DARTFORD were held to a draw at Wealdstone last night.

“Go west young man,” was advice handed out in pioneering America but they didn’t have SatNav in those days.

The urban sprawl west of London seems to inhibit technology so another journey ended a little chaotically.

Looking for a Polish War Memorial didn’t help!

Worryingly, the Darts head in the same direction for their penultimate fixture of the season on Thursday evening.

As champions, Darts were warmly received onto the park by a double row of Wealdstone players and the game got underway at a rattling pace.

Not for Dartford the easy option, the intent from the off was to get on top, score the goals and come home with the points.

Kicking up the slope, Darts had an early opportunity to score when a James White cross was headed just wide by Lee Burns.

The same player latched onto a cute through ball but pulled his shot wide.

It was that sort of night for Burns.

Wealdstone were a lively outfit not afraid to go forward and tested Darts with some good running.

Twenty minutes into the game, a quick break saw a diagonal pass from way out left reach Lee Noble, whose looping header left home keeper Sean Thomas flat-footed as Darts took the lead.

Thomas made amends soon after, making a point-blank save from the deceptive Allan Tait whose scoring ratio is seven goals from 12 starts.

Had Darts been three or four gaols clear at the interval there would have been few complaints.

It was more of the same after the break and two full-length save from Thomas kept Stones in the game and a strong claim for a penalty was turned down.

Thomas then made a low down save from a Tait header.

Wealdstone had their share of the play on the turnaround and, like Darts, found the slope no handicap but the visitors were comfortable enough at the back.

With less than 10 minutes to go Stones, who are on the play-off fringes, launched a long throw to the far post and substitute Rob Fitzgerald headed the equaliser.

True champions, Dartford went flat out for the winner but time ran out.

Dartford: Young, Johnson, Gross, Flanagan, Coyle, White, Noble, Shinn, Tait (Haworth 78), Burns (Rook 78), Bradbrook (Dafter 88). Subs not used: Burgess, Hayes. Att: 401.