Dartford could welcome back three key players when The Skrill Premier’s form team visits Princes Park on Saturday.

Nuneaton Town arrive second in the table, unbeaten this season and having lost only one league away game since February.

And the Warwickshire side, who won the corresponding fixture 1-0 on the final day of last season, have gone 11 games either side of the summer without losing in non-league’s top flight.

Darts first-team coach Paul Sawyer said: “We are surprised (that they’ve done so well) but it’s what we were doing last year.

“We got into the top four or five so we know that if you go on a run, you get a bit of belief.

“They finished last season well so if you take that into account, they’re on a good run. But the run will end somewhere, so why shouldn’t it be here?”

Tyrone Sterling (pictured) returns to the Darts squad after missing last weekend’s trip to Chester for a family commitment. Injured duo Mat Mitchel-King (knee) and Max Cornhill (groin) are both rated 50-50 for the Nuneaton game.

In the absence of Mitchel-King and Sterling, Nathan Collier – who played as a striker last season – deputised at the back against Chester.

Sawyer said: “Nathan did well. We tried him there in pre-season because at that stage we hadn’t signed Mat Mitchel-King.

“We played Nathan at centre-half in the Welling game (last Tuesday in the Kent Senior Cup). Nathan’s never let us down in any position, so it was no surprise that he did well."