Striker Dan Summers may not have hit the ground running when he joined Carshalton Athletic earlier this season, but boss Matt Howard knew the goals would come.

The hitman moved to Colston Avenue from Tooting & Mitcham United, making his debut against his former employers in August.

He went on to score four goals in the next 12 games, but he has hit a purple patch hitting 10 in the past nine games.

While there were some dissenting voices in the early days, Howard was unworried.

“We tried so hard to sign Dan in the summer, but he decided he wanted to stay at Tooting,” he said.

“Then we managed to get him about three or four weeks into the season, and he did not hit the ground running, and people were asking “Why have we brought this guy?”

“But Dan is like Ronseal, you get what it says on the tin, and Dan will get you goals.”

Matt Howard warns his high-flying Robins, we've done nothing yet in the Ryman League

He added: “Dan is just good at this job, and he will consistently get 20 goals a season.

“Strikers have to be a little selfish and arrogant, with huge self-belief.

“If Dan misses a chance, if he skies one over the bar, he’ll forget about it because he knows he will bury the next one in the top corner. He is not affected when things are not going his way.”

Summers has played his part in five consecutive wins for the Robins that have lifted the club in the Ryman Division One South play-offs.

A remarkable feat considering they avoided relegation on the final day of last season, and had been struggling at the wrong end of the table just one month ago.

Howard said: “We had accepted losing and we had to change that way mind set.

“Now the players have that self-belief, and no longer are we a team that opponents look forward to playing. We’re feared by teams.”

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