Hakan Hayrettin paid tribute to Jack Barham after the Maidstone striker’s hat-trick against Dartford.

Barham showed the poacher’s instinct United have been crying out for this season to floor his old club.

It was just his second start since recovering from the knee injury that saw him miss the first two months of the season and he made it count in the Stones’ 4-0 derby win.

“I’ve been a little bit harsh on Jack,” said manager Hayrettin, after fifth-placed Maidstone moved three points behind Dartford in the National South table.

“I’ve made it difficult for him, I’ve put him under pressure and today he got his rewards.

“I signed him, I remember scouting him playing for Greenwich Borough and I took him to Dagenham but I always knew what he had at his disposal.

“He’s had a bad injury, Reece Grant’s had a bad injury, and to come back and score a hat-trick, I’m thoroughly pleased for him.”

The Stones were missing six players through illness and suspension but Barham was always down to play.

“Barham was going to start,” added Hayrettin.

“He was sharp as hell in training and he deserved his goals.

“Six-yard box, I keep telling them. I’ve been saying that since I’ve been here, haven’t I?

“Seventy-five per cent of goals are scored in the six-yard box.

“I’m happy for him, he thought he was out of favour here, he thought I didn’t want him, but that’s never been the case.

“I’ve always wanted him, it’s all about timing, it’s all about doing the right thing and today we got it right."

Joe Ellul excelled in central defence after four months out with an ankle injury, while winger Jermaine McGlashan proved a more-than-capable right-back as Maidstone chalked up a third straight league win.

Hayrettin and No.2 Terry Harris anticipated Dartford’s return to a back four, the visitors having employed a three-man central defence in recent weeks, and United had the measure of them.

Darts lost top spot - they trail Oxford City on goal difference - but Hayrettin was humble in victory, with Maidstone fifth going into the Tonbridge double-header and home game with Welling over Christmas and New Year.

“We know they’ve got a great team, take nothing away from them,” said Hayrettin.

“They’re forward-thinking, they’ve got some exceptional players, and we did our homework, we thought they’d go back to their original system and I think we got our just rewards, I think we were better than them on the day.

“We need to keep that going. That’s five unbeaten and I’m just happy for the boys because sometimes people lose confidence.

“We had six players not available because of this viral infection and suspension and I had to shuffle the pack to try and get a result.

“If you win the league and you’re up there, it’s not the team that wins the league or the team that does well, it’s the squad, and we utilised the squad to get a result.

“This is a vital time for us now, Christmas and New Year, vital for any team, we’re pushing, we want to be in that pack.

“I’ve always said one game at a time. Three or four weeks ago, there were a lot of rumours, a lot of murmurs.

“Listen, there’s no pressure on me. All I’ve got to do is keep the boys’ feet on the ground, do my job with dignity, hold my head high and get the best out of the players.”