AFTER looking as dead as a dodo when they stood on minus three points after losing their first 11 games, Darlington have won two on the trot.

They will have to make it three this week at Keighley, who are just above them, if they are to further fan the embers of their survival battle in North One East.

The dramatic victory against out-of-sorts Middlesbrough was particularly sweet for new coach Sean Richardson against his former club.

Darlington deserved to win chiefly because Middlesbrough didn’t, although the visitors deserve credit for showing bags of spirit.

Whereas they have been in the habit of capitulating when under pressure, this time they refused to yield after falling behind three times.

Both teams scored a pushover try when the opposition had a forward in the sinbin, but while Boro’s came eight minutes from time to edge them a point ahead, Darlington’s was touched down in the final seconds by Richard Snowball.

It also earned a rare bonus point in a match of poor quality, which did at least have the merit of being closely-fought.

Snowball was one of the few to rise above the general malaise as both teams strove to overcome the pre-match withdrawals which have become common for struggling clubs.

Darlington had to field heavyweight Neil Scullion, a stalwart of the lower teams, in the second row. But he didn’t last long, forcing Joe Oselton to move back from prop, while Joe Hargreaves went off the bench to make a pleasing return in the front row.

Boro brought in Adam Nolson for his league debut on the right wing, where he looked lively on the few occasions he had the ball.

Already without their firstchoice centres, Boro had to play coach Martin Featherstone at fly half for the first 25 minutes as Simon O’Farrell had been delayed in transit.

O’Farrell initially made a difference as Boro turned a 7- 5 deficit into a 15-7 lead shortly after half-time.

They made a lively start in the second half, but the Darlington forwards refused to back down. If they performed like Henry Cooper the backs were more like Tommy Cooper after being shuffled in selection and re-shuffled prior to the start.

Darlington have long had a penchant for the catch-anddrive and that was what won them the game.

Their first score was a penalty try, awarded when their drive for the line was illegally halted, the third try came down that route from all of 22 metres, and prior to the clincher they drove to the line but were held up.

The exception was the try which began the fightback from 15-7 down as Snowball drove off the back of a scrum and Henry Carver took a pass on the burst to bounce off a tackle then stretch over.

Mark Baldwin added a good conversion and was also on target when flanker Shane O’Dowling-Keane finished the 22-metre drive.

Darlington then led 21-15 but indiscipline crept in and the pushover try swiftly followed, giving Boro skipper and No 8 Richie Barker his second after he had barged over from a quickly-taken penalty in the fourth minute.

Featherstone scrambled over shortly after switching to centre on O’Farrell’s arrival, when an astute kick to the left corner saw Darlington caught in possession just short of the line.

O’Farrell followed his conversion from near the touchline with a drop goal which wobbled over just after halftime.

The fly half also sparked a move which would have brought a try had the ball not been dropped with the line beckoning, but Darlington were equally culpable after a lively break by scrum half Arun Keens.

They were never going to score through flowing backs moves, but in their position the less glamorous route to the line is not to be sniffed at.