DARTFORD went joint top of the Conference South after coming from behind to beat Staines Town at Princes Park last night.

Over the years Staines have had the benefit of several 'over the line or not' decisions, with the result that the Darts have yet to score a win over the Middlesex outfit.

Even at Princes Park the visitors had the rub of the green for long stretches including a goal from a right-side corner being denied Darts by the match official.

Midway through the first half Charlie Sheringham was bundled over in the box but his spot-kick grazed the bar en-route to the terraces.

Soon after a rare Staines raid ended with Tom Champion conceding a penalty, allowing the visitors to take the lead.

Whatever was said at half-time did the trick and Ryan Hayes, in particular, took the game by the scuff of the neck, aided and abetted by a vociferous Dartford crowd.

Ryno was pulled down in the Staines box and, ice-cool, he blasted the penalty home.

It was one-way traffic as Darts turned up the wick and Tom Champion became the deserved hero when he thumped home the winning goal.

How visiting keeper Louis Wells kept the score down is worth a page on its own. Suffice it to say that Darts secured a share of the lead in the division with Woking, who visit Princes Park at the end of October.

Next up, though, are Tonbridge Angels at home on Saturday.

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Dartford: Young, Jones, Green, Champion, Bonner, Burns, Hayes (Pallen 82), Noble (Harris 56), Sheringhham, Bradbrook, Graham (Rogers68). Subs not used: Cooper, Inrahim. Att: 1,002.