Two goals from captain Elliot Bradbrook helped Dartford see off Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.

Bradbrook has now scored five goals in his last four league games while the Darts have extended their unbeaten run in National League South to five matches.

Dartford led 2-0 at half-time but were pegged back within eight minutes of the restart before quickly restoring their two-goal lead.

Neither defence covered themselves in glory but Tony Burman's side could at least go away comforted by three more valuable points.

Andy Pugh started his first league game since early October, replacing Tom Bradbrook up front in Dartford's only change from the FA Trophy defeat to Whitehawk a week earlier.

Havant brought in Jake McCarthy and Godfrey Poku for Warren Cummings and Brian Dutton, with former Bournemouth striker James Hayter leading their attack.

Ebbsfleet's Theo Lewis is on loan with the Hawks until January but suspension ruled the midfielder, who has also been struggling with illness lately, out of this return to north Kent.

It was Havant who looked livelier in the opening exchanges.

Deren Ibrahim conceded a corner when a shot slipped through his gloves at the near post and Poku then lashed a shot over from distance.

At the other end, Ryan Young tipped a Lee Noble corner over his crossbar but Ibrahim was the busier of the two keepers. He did well to keep the scoresheet blank when Scott Donnelly's pass split the Darts defence and sent Matt Paterson running through on goal.

Poku was lucky to stay out of the book when he floored Noble with a forearm near the centre circle after Noble had played the ball. Referee Anthony Da Costa seemed to miss the incident altogether.

Former Dartford winger Ben Swallow surged past two men in white and warmed Ibrahim's palms with a strike from distance but the home side were then gifted a great chance. Young's poor clearance was straight at Barry Cogan, who played Ryan Hayes into space - and the winger rolled a low shot narrowly wide.

Hayes' next contribution led to the opening goal, when his left-footed cross from the right was blocked by the outstretched arm of Lee Molyneaux just inside the box. There was a delay until the penalty could be taken, with the wind twice blowing the ball off the spot, but Bradbrook kept his focus and rifled the ball low into the bottom right-hand corner, beating the dive of Young who had guessed the right way.

The goal rocked Havant and they almost conceded again from another set-piece. Hayes curled a free-kick towards the far corner and Young got down well to save.

Dartford began to play with a swagger. Some delightful play down their right-hand side finished with Cogan side-footing narrowly over and drawing applause from three sides of the stadium.

All the time it was 1-0, the Hawks were still in the game, and it needed a crucial touch from Ronnie Vint to stop Hayter converting a cross from the left. Paterson saw a low shot deflect behind and Ibrahim arched his back to tip Nic Ciardini's powerful strike over the bar.

But there was an increasing threat at the other end as Dartford's attacking play continued to worry the Havant defence. A quick throw from Hayes found Cogan in space and he lifted the ball over a defender's head before rifling a left-footed shot towards the top corner. It needed a really sharp save by Young to flick the ball behind for a corner.

Pugh glanced Cogan's left-wing free-kick into Young's gloves and Dartford then doubled their lead in first-half stoppage-time.

Hayes' inswinging corner from the right was turned goalwards by Bradbrook and then centre-half Callum McNaughton before Harris hooked a volley into the net from close-range.

Bradbrook volleyed over at the start of the second half, hurting his back in the process.

But the visitors halved the deficit on 48 minutes. Dan Strugnell forced the ball home from a couple of yards out after Dartford had failed to deal with a low cross from the Hawks left.

Seemingly in control at half-time, the Darts now looked uncertain and disorganised and Ibrahim did well to keep his side in front when Hayter was afforded a clear sight of goal 12 yards out.

But when some powderpuff defending on the edge of the Dartford box allowed Donnelly a crack at goal, the goalkeeper could only push the ball out to Paterson, who rolled it home on the stretch.

However, the visitors were only level for three minutes. Dartford worked the ball down their right flank and then across to Bradbrook, who arrowed a precise shot into the bottom corner as Young stood and watched.

And the leakiest defence in National League South was breached again 10 minutes later. Ebou Adams, on for the injured Cogan, strode past two half-hearted challenges and shot low across Young to score his first senior goal for the club.

But the game was still far from safe, thanks to Dartford's defending.

Paterson got in behind the home backline and lifted a shot over before Hawks skipper Brian Stock forced Ibrahim to push his free-kick round the base of the post.

At the other end, Bradbrook's persistence set up Noble for a low shot which Young saved at his near post. Ciardini then floated a free-kick over for Havant.

The clock ticked down but it wasn't a relaxing experience for the home faithful or Burman, who kept yelling furiously at his back-four and made two defensive changes in the last 10 minutes to make sure of the win.

Dartford: Ibrahim, Gardiner (Burns 80mins), Onyemah, Vint, McNaughton, Noble, Hayes (Wynter 86mins), E Bradbrook, Pugh, Cogan (Adams 53mins), Harris. Subs not used: T Bradbrook, Simmons.

Havant: Young, Strugnell, Ciardini, Stock, Molyneaux (Medway 71mins), McCarthy, Swallow (Mullings 82mins), Donnelly, Paterson, Hayter, Poku. Subs not used: Blanchett, Thomson, Morgan.

Attendance: 738.