No repeat of cup shock for Quakers

ALMOST 26 years to the day since Darlington suffered a humbling defeat at Telford, Quakers returned to the scene of their FA Cup embarrassment and ensured there would be no repeat.

An early goal from Gary Smith provided a platform on which they strolled into the FA Trophy quarter-finals.

The 3-0 victory means that the Wembley dream continues and ensured Telford were not handed any additional cup shock memories – as far as Darlington are concerned, they already have quite enough.

In 1985 they were handed a tie at Everton – today’s equivalent is Crawley travelling to Manchester United – as reward for turning Quakers over at the fourth round stage.

Anyone not familiar with Darlington missing out on Goodison Park will have certainly known all about it after spending a day at the New Bucks Head ground on Saturday when the hosts wallowed in nostalgia.

Players from Telford’s ’85 team were introduced to the crowd, highlights from the Everton game were screened in the club’s bars while Quakers’ 3-0 defeat was featured in the programme on a day of reminiscing for the Bucks.

The stakes might not have been so high this time around, but that did not matter to Darlington as they continued on a road to Wembley that has seen them score ten goals in three Trophy games.

Three more on Saturday, on a day when some feared the worst for Mark Cooper’s men, silenced any doubts.

A run of only two away wins all season coupled with a tie at promotion-chasing Telford, fourth in the division below, did not bode well.

“I’m sure people might have been looking at this tie thinking there could be an upset,”

admitted Cooper.

“Telford are going well and might win promotion. They have only lost once at home all season and the other night we lost 4-0 at Luton.

“So people might have felt it was a banana skin but we didn’t. We knew that if we imposed our game and how we want to play then we could hurt them and we did that.

“Full credit to our players, we fully deserved to win. The early goal settled us down and gave us the belief to go on and take control.”

That goal came inside two minutes with Smith scoring from 12 yards. The midfielder side-footed into the net after Liam Hatch’s effort, following an Aaron Brown cross, was parried by keeper Ryan Young.

Buoyed by the early advantage, for the next 25 minutes the action rarely left the hosts’ half as Darlington enjoyed their best spell of the game.

But only John Campbell tested Young. The former Newcastle Benfield striker is not shy of shooting and a ninth minute close-range effort, following a Brown corner, was well saved by the keeper.

Cooper said: “We told them that if they could pass the ball correctly and make the right decisions while under pressure, then we’d create chances.

“We did that, especially in the first half, when we made the pitch big by passing the ball really well.

“We played with our fullbacks pushed as forward as we could. That’s where you get your width from in the diamond formation.

“We were comfortable the whole game. No matter who you’re playing against, the opposition are going to have one or two opportunities.”

Telford regained their composure in the latter stages of the first half with Darlington pinned into their own half.

The Bucks’ two best opportunities came either side of the break, the first after Dan Burn, in for the cup-tied Adam Quinn, misjudged Young’s punt.

That allowed striker Andy Brown to prod the ball beyond the onrushing Sam Russell but a magnificent goal-line clearance by Ian Miller maintained Quakers’ lead.

Soon after the restart a Telford inswinging corner was cleared off the line by Miller and thereafter Russell was well protected.

Campbell has impressed in his two games with his pace and touch, though he should have done better than to screw wide from 12 yards when released by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

The match-clinching second came from midfielder Aman Verma on 73 minutes.

He maintained his record of scoring in every Trophy tie with a bicycle kick following Burn’s header across goal after a Brown corner.

But there was still time for drama with Young sent off for lashing out at Hatch. The striker had challenged the keeper for the ball, but Young retaliated and referee Mr Adcock had no option but to show a red.

“The keeper swung his arm and caught Hatchy straight in the face. My only question is, should it have been a penalty as well?” said Cooper.

“He booked Hatch as well so it was a strange one really.

I’m sure the Telford people will have a go at the referee.

But I felt we played well, we gave a good account of ourselves and now we’re into the quarter-finals.”

The scoring was completed when Nathan Modest fired home in injury time.

Striker Brown had to go in goal for Telford, but he could do nothing to stop Modest, on as a sub, as he latched on to Smith’s through-ball and poked the ball past the keeper.

The goal meant Darlington matched the scoreline Telford recorded in 1985. Twenty-six years on and this time it is Quakers who hope to one day be reminiscing about a glorious cup campaign.

* While Darlington were reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy, their youth team won their quarter-final tie at home to Morecambe 3-2 in the Football League Youth Alliance Cup.

Match facts

Goals:

0-1: G Smith (2, calm finish from close-range after Hatch’s shot had been parried by the keeper)

0-2: Verma (73, impressive bicycle kick following Burn’s header across goal)

0-3: Modest (90, poked past the keeper from the edge of the penalty area)

Bookings: Burn (43, foul); Mills (83, foul); Hatch (90, foul) Sending-off: Young (80, violent conduct)

Referee: J D Adock (Nottingham) – Got himself confused before the break when he was not sure who to book after a Burn tackle, but got the sending-off correct 7

Attendance: 1,505

Entertainment: ***

AFC TELFORD (4-4-2): Young 5; Salmon 6, Whitehead 5 (Murray 54, 5), Killock 6, Newton 5; Gwynne 5 (Meechan 60, 6), Rodgers 6 (Carey- Bertram 77), Trainer 7, Mills 6; Brown 6, LAWRIE 7. Subs (not used): Platt (gk), Adams DARLINGTON (4-1-2-1-2):

6 Russell: Protected by the defence, though made a couple of decent saves when called upon;

7 Arnison: Made a goal-line clearance early in the second half when the score was 1-0

8 Miller: Two superb goal-line clearances, one in each half, were crucial to Quakers

7 Burn: The teenager again did not look out of place as deputy for the cup-tied Adam Quinn

7 Brown: Allowed to roam forward from left-back and two of his deliveries helped create two of the goals;

7 Chandler: Was at the hub of much of the action and rarely lost possession;

8 VERMA: Some neat touches in the opposition half opened up the play and his strike was superbly executed

7 G Smith: Scored the vital early goal and his pass set up Modest for the third goal;

6 Bridge-Wilkinson: Did not excel himself with much of his passing coming away from the opposition penalty area

5 Hatch: The Telford keeper saw red after making contact with Hatch, which was the striker’s biggest impact on the game

7 Campbell: On the end of a handful of good chances, but it is only a matter of time before he gets his first goal Subs:

Modest (for Campbell 68): His pace caused problems for a tiring Telford and he grabbed the third goal in injury time 7

Moore (Arnison 89)

(not used): St Louis-Hamilton (gk), Main, Senior

MAN OF THE MATCH

AMAN Verma – his eye-catching goal, his fourth for the club, clinched the tie.