Given a choice of opponents for his first league game as manager, it’s unlikely that Dartford would have been top of Francis Vines’ list, and the championship favourites turned on the style to crush a bedraggled Robins, team who are currently short on form and confidence.

Without the services of strikers Charlie Ide and Barry Stevens Carshalton lacked the wherewithal to trouble the best defence in the League and two goals in each half enabled the Kent side to easily hold on to their unbeaten record for the season.

Central defender Justin Roberts and midfielder Kenny Beaney made their Carshalton debuts on loan from across the Borough, but it was the visitors who were into their stride from the first whistle when Ryan Hayes floated in a dangerous cross from the right inches ahead of his onrushing colleagues.

Jamie Day chipped over and Rob Haworth brought a fine save from Matt Reed before Carshalton could mount their first serious attack with Scott Cousins, playing in an advanced role, driving in a dangerous cross that Richard Jolly just failed to reach.

When Adrian Toppin lost possession in midfield the ball was quickly knocked forward to Lee Burns who dragged his shot wide, but the goal that Dartford had threatened arrived on 21 minutes when another cross from Hayes on the right found David Graves dwelling on the ball allowing Burns to nip in between the defender and his keeper to give his side the lead.

By this time Hayes was taking full advantage of the time and space he was being allowed to run the midfield and the live-wire Burns too was unsettling the Robins defence whenever he pushed forward.

If Carshalton were to have any chance to get back into the game with such limited attacking resources it was essential that maximum advantage be taken of any chance that came their way and the home team looked likely to snatch a surprise equaliser when Wes Daly played the ball through to Richard Jolly, but the Robins lone attacker was out of luck as his lob beat keeper Young only to drop on the top of the cross-bar and over.

The Robins paid a heavy price four minutes later when a free kick given against Toppin in midfield exposed shoddy marking in the Carshalton defence and Jamie Day, with a clear run on goal, had no trouble in putting his side two up at the break.

The second half really was a non-event for the home team with Dartford in total control and Carshalton unable to make any impression.

Ten minutes into the second half they moved further ahead when once again the visitors worked an opening on the right, giving Rob Haworth the chance to beat his marker and the keeper to Hayes’s low cross to beat Reed from close range.

The introduction of Dean Carpenter and Jamie England as second half substitutes failed to make any appreciable impact and, despite some good work at the back by Roberts in his first game and the always busy Matt Reed in goal, it was only a question of whether Dartford had the ambition to increase their lead.

The answer to that question came five minutes from the end when Day’s shot was tipped over and from the resulting corner Jamie Coyle headed firmly home to cap an excellent afternoon for early contenders and leaving Carshalton with a big job ahead of them.

Robins team: Matt Reed, David Graves, Lewis Gonsalves (Dean Carpenter), Justin Roberts, Liam Harwood, Wes Daly (Jamie England), Jack MacLeod, Adrian Toppin, Kenny Beaney, Richard Jolly, Scott Cousins

Subs not used: Paul Honey, Bashir Alimi, Simon Cooper