DARLINGTON are still second bottom of the National League North table after they failed to record back-to-back wins once again as they lost 2-0 to Boston United at the Jakemans Stadium.

However, they will look back on some excellent missed chances in the first half, which could easily have given them the three points and reduced the current seven-point gap to safety.

Quakers started much brighter than Boston, and had a couple of good early openings.

Andrew Nelson found Jarrett Rivers inside the box in the first minute and the recalled midfielder had a shot blocked, and then keeper Aaron Chapman had to move quickly to push a teasing cross by Ben Hedley over the bar.

Quakers missed a great chance on 16 minutes when Cedric Main perfectly split the Boston defence for Andrew Nelson to run through, but his shot was blocked by the keeper.

And they had another opportunity when Main won possession just outside the Boston box as they were playing the ball out from the back, and he set up Will Hatfield whose shot was blocked.

Another chance went begging when Matty Cornish sprinted down the right and played the ball inside for Nelson, whose dipping right-foot shot landed just on the roof of the net.

But Boston went downfield from the goal kick and scored. Jimmy Knowles raced down the right, got past Cardo Siddik into the penalty area, and set up Mooney to tap in from a few yards.

It was nearly 2-0 when Knowles ran from midfield and struck a 25-yarder towards the top corner that Young calmly saved.

Quakers squandered some great chances before half-time. Rivers found Main on the left, and he crossed perfectly to the far post where Nelson failed to make contact in front of an open goal.

And just on the whistle, Rivers sent Cornish away, but Chapman came out quickly and blocked his effort.

Siddik pulled up limping after four minutes of the second half, and when he was off the field, Boston won a corner that came to nothing. Griffiths came on for Siddik.

Main, who always caused problems with his pace, made a great run that got him into the Boston six-yard box, and with two defenders blocking his way, couldn’t quite set up a team-mate.

Boston nearly got a second from a free-kick that was played into the box for Mooney to have a shot fisted away by Young. Mooney then headed the corner over the top from six yards.

After Quakers made two substitutions, Mitch Curry and Ben Liddle coming on for Nelson and Tom Platt, Boston scored their second.

A free-kick came in diagonally from the right to the left corner of the penalty area and the ball dropped for Knowles to fire right-footed past Young.

Boston nearly got a third, but Hedley managed to deflect Mooney’s effort over the bar.

However Darlington had lost their ability to open up the defence as they had done in the first half, and the game faded out.