Schofield helps Quakers

After getting lost in the city centre on their way to the ground and missing the 2pm deadline for handing in the teamsheet, Quakers looked as if they were heading for a morale-sapping defeat - until Schofield boosted them with a neat last-minute own goal.

Quakers deserved something out of the game after a good first half, but again their finishing let them down. That, however, was until Schofield, who had only been on the field for four minutes, helped them out in the dying minutes.

Just like in the last away game at Plymouth, Quakers looked comfortable and played some good football. They lost their way at the start of the second half but rolled their sleeves up and battled back in the closing stages, although most of the fans were resigned to defeat when the equaliser came.

But Schofield's misfortune wasn't as bizarre as a 36th-minute penalty award to Darlington, which referee Paul Armstrong ordered to be retaken after he decided that Lincoln keeper Chris Day moved off his line.

How many times since the rules regarding the movement of keepers on the goalline were changed have you seen a penalty ordered to be retaken for that reason?

Not many, and Darlington midfielder Brian Atkinson was delighted that Armstrong had an eagle eye, because he converted the retake.

Both gifts were gratefully accepted, especially as the bottom two sides, Exeter and Carlisle, both won.

Make no mistake about it, Darlington are still deep in trouble and they need to maintain this level of performance - especially as their next game is at third-bottom York this Saturday.

But again, there is a nagging doubt about taking their chances. After all, you shouldn't have to depend on a member of the home team to score.

Darlington manager Gary Bennett was in an upbeat mood at the end of the game, in stark contrast to his deep depression after the defeat by Chesterfield last Saturday.

"For an hour I thought we carved them open, but we didn't finish them off," said Bennett.

"We might have left it a little bit late to get a point, but at least we kept plugging away.

"The players didn't collapse, which is encouraging. It could have been easy for them to stop playing after being 1-0 up, and then 2-1 down.

"I thought we played well enough in the first half to score a couple of goals. I thought the foul on Jesper Hjorth was definitely a penalty, but I told the players at half time that the referee might try to even things up, and to watch themselves.

"He gave a penalty against Craig Liddle for deliberate handball, but what could Craig do? He couldn't get out of the way of the ball, because it was straight at him. It wasn't as if he stuck his hand out.

"After they went in front, I thought we stood up to them, and deserved the equaliser - we could even have won it. But we missed chances before the equaliser which were easier to score than miss. I thought I was going to have to get that tape out again!"

Bennett admitted that he didn't watch the penalty saga in the first half.

"I never watch penalties," he said. "I heard the groans from our fans when Brian missed the first one, but I had to turn away again when I saw the referee telling him to retake it"

And Bennett admitted that he almost substituted John Williams, but he provided the cross for Schofield to put into his own net.

"I thought about taking him off, because I thought we could have got a little bit more out of him.

"It's matter of him getting fit, because he hardly played for five months at York."

Darlington, who made four changes from last week, wasted two corners in a good start to the game, and after Andy Collett saved from John Finnigan, settled into some good football, with Jesper Hjorth and Glenn Naylor full of running.

Hjorth approached his strong running form of last season, fired across the face of goal from 25 yards after 15 minutes, and then forced Chris Day into a full-length save three minutes later.

He also headed down a Paul Heckingbottom cross, but neither Adam Marsh or Paul Campbell, on his return to the first team, could get a touch six yards out.

And when Justin Walker sent him tumbling just inside the area, referee Armstrong pointed to the spot.

Atkinson sent Day the wrong way, but unfortunately also saw the ball creep past the post. However, he quickly took his head out of his hands when the referee ordered the kick to be retaken following a misdemeanour by Day, and this time, he managed to beat the keeper.

The half time break came at just the wrong time for Quakers as Lincoln were more direct in the second half.

They levelled after 56 minutes when Armstrong said the outstanding Liddle used his arm to block a shot from Tony Battersby, and former Guisborough player Steve Holmes scored from the spot.

And three minutes later Quakers were behind when Battersby swivelled and volleyed a Walker cross past Collett from six yards.

Quakers managed to bounce back for the last 15 minutes, but it looked as if their finishing would let them down.

But when Williams pulled the ball back from the left Schofield did the rest in the last minute.