Form team Dartford have been urged to kill sides off as they chase down the National League South leaders.

Darts have won five of their last six league games after beating Oxford City 3-2 on Tuesday night.

It was nervy towards the end but Dartford seem to have turned a corner under joint-managers Jamie Coyle and Adam Flanagan.

They’ve got a settled squad and are only four points off the top with the 13 teams below leaders Billericay covered by just five points.

“The league is ridiculously tight,” said Coyle. “I can’t remember it ever being like this.

“We’ve just got to concentrate on getting some good performances out there in terms of the whole game.

“We’re nowhere near the finished article as you could see in the second half on Tuesday but the boys are working hard for the club.

“If we’re under pressure, can we get balls in the final third with quality and get ourselves up the pitch?

“You can see the nerves still and that’s what we’ve got to get away from.

“We played really well in the first half and could have been out of sight by half-time. We’ve got to take that momentum into the second half and have the belief and confidence to kill the
game off.”

It’s a learning curve for Dartford’s players but also Coyle and Flanagan as they establish themselves as Tony Burman’s successors.

Coyle said: “I love this club and we are so determined to be successful here.

“We always knew it was going to take time and we’ve got players who are gradually finding their feet.

“People like Andre Coker had a slow start but he was fantastic in the first half and took his goal well.

“Ben Greenhalgh’s getting that consistency now and Dan Johnson’s been brilliant since he’s come in from Bromley.

“He can play anywhere across the back four and Jordan Wynter has got his athleticism in the centre of the pitch.

“So the new boys who have taken time to bed in are putting some consistency together now and that’s only going to be a benefit for us moving forward.”

On Saturday the Darts visit a Hampton & Richmond side who almost knocked Oldham out of the FA Cup on Monday night.

The Beavers, who conceded two late goals to lose 2-1, are down in 16th but have games in hand over most sides around them.

Coyle said: “They’ve got some good players going forward and they’ll pose a constant threat.

“But if we show the desire like we did on Tuesday and have a bit more composure when things aren’t going our way, we know we’ve got the quality to match teams like that.”