Dartford's four-match winning run in the Dr Martens Eastern league came to an abrupt halt when they went down to successive away defeats against the two sides currently vying for the title.

For the midweek game at second-placed Hastings Town, the weather was not ideal to good football and, as the match went on, nor was the pitch as the rain became heavier.

Predictably, the home side had the bulk of possesison and chances in the first 45 minutes.

But Dartford's defence was first-class and withstood the heavy pressure.

The second period followed a similar pattern with Hastings doing the bulk of the attacking and they finally made the breakthough about midway through the half, when Stuart Myall hit a well-struck shot from just outside the box past Darts' keeper Tony Kessell.

Dartford have a chance to even the score when they meet Hastings in the return game at Stonebridge Road next Wednesday night.

Last Saturday's game at table-topping Dorchester ws always going to be difficult, and so it proved as the Darts came out on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline.

Dorchester's first real chance came after 15 minutes when Matt Lonnon's hard shot from 12 yards was athletically saved by keeper Tony Kessell.

However, the reprieve was only brief as Dorchester took the lead just four minutes later when Justin Keeler's right-footed cross-shot beat Kessell.

Dartford never really threatened the Dorchester goal, despite working hard, and they fell further behind after 54 minutes, when Steve Marriner's awkward back pass was not cleared properly by Kessell, and Keeler latch-ed onto the loose ball to round the goalkeeper and coolly slot the ball home.

Things went from bad to worse for the Darts when Tom Adlington was sent off for two bookable offfences on 70 minutes the first being debatable after winning the ball, and the second for a two-footed challenge.

The Darts were playing Fisher Athletic as we went to press last night.