DARTFORD maintained their fine start to the season with victory at Farnborough on Saturday.

Paul Goodacre was sidelined, forcing manager Tony Burman to realign the defence slightly.

Lee Noble made a rare start and skipper Eliot Bradbrook returning after injury.

The fickleness of British weather was evident from the start as the teams lined up in a tropical rainfall seemingly imported from Rangoon.

After quarter of an hour the wet was replaced by sunshine as Darts dominated the early exchanges.

Adam Green set up the first chance when he crossed from the left but sadly the delivery wasn’t converted.

The opener duly arrived on 19 minutes when Noble’s cross was flicked on by Richard Graham for Charlie Sheringham to slot home from close range.

Darts suffered a setback seven minutes before the break as Jon Wallis limped off with a hamstring injury to be replaced by James Rogers.

The visitors doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Lee Burns got the vital touch in a goalmouth scramble.

It was no less than they deserved as Burman’s high-flying side dictated play throughout the half.

Farnborough had to chase the game and managed to pull one back when a rare flap in defence gave the home side a corner, from which Adam Bygrave scrambled a goal.

Fired up and egged on by a now-vociferous support, Farnborough went all out to rescue a point but they just couldn’t work an opening.

Four minutes were added and, with the clock showing 95 minutes and counting, Darts were denied a third goal when a home defender blatantly punched the ball away from under his bar.

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Dartford: Young, Jones, Green, Champion, Bonner, Wallis (Rogers 38), Noble (Harris 69), Burns, Sheringham, Bradbrook, Graham (Hayes 78). Subs not used: Pallen, Ibrahim. Att: 679.