A SHOCK win for Harrow Borough at Princes Park on Saturday placed a major question mark over Dartford’s late surge for the play-offs.

The teams warmed up under a dull clouded sky with flags as limp as a royal handshake but once the game got under way, the skies cleared quickly with Darts attacking the Academy End.

Darts showed at once with Craig Carley feeding Jamie Coyle.

His cross found Rob Haworth who flat-footed Harrow keeper Andray Baptiste, shaving the outside of his left post.

Unfazed, Harrow then took over proceedings, prompted by the lively Kwasi Frempong and Jonathan Constant.

But aided by a sprinkling of free-kicks, the visitors were unable to create an opening. Sandwiched between the pressure was a swift break by Lee Noble, who beat three defenders en route to testing Baptiste with a searing drive.

Harrow then forced a series of corners, none of which tested Andrew Young, while at the other end Craig Carley beat Baptiste with a shot which was kicked off the line.

Play returned to the other end where Young made a brilliant save from a daisy-cutter free-kick from just outside the area.

Midway through the half, Noble got a nasty smack in the face, causing a badly split lip which led to his absence for eight minutes.

He returned wearing the number 17 blood shirt.

Harrow scored the game’s only goal on 36 minutes when Dewayne Clarke worked an opening and laid the ball off to Dean Fenton, who beat Young from close range.

The visitors continued to press after the interval, with Constant and Clarke their main danger men.

Darts, however, began to steadily up the pressure and exchanged Hussein Isa for Brendon Cass, along with Sean Eferakorho for John Guest, to add variety to their approach work.

However, Baptiste was almost faultless and appeared to have velcro hands as everything he touched stuck.

He was lucky, though, when a fierce drive from Isa almost broke the crossbar in the dying minutes.

The game ended on a humorous note when a Harrow player disintegrated with a mysterious ailment and had to be carried off like a babe in arms.

Supporters planning to travel to AFC Hornchurch on Saturday please note, subject to recount, Tommy Osborne will be clocking up starting appearance number 250 and John Guest his Darts century.

Dartford: Young, Coyle, Gross, Flanagan, Guest (Eferakorho 84), Osborne, Carley, White, Cass (Isa 71), Haworth, Noble. Subs not used: Holding, Taylor, Ibrahim. Att: 1,139.