Lee Noble’s strike deep into first half stoppage time put Dartford one step closer to the play-off final after winning at The Camrose.

The Darts will go into Sunday’s second leg at Princes Park with a slender 1-0 lead, but will be buoyed by their domination of the first leg against a determined Basingstoke side.

Neither side took their chances in the early stages and it appeared that they’d go into the break all sqaure, but Danny Harris stretched the home defence before laying the ball into the path of Noble who made no mistake from twenty yards out.

Shaun McAuley had the ideal chance to level 23 minutes into the second half when Delano Sam-Yorke broke down the right and fired the ball across the box, but the Basingstoke man somehow managed to fire wide when it seemed easier to score.

Both sides failed to up the tempo as the game went on and neither keeper was truly tested, but The Darts would have been happy to go back home with the advantage.

Dartford will be hoping to cement their place in the play-off final when the two teams meet again on Sunday with kick off at 3pm and the winner facing either Sutton United or Welling United.

Basingstoke line up: Ashley Bayes, Robbie Rice, Jay Gasson, Nathan Smart, Wes Daly, Shaun McAuley, Stuart Lake, Matt Warner, Jide Ogunbote, Tim Sills, Delano Sam-Yorke.

Subs not used: Chay Morris, Toby Little, Rob Gradwell, Alex Charlick, David Pratt.

Booked: Tim Sills (88), Nathan Smart (88).

Dartford line up: Louis Wells, Lee Burns, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Luke Wilkinson, Tom Champion, Lee Noble, James Rogers, Jacob Erskine, Elliot Bradbrook, Danny Harris.

Subs not used: Ryan Hayes, Tony Garrod, Richard Graham, Paul Goodacre, Andrew Young.

Goal: Noble (45+2).

Booked: Champion (44), Noble (89).

Referee: Mr Adam Bromley.

Attendance: 1,691