Dartford could climb into a play-off spot on Boxing Day after a weekend of mad results in Vanarama National League South.

Victory for the Darts at Whitehawk on Saturday lifted them to a season-high seventh while five of the division’s top-six teams lost and the other only drew.

Leaders Ebbsfleet were beaten 1-0 at home by Bath and second-placed Maidstone suffered a third defeat in four outings when they lost at Hayes & Yeading by the same score.

Dartford, unbeaten in their last seven league matches, remain the form team in the league and know a win at Chelmsford on Saturday could take them fifth.

Manager Tony Burman said: "Teams in this league can beat one another and the results on Saturday proved that.

"You have to get through this period – December, January, February – and I think we’re going to see more strange results.

"People’s purse strings might be pulled back a little bit, including ours, because of going out of the cups and you have to get through that.

"We’ve had no cold spell yet but games are going to be postponed. It’s all part of a proper football season on grass pitches.

"We go to Chelmsford in good spirits. They’ve got some decent players but our confidence is high and the belief’s getting stronger."

Dartford were 14th just over two months ago but Burman always backed his new-look squad to come good as the season wore on.

He said: "Confidence is one thing and the belief is another. At the moment the guys are confident.

"It takes a long time to get the belief but they’re getting it now."

Read the full story in the Dartford Messenger.