'Oh well, we can concentrate on the league now' are words often muttered in the wake of cup exits.

While managers up and down the country will be using the old clich as their trump card this morning, caretaker boss Mick Tait can contemplate a second round tie with Conference side Stevenage after Saturday's superb 2-0 win at Wrexham.

With a place in the next round assured, Tait will be challenging his players to produce the same kind of clinical finishing in the league - a factor which it's safe to say has cost Quakers their fair share of points this season - as shown at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday.

"We set our stall out, we had a game plan which worked very well," said Tait.

"We've played Wrexham twice this year (in the league and pre-season) and we know exactly how they play and they didn't disappoint us.

"They played the same way as they did in the other two games, and we were ready for it.

"We set ourselves out slightly differently to combat them, and so we could break on them very quickly and score goals and it paid off."

Tait admitted even he was unsure of whether he'd put his players through their paces too much.

"We've put a fair bit of work into most of the lads in the last few weeks," said Tait.

"My only worry was 'have I overworked them?'

"But I think the answer is 'no' judging by their performances today.

"The players knew their jobs and they stuck to it right until the end."

Once again skipper Craig Liddle was a colossus at the back but it was his defensive partner Matt Clarke who earned most plaudits with arguably his best performance of the season

With Stuart Whitehead still out injured, Clarke staked his claim to become a regular alongside Liddle with a fully committed display that frustrated The Robins all afternoon.

Tait made one change from the side beaten at Rushden a week earlier, reverting to a flat back four with Ian Clark earning a recall.

It was the home side who applied the early pressure and, having already beaten the Quakers once in the league this season, it looked like being a long afternoon for Tait's side.

Andy Morrell was first to test the Quakers rearguard when his shot was charged down by Clarke in the opening minutes.

Midfielder Ashley Nicholls was prevented a clear shot at goal with a similar block at the other end.

Former Robins favourite Neil Wainwright was clearly out to impress and after a surging run down the right he picked out Ian Clark in the middle who fired over the bar.

There were appeals for a penalty in the 24th minute when Morrell went down under the challenge of Simon Betts but the Quakers defender got enough of the ball for referee Mike Cowburn to wave play on, much to the dissatisfaction of the home crowd.

Betts was forced to withdraw on the half hour with a groin problem, and he was be replaced by Gary Pearson, a surprise inclusion after eight months out with a neck injury.

But Pearson slotted in to the right-back role and didn't disappoint.

Wrexham's main threat came in the shape of winger Carlos Edwards but wherever the Trinidad and Tobago international was, Wrexham-born defender Ryan Valentine was nearby as the home side struggled to break down a resolute Quakers defence.

With half-time approaching Wainwright broke free down the right before cutting inside and firing straight at Paul Whitfield in the Wrexham goal.

The rebound fell to Clark, who hammered his shot off the bar when he really should have scored.

Wrexham continued to press forward in the second half with Liddle heading a Steve Roberts drive clear and then Andy Collett did well to get down to substitute Paul Edwards' cross.

The home side's eagerness to avoid a replay may well have been their undoing as Barry Conlon claimed his seventh goal of the season.

With 59 minutes played Clark played in Wainwright down the left before crossing for Conlon, who rose to head home in front of the travelling Quakers' fans.

Denis Smith's side looked for an immediate reply but it was the visitors who looked the more likely to build on their lead with Clark and Wainwright going close.

Liddle effectively took the sting out of the tie when he powered his header past Whitfield from Wainwright's pinpoint free-kick from the right.

Quakers could well have added another couple of goals as Wrexham piled forward to pull back a goal but no matter what the Welshman conjured up, the Darlington defence was giving nothing away.

Result: Wrexham 0 Darlington 2.

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