A header eight minutes from time from substitute Charlie Sheringham ensured Dartford would be leaving Champion Hill with their fifth National League South win on the trot.

This came after the Hamlet had got off to an excellent start through Nana Owusu's sixth minute opener, sweeping home a low cross from Kreshnic Krasniqi, before the same player conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, with Samir Carruthers converting. With the game tightly poised, Sheringham popped up with the winner just seven minutes after entering the action to leave us with defeat.

Following the shock defeat to Folkestone in the cup the previous week, Paul Barnes opted to make just one change to the starting XI, Krasniqi coming in for Jayden Clarke. New striker Ashley Nzala began on the bench, with Ibby Akanbi leaving the club during the week. We fielded three former Darts in our side in Ronnie Vint, George Porter and Danny Mills, whilst ex-Hamlet defender Kristian Campbell lined up for the visitors.

On a gorgeous afternoon in front of a maximum 3334 crowd, the home side got off to a flyer, as in just the sixth minute, Krasniqi won the ball high up the field, put the ball across the area, and there was Owusu on hand to sweep home his fourth of the season, and give us a start similar to the one at Cheshunt in our last league outing, cueing ecstatic celebrations from the side.

However, the Darts aren't third in the table for nothing, and could very easily have equalised almost immediately, as Jack Smith drove a shot against the bar from inside the area, and with Charlie Grainger beaten, the follow up from Davide Rodari struck the outside of the post to oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

The tempo was fast and challenges were flying in left, right and centre, and we then created another decent opportunity down the right wing. Mills produced one of those flicks that he is so successful at, releasing Porter down the right wing, and he produced a similar cross to the one Krasniqi had assisted Owusu with fifteen minutes before, but there was no one to arrive at the far post this time. After Splatt had seen one deflect over, the resulting corner was met by Jack Holland, with his nod down helped on by Krasniqi, but defenders were in the way to charge down.

Krasniqi was enjoying himself and was producing some wonderful passes, with his vision on display again just past the half hour mark, when he first released Joe Felix in space down the right wing, and after the Darts got men to cover, he threaded a second pass through to Porter, with the final cross just evading the run of Mills.

Both sides traded half chances but just when it seemed we might be level at the break, Dartford were awarded a penalty when Marvin Herschel got inside of Owusu, with the former Oxford man producing a clumsy challenge, and after thinking about it, Matthew Norton pointed to the spot. Carruthers stepped up and put his penalty down the middle to leave the game evenly poised at the break.

Alex Wall was thrown on by Alan Dowson after the break to add some more height and power to his attack, and it would be a good ploy, with the Darts dominating the chances in the second 45. Carruthers was being probing with his deliveries from set pieces, consistently putting them into good areas, but although the Hamlet had been dealing with them well, they did have a let off when Tom Bonner escaped his marker but could only nod wide. Just before the hour mark, Wall then showed his strength to back into a Hamlet man after reaching the ball from a thrown, before swivelling and firing low at Grainger.

Chances became a little bit rarer as the game edged into the final quarter, Dartford had seen more of the ball without threatening too much, but our chance of the half would come through a partnership that had created so much the previous week, with Felix sending in a cross from deep that found the head of Mills, but on a tight angle, he couldn't direct goalwards. Substitute Jayden Clarke also saw a strike deflect into the arms of Joe Young, before Sheringham had the final say in the action.

The Darts had a series of corners float into the penalty area, with the Hamlet seemingly holding firm, before one final one from Carruthers found Sheringham unmarked, with the experienced forward able to steer a header past Grainger to win it for the Darts. We were not able to carve out any final chances of note to force an equaliser, and at full time, it was our visitors who left victorious. Defeat leaves us out of to the bottom four on goal difference, with Hungerford Town, our next opponents in two weeks, on the same number of points.

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Charlie Grainger, 3 Will Wood, 6 Jack Holland (c), 8 Frankie Raymond, 9 Danny Mills, 11 Nana Owusu, 18 George Porter, 20 Jamie Splatt (22 Ashley Nzala 85'), 23 Joe Felix, 25 Ronnie Vint, 26 Kreshnic Krasniqi (21 Jayden Clarke 59')

Unused Substitutes: 13 Joe Osaghae, 15 Quade Taylor, 16 Andre Blackman

Goalscorer: Nana Owusu 6'

Yellow Cards: Kreshnic Krasniqi 25', Will Wood 31', Ronnie Vint 66'

Dartford Line-Up: 22 Joe Young, 2 Jordan Wynter, 3 Kristian Campbell, 4 Samir Carruthers, 5 Connor Essam, 6 Tom Bonner (c), 10 Kieran Murtagh, 11 Davide Rodari (9 Alex Wall 46'), 12 Maxwell Statham, 15 Jack Smith (19 Charlie Sheringham 75'), 21 Marvin Herschel (16 Pierre Fonkeu 85')

Unused Substitutes: 8 Luke Allen, 13 Tom Wray

Goalscorers: Samir Carruthers 45' (pen), Charlie Sheringham 82'

Yellow Cards: Davide Rodari 8', Jordan Wynter 71'

Referee: Matthew Norton
Attendance: 3334