Forward Pierre Fonkeu is one of Dartford’s hardest-working players - and he’s got the stats to prove it.

The 25-year-old might be judged on his goalscoring record but assistant boss Christian Jolley insisted he brings more to the team.

“You know exactly what he is going to give us,” said Jolley. “He’s the top runner, top sprinter and he leaves his soul on the pitch.

“In general he’s always up there, always top three. I notice it but because we play with a front three and they are almost wingers they’ve got to be doubling up with the full-backs as well as making sure they make the box when we attack.

“Pierre has to do both ends, he gets told off if he doesn’t make the 18-yard box when we attack and then told off if he doesn’t do it when we defend.

“He’s a great athlete. It does go unnoticed as when the ball is on the other side of the pitch you won’t focus in on him but he always does his job diligently.”

Fonkeu scored four goals in the first two league games of the season but has taken the next four months to double that tally, scoring his eighth of the campaign in the 3-1 home win over Concord last Saturday.

“Everyone says the same thing about Pierre when I come away from every game,” added Jolley.

“His goals come in clusters for him, he scores two and then another two and then he won’t score for five or six games. But he offers us so much more on the pitch, exactly what you need in National League South.

“It was a fantastic finish on Saturday, he’s so sharp in and around the box, as long as he doesn’t blow himself up before he gets the opportunities.

"We’re really pleased for him and it will do him the world of good.

“You’re judged as a striker (on goals) but we ask so much of our strikers defensively that it’s quite a critique when you don’t score.

“Pierre doesn’t cheat at all, he covers every blade of grass and it’s just trying to get him in those final-third positions where he can score goals.

“That’s a team collective thing where sometimes he has the energy and the physicality to get in those areas but sometimes we don’t get the ball to him or he’s a little bit too fatigued to look after the ball when he gets there.

“He will keep chipping away and come the end of the season he would have contributed massively for us.

“Now everyone has GPS and analysis or camera footage, you get found out pretty swiftly if you’re not putting a shift in.

"He gets his goals, that’s his big reward and the talking points, but he continues to have endeavour and work-rate which is very important.”

Leaders Dartford are away to fourth-placed Chelmsford this Saturday, kick-off 12.30pm.