Manager Alan Dowson has outlined why he thinks Dartford will earn promotion through the play-offs despite their recent inconsistent results.

Having secured second place, the Darts will have home advantage for - potentially - both National League South showdown games.

They will be the favourites but play-offs are always a lottery and Dowson’s troops have lost five of their last 11 matches so are hardly in sparkling form going into them.

But the Darts boss is remaining upbeat.

Dowson said: “When the pressure is on, we’re not bad.

“The table doesn’t lie over 46 games. We’re going to finish second and probably second by quite a distance.

“We’re good in pressure games, we’re good with local derbies and especially against Ebbsfleet.

“But in the games against sides lower in the table, where you have to dig in, we’ve been poor.

“The thing that makes me believe that we can get promotion is because we’re good in pressure games.”

Goals by Samir Carruthers and substitute striker Pierre Fonkeu saw Dartford bounce back from last Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at relegation-threatened Concord, despite goals from frontman Harvey Bradbury and young defender Sam Odaudu, with a 2-1 weekend home win against St Albans.

On-loan versatile Charlton player Richard Chin set up Carruthers’ strike amid a player-of-the-match performance but Dowson reserved special praise for Jordan Wynter.

“He did well,” Dowson said of Chin. “I thought Wynter was the best player but Chin did well.

“He’s come in and he’s a good lad. He might play Saturday, but I thought Wynter was outstanding.

“He does what no one else wants to do.

“I gave Tom Bonner my player-of-the-season award. But if I had to have a second, it would have been Wynter.”

Indeed, Dartford skipper Tom Bonner took the majority of the gongs at the club’s end-of-season awards evening after the St Albans game.

The centre-half was home and away supporters’ player-of-the-season, as well as Dowson’s player-of-the-season, while groundsman Jay Berkhauer was clubman-of-the-year.

Dowson said: “I get on very well with the lad.

“He’s proper Dartford through and through.

“Every reward he gets, he deserves.”

Carruthers recently returned and, although he came off in the second half against St Albans with another slight knock, he’s not expected to be sidelined for long.

His inclusion in the play-offs would be a massive boost.

“We have missed his quality,” Dowson said.

“He took a little knock, so he might not be ready for Saturday. But he might be ready for the Sunday after.

“The same with Charlie Sheringham. He’s got a few minutes recently. Hopefully, Charlie can get 70 or 80 minutes on Saturday.

“If everybody is fit, I’ll have a few tough choices [for their play-off matches]. I will make those decisions nearer the time.

“I’ve done that for about 20 years so I’m not bothered about that.

“I’m not bothered about where we finish - second, third, fourth or wherever - I’m just bothered about getting promotion.”

Striker Alex Wall, alongside midfielder Keiran Murtagh, may not be risked for the final league game of the regular season at Hampton.

Dowson said: “The big thing is to get them fit for next week.

“With no midweek game, we can then get them firing for the play-offs.”