Poor defending cost Dartford on Tuesday night as they slipped to a damaging home defeat at the hands of Blue Square Bet South leaders Woking.

The visitors were ahead inside four minutes when Alan Inns rose unmarked to head home Moses Ademola’s left-wing corner. Dale Binns and Wayne Gray both had chances to double Woking’s lead before Adam Doyle did make it 2-0 just before half-time, converting another Ademola corner.

Dartford eventually began to find their feet late in the half, with substitute Jacob Erskine (pictured) forcing a terrific save from Aaron Howe. James Rogers headed against the post after the restart and then pulled a goal back when he turned home a deep Ryan Hayes cross.

Pressure on the Woking goal started to build as Dartford sensed an equaliser, only to be caught out at the other end. Elvis Hammond latched onto a poor Louis Wells clearance and despatched a low shot into the corner.

Erskine did pull a goal back from close-range in stoppage-time and he could even have grabbed a dramatic leveller moments later, but the Darts walked away empty-handed.

Manager Tony Burman said: “I’m so disappointed with the first half performance. We didn’t come out at all and we just didn’t play. Our marking at the set-pieces was atrocious.

"They’ve got some big lads and they’re good at set-pieces so we warned everybody beforehand but we haven’t picked the guys up or made any effort to pick them up.

“I thought we did ever so well in the second half, we did get the ball down and have a go at Woking, who are a very good side.

"I can’t say I think we deserved to win the game, though, because of our first half performance. We were too nervous, we didn’t get our foot on the ball and I just felt they wanted it more than us.”