Despite twice going behind, Dartford won their third game in eight days at the expense of a very competitive Welling United. After the game, Dartford manager Steve King reflected on the week that in which they won three local derbies.

“It’s a tough league.” he declared. “Tonbridge have gone to Dorking and beaten them today. Chelmsford have gone to Dulwich and beaten them today. St Albans have gone to Havant and beaten them today. It’s a tough division. A very tough division.

“We’ve got eight local derbies. Eight! It’s all about grit and determination and desire. It’s been a tough week but to get nine points out of it is exceptional. Ebbsfleet are a good side, a really, really good side. They play fantastic football but I always say moments in games change games and if Jake Robinson scores that one to make it two-nil, a little cut-back for a tap-in, it’s game over for me because in the two years since I’ve been here, we’ve never given up a two goal lead. When we’ve been two goals up we’ve never drawn or lost but we won anyway and he scored the winner.”

Although Welling played their part, King always felt that the Darts had enough to win it. He said “We’ve got a good side, there’s no disputing that. When you look at today, it was a tough game. Welling were always in the game but I just felt we had that little bit more quality. When you look at the goals they were class goals. For the movement for Danny Leonard’s goal, four or five passes, bang, bang, bang, goal. Luke Allen’s goal fantastic strike, bottom corner and then Marcus (Dinanga)’s goals, brilliant lob of the keeper and then at the end, unbelievable, came in from his left and bent in to the top corner on the opposite side. What you’d say is four class finishes.”

Dinanga might have been an unknown name to Dartford supporters before Tuesday’s debut against Ebbsfleet United but he has been on King’s radar for a long time. “I tried to sign him from Telford.” He explained. “He scored forty goals for Telford but Hartlepool bought him and paid a lot of money for him. He was one of their top scorers in the first year but a new manager came in and didn’t fancy him so he moved back to Telford and scored goals again. Then Stevenage bought him. He played a year in the football league and then Altrincham bought him.

“He started the season playing loads of games for Altrincham but wasn’t finding the net in the National Prem so he had a nice little loan spell at Kidderminster who are third in their division. They wanted to keep him until the end of the season but I managed to persuade him otherwise and he has signed here for the rest of the season.”

When Dartford played at Welling earlier in the season, they won six-nil but King was full of appreciation for what Peter Taylor has done since taking the manager job immediately after that “Peter’s got them well organised. They’re hard to beat. Peter’s done a great job since he’s come in there in my opinion. He’s come in there when they’ve got four points and they’ve got twenty-one points. He’s got seventeen points with a team that’s quite young. They’re eighteen and nineteen and that’s what Peter’s got to work with. I think Peter’s done a good job.”

On Wednesday, Dartford travel to Havant and Waterlooville. “Havant is another tough game.” Said King. “On paper they’ve got some fantastic players. They’re just going through a tough time at the moment. It’s got to change for them at some point. Hopefully it’s not Wednesday. 

“The forward line they’ve got, they’ve got Tommy Wright, they’ve got (Scott) Rendell, they’ve just bought Stefan Payne, they’ve just bought Manny Duku. They’re top, top players. We’re going to have to be at it, really at it, to get anything down there.”

Picture supplied by Dave Budden.