DARTFORD completed their regular league season ahead of this week’s play-off double header with a draw at Truro City on Saturday.

Goal scoring is an art form for which there are no set rules. Jacob Erskine has scored many a cheeky goal for Darts since his arrival at Princes Park.

At Truro he got into a number of good positions but just couldn’t tuck the ball away.

Then, as the game was drifting towards a lop-sided goalless draw, Truro substitute Barry Hayles rounded off a rare City breakaway in the 88th minute by scoring what seemed to be the winner.

Six substitutions, plus a bit of on-field injury treatment, meant four minutes of time added on.

In the last of those four minutes Erskine converted his most difficult opportunity of the afternoon and lashed a shot past the transfixed home keeper Tim Sandercombe from a tight angle to level the scores.

Since securing second spot, Darts have relaxed somewhat, as subsequent results have show.

The loss of the Kent Senior Cup against Hythe Town last Tuesday was hard to take on board but the Truro fixture gave the opportunity for a team bonding weekend and the match showed plenty of signs of it working.

The passing game was put together again, applauded by the 300 or so Darts supporters who formed part of the home side’s best attendance of the season of 751.

Just missing at the moment is goal scoring.

Most clubs rely on proven strikers for their goals, whereas Dartford have amassed 18 individual scorers. Erskine’s late goal makes him joint top-scorer along with captain Elliot Bradbrook and the in-form Danny Harris.

Darts’ task now is to negotiate the play-off lottery, starting with a first leg trip to Basingstoke on Wednesday, a side who crept into fifth place a mere 17 points adrift of their visitors.

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Dartford: Wells, Burns, Green, Bonner, Wilkinson, Champion (Garrod 75), Noble, Rogers (Graham 60), Erskine, Bradbrook, Harris (Hayes 68). Subs not used: Pallen, Goodacre. Att: 751.