Dunston 0 Darlington 3

Darlington extended their lead at the top of the Northern League thanks to a 3-0 win at Dunston today, a match of two pivotal penalties.

Both teams had one spot kick each but Quakers were the only team to take their chance from 12 yards and that was typical of each team's fortune in front of goal: Darlington took their chances and Dunston didn't.

The match hinged on Dunston’s chance to score before the break when Gary Brown felled Stephen Goddard inside the penalty area, but Quakers keeper Jack Norton leapt to his left to keep out Andrew Bulford’s effort.

Within 120 seconds of that chance, Darlington took the lead thanks to Joe Tait.

He became Darlington’s eighth different scorer this season when he got on the end of a Chris Emms free-kick, burying a header after find space at the far post.

Dunston’s Ben Cattanach hit the post with a header who also piled on the pressure at the beginning of the second half.

Norton had to make a double-save to deny Michael Dixon, Stephen Harrison cleared a Terry Galbraith effort off the goal-line and Bulford headed over the bar as the hosts were unable to take their chances.

Darlington made the Tyesiders pay by adding a second goal on 72 minutes.

Keeper Liam Connell hauled down Leon Scott, but somehow the keeper escaped further punishment despite being the last man.

The issue did not bother Shaun Reay, though, who blasted his spot-kick high into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

The scoring was completed in injury time when 16-year-old Connor Lowes intercepted a weak backpass and rounded Connell to score on his second appearance for the club.

With Spennymoor and West Auckland both in FA Cup action, Darlington are now six points clear at the top of the table. They next play on Wednesday at home to Durham City.

*Goalkeeper Dale Connor and defender Matthew Grieve have both left Darlington.

Connor signed in the summer and played in Tuesday's Durhan Challenge Cup defeat to Hebburn while Grieve joined at the of last month from Ashington with his sole league start being a 4-1 defeat at Guisborough.

Goals: Tait (26, 0-1), Reay pen (72, 0-2), Lowes (90, 0-3)

Bookings: None

Referee: Shane Sugden

Attendance: 753

Dunston UTS: Connell, Gibson, Cattanach, Robson, Swailes, Shaw (Herron 33), Burrell, Dixon, Goddard (Fisher 80), Bulford (Preen 74), Galbraith. Subs (not used): Clark (gk), Pickering

Darlington: Norton; Harrison, Brown, Tait, Smith; Emms (Richardson 77), Ellison, Scott, Nicholls (Clough 90); Amar Purewal, Reay (Lowes 88). Subs (not used): Porter (gk), Gregan