Dartford boss Steve King says evenly-matched sides make National League South tougher than ever

Dartford manager Steve King believes there’s little to choose between the leading sides in National League South.

King heralded the quality of teams in the division before a ball was kicked and has seen nothing in the opening three-quarters of the campaign to change his mind.

Dartford’s promotion credentials - as well as their unbeaten home record - will be put to the test when leaders Dorking Wanderers visit Princes Park this Saturday.

Dorking lead second-placed Maidstone by six points with Darts 10 points off top spot, albeit with a game in hand.

“I still think it’s the toughest league that it’s ever been,” said King. “Credit to Dorking, who have won 14 out of 15 games and also Maidstone, who went on a 14-game unbeaten run until last weekend.

“All the squads in the top five or six have got a lot of quality, players have dropped down from higher levels to this league and there’s also two full-time sides in the top five.

“But as we all know, anyone can turn over anyone else on their day, that’s just a fact.”

Defeat to Dorking will all but end Dartford’s hopes of catching the leaders.

King watched Dorking edge Maidstone 1-0 last weekend - a game that could have gone either way.

He said: “I felt Maidstone were the better side for long periods but Dorking had the better chances.

“Maidstone pinned them back for about 60 minutes. When two players went off injured from their midfield, the game opened up and Dorking got their passing game going.”

Dartford lost 1-0 at Dorking earlier in the season but the hosts were fortunate not to have their keeper red-carded for handball outside the area in the first half and a late own goal proved decisive.

A 2-1 loss at Hungerford ended Dartford’s run of five straight league wins but King