Dartford were denied victory against Hungerford due to an inspired second-half goalkeeping display from Luke Cairney.

The Hungerford keeper produced three excellent stops as Darts had to settle for a point in National League South.

Hungerford started brightly with two chances in the first four minutes. A well-worked corner presented Jake Evans with a shot at goal but he lacked power, before keeper Dan Wilks had to turn behind a long-range effort from Rhys Tyler.

Referee Alex Blake never really had a grip on proceedings in the first half. He showed three yellow cards in the space of eight minutes although that figure could have easily been higher.

His first caution was a clear case of mistaken identity. Nassim LGhoul was fouled twice as he worked his way down the left wing and crossed into the area. When the ball finally went out of play, the official went back and booked skipper James Rusby instead of Andre Burley for the offence.

Josh Hill went into the book for a pull back on Craig Fasanmade before a headloss moment by Darts midfielder David Ijaha. He shielded the ball out of play after getting ahead of Hungerford's Callum Willmoth but inexcusably threw him to the ground when the ball went out of play. Referee Blake decided to show a yellow card and give a goal kick.

Dartford's best chance of the half went to Femi Akinwande who headed L'Ghoul's cross back across goal but wide of the upright.

Hungerford always looked a threat on the break with Ryan Seager seeing his left-foot drive well held by Wilks.

The breakthrough arrived four minutes before the interval. A lovely reverse pass by Evans picked the run of Fasanmade and he got ahead of Jordan Wynter before firing in at the near post.

Dartford, already missing a number of players due to injury, lost Wynter in first-half stoppage time with youngster Cameron Brodie coming off the bench to fill in at right-back.

Cairney denied Darts an equaliser seven minutes into the second half with a stunning stop. Jack Jebb's dangerous free-kick was headed goalwards by Tom Bonner but Cairney somehow clawed the ball away with his left hand.

But the equaliser did arrive just before the hour mark, Hill nodding in Jebb's delightful delivery from another precise set piece.

Luke Allen forced Cairney into a good save with 12 minutes left, the Darts midfielder showed great energy from the middle of the park to continuously make an extra man in attack.

Darts nearly won it in the third minute of stoppage time when a defensive lapse gifted Allen the ball but his low shot was turned away by the impressive Cairney.

The Hungerford keeper was at it again from the resulting corner, a far-post Connor Essam header scrambled off the line by Cairney amid claims by the hosts that the ball had gone in.

Dartford: Wilks, Wynter (Brodie 45mins), Bonner, Ijaha, Hill, Essam, L'Ghoul (Marsh-Brown 89mins). Allen, Sheringham, Akinwande (Dickson 58mins), Jebb. Subs not used: Carvalho, Barham.

Hungerford: Cairney, Angell (McGrory 89mins), Partridge, Emmerson, Rusby, Willmoth, Seager, Fasanmade (Diaz 77mins), Evans (Bayley 82mins), Burley, Tyler. Subs not used: Harding, Edwards.

Referee: Alex Blake.