It may not have been the draw everybody had been hoping for but caretaker boss Mick Tait can take some heart that his side will never have a better opportunity of reaching the fourth round.

After Saturday's comprehensive 4-1 win over Stevenage, Quakers avoided every remaining Football League club in yesterday's draw from the FA's headquarters in Soho Square and were paired with another non-league side, Farnborough Town.

Tait admitted he would have preferred a more glamorous tie for his young side, who swept Conference strugglers Boro aside with relative ease at the weekend.

"At this stage it's always nice to draw a big club in the third round," said Tait.

"Obviously we would have liked someone like Manchester United or Newcastle away.

"But I said before the draw if we didn't get one of the big clubs away then I would take a lower team at home so I'm quite happy.

"Farnborough have done well to get this far and it's not going to be easy."

After Saturday's stroll, Quakers return to league commitments at Hull City on Saturday full of confidence.

"We've always said the FA Cup can help with our league form and more than anything it's given us a confidence boost," said Tait.

"Whether it's a cup match or not we're just looking to build on our performances.

"We have to perform well, week in, week out and just approach every game in the same manner.

"I can't fault them so far because they've given everything."

Commitment seems to be a word that has been used extensively during Tait's eight games in charge - which has brought just one defeat - and on Saturday the players showed their hunger with another workmanlike display.

"I was very pleased with the work-rate of the players," said Tait

"I know we've got great ability in the team although we knew we'd have to work hard today.

"If it wasn't for that third goal it could have been a long, hard second half.

"When players have the confidence they're capable of playing attractive football and that's what we saw today."

There was a recall for skipper Craig Liddle, who missed last weeks win over Southend through suspension - Stuart Whitehead making way for the former Middlesbrough defender.

Chris Porter was handed only his third start of the season with on-loan keeper, Michael Ingham, unavailable and Andy Collett still injured.

The 3,351 fans who braved the elements were treated to a goal after just 64 seconds through winger Richard Hodgson.

Boro defender Robin Trott cleared as far as Hodgson, who picked the ball up on the edge of the area before unleashing a low drive into the bottom right hand corner of Mark Westhead's net.

Darlington supporters were still celebrating Hodgson's early strike when Richard Howell levelled two minutes later.

Simon Wormull whipped in an inviting corner and Richard Howell ghosted in ahead of the Quakers defence to head past Porter and it was the turn of the 300 plus travelling fans to show their delight in a frantic FA Cup start.

With seven minutes played tough-tackling Boro defender, Gary McDonald, was lucky to escape with a warning from referee Mike Pike after a two-footed lunge on in-form striker Barry Conlon.

The Barrow official failed to produce any bookings yet seemed intent on whistling with the slightest hint of a foul, effectively stifling any passing moves both sides hoped to create.

The Conference side almost took the lead when French striker Jean Michel Sigere had Porter backtracking with a looping header but the bar came to the stand-in keeper's aid and Quakers eventually cleared.

The lively Richard Offiong then weaved his way through three Stevenage defenders before firing straight at Westhead.

And moments later the striker, who joined the club on a month loan from Newcastle last week, found space down the right and crossed for Hodgson whose header from just inside the 18-yard box had Westhead beaten only for the upright to come to the goalkeepers rescue.

Quakers continued to press for a second goal and Offiong maybe should have done better when he sent his shot flashing across Westhead's goal with Conlon screaming for the ball in the middle.

Offiong did manage to find the target with his next effort but Westhead parried from the 18-year-olds angled drive.

The Stevenage defence could do little about Quakers' next attack and Offiong's persistence eventually paid off when he opened his account with an opportunist finish.

The 18-year-old received the ball from Hodgson's precise pass, before squeezing between two defenders and poking the ball past Westhead seven minutes before half-time.

And with less than a minute played of the second half Quakers found themselves 3-1 up courtesy of Conlon, who can't stop scoring at the moment.

Neil Wainwright's cross from the right was helped on by Hodgson's attempted shot and the ball fell to Conlon who had the simplest task of slotting past Westhead for his fourth goal in as many games.

Stevenage, who famously took Newcastle United to a fourth round replay in 1998, looked a shadow of the side which gave Shearer and co an FA Cup fright over four years ago.

They rarely tested Quakers in the second half and their only real chance came when Matt Clarke was dispossessed on the right flank by Charlie MacDonald before the Boro striker cut inside before firing his effort straight at Porter.

Offiong claimed his second and Darlington's fourth with a sublime piece of finishing. Hodgson was again at the centre of the attack as he threaded a pass through for the teenager to coolly lift the ball over Westhead.

Minutes later Hodgson almost claimed his second goal of the afternoon when he controlled Conlon's pass with his chest before letting fly with a thunderous half-volley which was superbly tipped over by Westhead.

With a three-goal advantage and a place in the next round assured, Quakers began to pass the ball with confidence with every touch being greeted by a cheer from the home crowd, until the final whistle brought an end to a very satisfactory day's work.

Result: Darlington 4 Stevenage Borough 1.

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