Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
One game to glory!
Dartford
Boss Steve King says sealing promotion to the National League this weekend would complete what he describes as a miraculous season for his Dartford side.
The Darts are only one victory away from going up after last weekend’s 2-1 victory at Havant & Waterlooville which came courtesy of a Darren Mcqueen brace.
Dartford will visit Weymouth this Saturday for their National League South play-off final, which will kick-off behind closed doors at 1pm, but King expects Mark Molesley’s men to provide Dartford with another real test. “It will be very tough,” said King, who is back on the touchline after serving a twomatch ban.
“They play good football. They are quite a young side. “Some of their players are on loan from Bournemouth. “It’s going to be really tough but we will give it one last go. “If we manage to get over the line, it will have been an absolute miracle season for us.”
Former Welling manager King has drastically improved Dartford’s fortunes since taking charge in October when he was originally tasked with keeping the club up, before a tremendous run of form saw them climb into the play-off places.
He reached the final last season with Welling but lost 1-0 at Woking.
On what promotion would mean to him, King said: “It would mean everything.
“It will be my fourth (play-off) final in National South. “Just to go one step further when we have not been expected to would be the icing on the cake, really.
“We were fourth-bottom (when King took charge), there looked like there was a chance that we would get relegated.
“I’m just taking it in my stride, really. It’s just another game. “We will have to see what has happened by three o’clock on Saturday.”
King has not been afraid to make changes to his starting line-up, despite his team’s fine form, with substitute Ky Marshbrown impressing after he came off the bench at half-time in Hampshire.
And King says he has stressed to the Darts’ players on Saturday that it’s a team game.
He said: “I said to them before the game on Saturday, just because this team is starting the game, it doesn’t mean these players will be the ones to finish the game.
“We changed the team from the team that had won 3-0 (against Slough in their play-off eliminator) and won again.
“We have the players to do that, we are not just relying on 11 players.”