.

Despite the early pressure, it was the Darts who landed the first blow. A double up the left-hand side saw the cross find Max Fiddes, who was unmarked at the back post to tap home.

Millers kept plugging away, and Joe Tennents denied Mampolo with a goal-saving tackle. But from the resulting corner, the hosts got the least they deserved. Romel Aarons-Royal got up the highest and guided his header into the top right corner of the goal.

Into the second half, and it was an electric opening 15 minutes. Within 70 seconds, Napa stroked the ball home into the bottom right-hand corner to send Aveley in front for the first time in the match.

Three minutes later, the 49th minute, and Kymani Thomas down the right-hand side pulled it back for Mampolo, who fired it into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

It could've been more for Aveley as Thomas almost turned goalscorer after his header hit the side netting from close range after a Gio Palmer cross found him.

With 25 minutes left, there was a twist in the tale. Fiddes wriggled and twisted in the box to place an effort into the bottom left-hand corner of Aveley's net to pull within one.

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A minute later Machado scored a stunner from the edge of the area to restore Aveley's two-goal lead.

With ten minutes left, Dartford pulled one back again. This time through Fiddes, who completed his hat-trick. Initially, the header was brilliantly saved by Jamie Grossart, but the follow-up was stabbed home from close range.

Despite the visitors throwing everything at them, Millers held strong, including some heroic ball holding by Anthony Jeffrey and Mampolo.

Millers are next in action on Monday evening (2 November) when St Albans City visit Parkside.