The 27 applications already received for the vacant manager's job at Darlington could well findthemselves at the bottom of a bin this morning.

That was the figure chairman George Reynolds revealed on Friday, but if caretaker manager Mick Tait can get his side to perform regularly as they did on Saturday, Reynolds need look no further for a successor to Tommy Taylor.

Tait did his chances of becoming the new Quakers boss no harm after his side wiped the floor with fellow strugglers Exeter City.

The 4-0 win gives Darlington much-needed breathing space at the foot of the Third Division table thanks to goals from Craig Liddle, Matt Clarke, Barry Conlon and Ashley Nicholls.

While newly-installed Grecians boss Neil McNab still looks for his first win, Tait can take a great deal of encouragement from a side which gave everything in what looked to be a very tricky contest.

"I was pretty confident we would win today," said Tait.

"The lads have been buzzing. I could tell just by some of their faces that they were going to put in a really good performance. But I would never have dreamed it would finish up 4-0."

Tait included Clark Keltie, Paul Campbell and Richard Hodgson in his starting 11 after they impressed during last week's defeat to Stockport.

Mark Ford had to settle for a place on the bench and Neil Maddison was rested.

"I've explained to Neil Maddison and Mark Ford why I've done that," explained Tait.

"For Keltie, Campbell, Hodgson and Ashley Nicholls to play so well at Stockport, to dominate against a team that was in a division above us, then to leave them out of the next game wouldn't have been right.

"That would have been mad management.

"I just thought it was time for a couple of the young ones to come in.

"They've been busting to get into the team and they've gone in and staked their claim."

It was the home side who dominated the early stages with former Darlington youth team player and Hartlepool loanee, Jamie Coppinger, looking lively up front.

Skipper and player/coach Liddle led by example from the start and showed just how important he is to the team when he threw himself in front of Justin Walker's drive.

It wasn't until the 18th minute that Darlington recorded their first shot as Barry Conlon met Campbell's cross but sliced wide.

With little over 20 minutes on the clock Stuart Whitehead was forced to withdraw from the action with a recurrence of the hamstring problem which forced him off in last week's defeat to Boston. He was replaced by Matt Clarke.

Liddle came to his side's rescue again in the 27th minute when he cleared off the line from Carl Pettefer's shot from the left.

Coppinger continued to cause problems for the Quakers defence and when he was stopped in his tracks by Liddle a skirmish ensued between the former Pool player and half the Darlington team!

As soon as referee Paul Rejer managed to calm things down substitute Clarke was booked, although the free-kick went to Darlington, much to the annoyance of the home fans.

That incident seemed to liven both teams up, particularly Darlington, who went ahead in the 35th minute through Liddle.

Hodgson whipped in a cross from the left and the captain glanced his header past former Barnsley goalkeeper Kevin Miller.

The home side were clearly taken aback by the goal, which had come against the run of play.

Still recovering from Liddle's strike, the Grecians found themselves two goals behind three minutes from half-time through Clarke, with his first goal for the club since signing from Halifax at the start of the season.

Ashley Nicholls' corner fell to Liddle and his attempted shot found its way to Clarke, who smashed his shot into the roof of the net in front of the small contingent of travelling Quakers fans.

Exeter made a double subsitution at half-time as they looked for a way back into the game, with Andy Roscoe and Reinier Moor replacing Gareth Sheldon and Matthew Lock.

Roscoe should have pulled a goal back for his side when he was played in by Coppinger following Betts' slip, but the striker spent far too much time on the ball and Quakers cleared.

Martin Thomas and Roscoe both went close before Quakers made it three through Barry Conlon, who claimed his sixth goal of the season when he headed home at the back post from Nicholls' corner.

Nicholls wrapped things up when he tapped into an empty net in injury time after Miller had saved with his feet from a one-on-one with substitute Glenn Naylor.

The goal left many home fans heading for the exits, similar to the scenes witnessed at Feethams a week earlier, as Tait celebrated his first game in charge in emphatic style.

Result: Exeter City 0 Darlington 4.

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