Dartford midfielder Keiran Murtagh says team spirit will be key as Darts play catch-up in National League South promotion race

Dartford midfielder Keiran Murtagh knows a thing or two about promotion.

Having enjoyed success with Boreham Wood and Wycombe, Murtagh’s aiming for the hat-trick at Dartford this season.

A composed individual on and off the field, his experience is going to be key as the National League South promotion race enters the final countdown.

Darts are seven points behind leaders Dorking after their 2-1 midweek loss at Hungerford. So Murtagh is well placed to know what matters most as they play catch-up in the weeks ahead.

“No individual wins a league, it’s all about the team,” stated the 33-year-old. “If you’ve got the team spirit that we have and all the players like each other, we’re all pulling in the same direction - that’s what you need.

“We were top of the league for a long time but no-one stays top from the beginning to the end - that’s unheard of really, unless you’re Man City maybe! But we’re not Man City.

“We’re still in there, we’re under the radar and when the teams have a blip, which every team will, we’ll hopefully be there to capitalise.

“We just think about three points. Every week we need to get three points because other teams will be doing that as well. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing top of the league or teams two or three places below you, everyone wants to get three points.

“That’s our aim, take each game as it comes and at the end of the season if we’re there or thereabouts then we’ll be happy.”

Promotion might be coming into focus for teams battling it out at the top of the table, but it was the lure of working with boss Steve King that persuaded Murtagh to make the switch.

He played for King at Macclesfield and carpenter Murtagh was happy to link up again after leaving Boreham Wood in the summer.

“I