Two goals inside a minute ended Darlington's six-game unbeaten run at promoted Brighton yesterday afternoon.

But Gary Bennett's men so nearly spoiled the promotion party with a battling display which was only ruined by some bad luck and some loose finishing.

Bennett, who tasted defeat for only the second time in 13 games, said: "I thought we matched Brighton for all of the game apart from the two goals.

"Some teams would have gone to Brighton on a day they were celebrating promotion and folded, but we didn't. We had a good first 20 minutes, but the two goals caught us cold."

The match started in a carnival atmosphere with the Brighton fans celebrating promotion.

And Quakers were on the defensive in the opening minutes when Paul Watson curled in a right wing corner and Paul Rogers scrambled the ball wide.

After former Darlington skipper Andy Crosby headed a free-kick into Andy Collett's hands, Quakers twice went very close to taking the lead.

Central defender Adam Reed headed a Mark Convery corner form the left over the top from six yards, then Glenn Naylor saw a volley from a Reed knockdown cleared off the line by Rogers.

And after 15 minutes Williams found space in midfield to shoot straight at Kuipers from the edge of the box as Quakers dominated.

Brighton snatched the lead out of the blue with a burst of two goals inside the 28th minute.

The defence failed to clear a long throw from the left by Kerry Mayo and Richard Carpenter, on the edge of the box, beat Collett with a right-foot shot which crept just inside the left-hand post.

And in Brighton's next attack Watson crossed from the right for Bobby Zamora to head into the roof of the net for his 28th goal of the season. There was nearly a flattering third on the half-hour mark, but Gary Hart headed wide from another Watson cross.

Quakers tried to hit back and the hard working Convery fired straight at Kuipers. But Zamora was proving a handful and from a long ball by Mayo he forced Collett into a save at his feet.

Quakers, who sent on substitutes Kirk Jackson and Jesper Hjorth for Williams and Naylor at the start of the second half, nearly pulled a goal back when Convery curled a free-kick into the Brighton box, but Reed headed into the keeper's hands.

And with a couple of minutes remaining Hjorth nodded the ball down to Jackson, buthis first-time volley failed to find the target.