Dartford captain Josh Hill praises young squad’s maturity and strength of character as Isthmian Premier title race nears conclusion

Dartford captain Josh Hill insists their young squad are showing great signs of maturity in the chase for the title.

The Darts sit two points clear in Isthmian Premier of both Billericay and Horsham with just four games remaining.

It was a mixed start to the season at Princes Park but the young stars in Dartford’s squad have found their feet - and are now keeping their heads as the pressure builds up.

“To be fair to this group of lads, at the start of the season there were tough times,” said Hill. “There’s a lot of young players.

“I think more than half the team is 21 or under. There’s a lot of young players and we’re still learning a lot. I’m 33 but I’m still learning.

“For us to get as close as we’ve got, four games left, it’s still in our hands. We’ve got a two-point lead and I think it’s really impressive.

“The last three weeks in particular with three wins and three clean sheets at this stage of the season is outstanding. There’s been a lot of maturity in a lot of those performances.

“Yes, the first half didn’t go our way against Folkestone last weekend, but the character has come through in the end. We’ve done that a few times.

“We’ve come back from being 1-0 down and having a bad start. It’s been a bit of an Achilles heel throughout the season but now that we’re so close to the end, we have to keep our heart on the sleeve and try to win.

“It doesn’t matter how, just get the points on the board.”

Manager Ady Pennock takes his side to Whitehawk this Saturday.

The equation is simple for Dartford. Four more wins will see them go up as champions, regardless of what happens elsewhere. But anything else could put the Darts in the play-offs.

So do thoughts of winning the title go through Hill’s mind at this stage of the