MANSFIELD Town headed south desperate to halt their dismal form on the road in the Blue Square Bet Premier.
After shipping 19 goals in six away league matches, it had to be rectified and two consecutive clean sheets on home soil had given them confidence.
So for the first 45 minutes of last night's game, which passed by without much incident, manager Paul Cox would have been happy with what was unfolding.
But then the frailties that have plagued them all season came back to haunt them as they conceded twice in the last 30 seconds of stoppage time at the end of the first-half.
First, they switched off from a quick throw-in and Elliot Bradbrook made them pay.
If that infuriated Cox, what was to follow from the kick-off left him totally dazed.
Gary Roberts lazily played a sideways pass, Ryan Hayes intercepted and burst up the right flank before firing into the top corner to double the advantage.
Instead of goalless at the break, everything to play for, it was the same old story, a mountain to climb.
And in the end, Mansfield could not carve out the chances required to break down a part-time Dartford side high on confidence and high on work-rate and were made to pay for that 30 seconds of madness.
Mansfield made three changes with Exodus Geohaghon and Ryan Tafazolli returning from injury and Liam Mitchell taking over the gloves from Shane Redmond, after not being allowed to play in the FA Cup by his parent club Notts County last weekend. Luke Jones and Ritchie Sutton were the other two to drop out.
Within three minutes, Dartford broke at pace and Hayes fired a dangerous low shot that was diverted over the bar by the outstretched leg of John Dempster, who dived in to block.
It was the visitors under pressure again when Hayes whipped in a delivery from the right and with Lee Noble about to pounce, Andy Todd volleyed away on the turn to clear the danger.
A quick free-kick from the left then saw Noble loft it above Dempster into the six-yard box and Bradbrook slid in but could not get the decisive touch which would have taken it beyond Mitchell.
Former Stag Adam Birchall, on loan at Dartford from League Two Gillingham, was looking to cause problems by occupying the space between the midfield and defence.
Neither goalkeeper had been tested by midway through the half and then Todd had a chance for the Stags, as he cut in from the right only to pull his shot wide of the near post.
And then at the opposite end, a long diagonal ball picked out Birchall at the back post and after a good first touch, he flashed a shot across goal but it went the wrong side of the back stick.
On 38 minutes Mansfield's Matt Rhead fired a rising 20-yard effort which Bettinelli tipped over.
But Birchall was the dangerman again just before the break as he cut in from the right of the box and shot towards the bottom corner but Mitchell got down to his left to turn around his post.
It was Stags who almost went in ahead at the interval from a well-worked free kick from the left.
Gary Roberts played a square ball low into the box for Jake Speight in an obvious training ground move and the striker flicked a shot to the back post but it went just wide.
However, in first-half stoppage time, Mansfield went behind.
A quick throw caught Stags on the back foot, Birchall flicked it to Danny Harris, who pulled it back for Bradbrook and he drilled it low into the corner from outside the box.
And straight from the kick-off, Mansfield committed football suicide as Roberts' sloppy ball was punished by Hayes.
It led to a double change at the break, Lindon Meikle and Ritchie Sutton on for Rhead and Tafazolli.
And it almost got worse shortly after half-time for the visitors when Colin Daniel went to clear into the six-yard box, only to slice his volley inches wide of his own post. And from the resulting corner, Mitchell had to save with his legs.
It was all Dartford and Birchall was played in behind the back four down the right of the box and shot low past Mitchell, only for his effort to come back off the foot of the post.
And with ten minutes left, Noble drove a free kick from just outside the box into the wall and on the rebound, the same player was only denied by a block off the leg of Dempster.
It was another painful trip and a long drive home with plenty to ponder, as Cox looks to find a solution to Mansfield's away-day troubles in the league.
Dartford: Bettinelli, Rose, Bonner, Arber, Wallis, Bradbrook, Noble, Burns, Hayes (Rogers, 85), Harris (Collier, 90+2), Birchall (Erskine, 81). Subs: Crawford, Wells.
Stags: Mitchell, Geohaghon, Dempster, Tafazolli (Sutton, 46), Todd, Roberts, Howell, Daniel (Briscoe, 60), Speight, Green, Rhead (Meikle, 46). Subs: Clements, Hutchinson
