Ryan Hayes has been tipped to have a huge impact on Dartford's promotion push after showing glimpses of his best form in recent weeks.

The mercurial winger rolled back the years on Saturday with two assists as Darts crushed play-off rivals bath at Princes Park.

It's taken Hayes a while to establish himself since rejoining the club from Concord Rangers in October.

But now he's turning in consistently good performances to the delight of joint-managers Adam Flanagan and Jamie Coyle.

Flanagan said: "The right-hand side of the team was an area where no-one had really put a marker down to say ‘that’s my shirt’.

"Hayzie played a few games and did OK without showing the attributes we all know he’s got. Andre Coker played a few games and no-one really stood out above the other.

"Of late, Ryan’s taken his opportunity and Saturday was the best he’s played for us. He was good against Woking too.

"He was very disappointed not to start the Concord game but he’s channelled that the right way and put that into his last two performances.

"We all know what Ryan can do and if he applies himself the way he has been, we’ve got a player there.

"He’s a very honest person and he’d say his performances hadn’t been to the level he knows he can deliver but the last two games he will feel he’s played well and we agree with that.

"On Saturday he had two assists and should have had a third because Charlie Sheringham’s header in the second half from his cross didn’t look offside.

"That’s what we need from him and if he keeps playing the way he’s done, it’s going to be hard to replace him."

Hayes is now just five short of 600 appearances for Dartford.

Flanagan said: "Ryan’s got something a lot of players haven’t. You have to understand him as a player and maybe give tolerances on certain areas of his play because of the impact he has in others.

"Being truthful, and he’ll kill me for saying this, he doesn’t always train the best. It’s not through lack of effort or wanting to do well but because he’s so expressive as a player and so unique in what he does, sometimes keeping things simple is too ordinary for him.

"Sometimes in training he wants to be very expressive and showcase the array of attributes he’s got and it doesn’t always work out.

"But I’ve been really happy since he’s come back. To bring him back to the club was really important and while we haven’t seen the best of him, in the last two games he’s shown a glimpse of what he’s about and the challenge is whether he can keep that going.

"If he can, he’s a very unique player who can have a massive effect for us in the remainder of the season."