Darlington 1 AFC Telford 0

At the end of a traumatic week that has seen Darlington humiliated in the FA Cup and proposals announced to cut the players' wages, they secured a much-needed win today at The Northern Echo Arena.

Chairman Raj Singh and the club's supporters will have been cheered by a 1-0 win over AFC Telford thanks to a penalty from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

The performance was far from Darlington at their best while the game itself was a tame affair, but a victory, no matter how it came, was required to raise morale.

They remain managerless, with caretaker boss Craig Liddle having announced he does not want the job on a permanent basis, and he oversaw a display that was a clear improvement on Tuesday's showing.

Quakers were comfortable for lengthy periods, particularly before half-time by which point they led thanks to Bridge-Wilkinson's third penalty of the season.

He scored after Ryan Bowman had been tripped in the area by Telford captain Shane Killock.

Soon after keeper Sam Russell produced an eye-catching save to stop Greg Mills' free-kick after Paul Arnison had fouled 20 yards out, and from a corner Chris Sharp was narrowly off-target with a header.

But that was as close to goal as the visitors got before the end of a first ha;f that ended with Jamie Chandler being denied close to goal, after being played in by Bowman, by a tremendous last-ditch Courtney Pitt tackle.

The second period was a drab, but it started brightly for Darlington with Bridge-Wilkinson taking the ball into the area past Sharp and blasting across goal, but the ball evaded both James Gray and Exodus Geohagon.

Gray and Geohagon were two of three players handed starts by Liddle with John McReady also restored to the line-up, with Adam Rundle, Kris Taylor and Aaron Brown all taken out of the starting line-up.

Geohagon played alongside Graeme Lee, who had an impressive game, and a solid piece of defending prevented Andy Brown from getting a clean header on the ball when Sharp delivered from the left.

There was another equally important header at the other end when Killock stooped to head clear with substitute James Walshaw lurking after Bowman aimed for the far post when cutting in from the left.

Walshaw, a replacement for John Campbell who suffered a hamstring problem, put a header into keeper Ryan Young's arms at the end of a Darlington counter attack in injury time as the visitors attempted to force an equaliser.

They threw men forward, including Young for a corner, but Darlington withstood the a couple of set-pieces with Russell doing well to catch the ball under pressure.

The result leaves Darlington 14th and they are without a game for a fortnight now with their next match being at Ebbsfleet on November 19.

Goals: Bridge-Wilkinson pen (20, 1-0)

Bookings: Preston (88, dissent)

Referee: Richard Wigglesworth (Nottinghamshire)

Attendance: 1,680 (101 visiting fans)

Darlington: Russell, Arnison, Geohagon, Lee, G Taylor, Chandler (Atkinson 62), McReady, Bridge-Wilkinson, Bowman, Campbell (Walshaw 65), Gray (K Taylor 85). Subs (not used: Nixon (gk), Hopson

AFC Telford United: Young, Salmon, Newton, Preston, Davies, Killock, Pitt (Reid), Mills, Sharp, Brown (Farrell 72), Adams (Trainer 86). Subs (not used): Whitehead, Robinson