DARLINGTON are now unbeaten in four games following a goalless draw with Alfreton at Blackwell Meadows.

However, Quakers picked up more injuries, with Elliot Forbes and Ben Hedley both limping out of the action, as they recorded their fourth successive clean sheet. 

Alfreton are renowned for their direct approach and they didn’t disappoint in the opening ten minutes, but Quakers’ defence coped with the tactic.

Quakers nearly opened the scoring on ten minutes with a header by Jack Maskell from a Scott Barrow corner that was deflected behind.

But Alfreton nearly scored from their first corner, which was swung over from the right for Max Hunt to put in a towering header that beat Peter Jameson but Maskell, covering behind, cleared off the line.

Injuries have dogged Quakers’ season, and they suffered another one on 13 minutes when Forbes limped off, and was replaced by Cameron Salkeld, which meant that Scott Barrow moved into the centre of defence.

Alfreton opened up the Quakers defence on 19 minutes with a long throw that was nodded down at the far post for David Moyo to side-foot wide.

There wasn’t much in the game after that until the 34th minute when Will Flint’s cross from the right was blocked for Matty Cornish to hit first time, but unfortunately straight at Willis.

Darlington skipper Barrow surged forward in an attempt to break the deadlock before half time, but his left foot shot went wide.

Quakers made their second sub on the resumption, with Kallum Griffiths coming on for Hedley.

Salkeld thought that he was breaking through on the right on 50 minutes, but the referee harshly pulled him up for a push.

Alfreton put a promising break together on the hour when they outnumbered the home defence, but Will Hatfield made an important interception inside his own area.

Andrew Nelson came on as sub for Jarrett Rivers on 64 minutes, and he had an opportunity soon after he came on when Salkeld found him on the overlap in the box, but his shot was charged down.

Barrow put a long range effort over the bar, before Alfreton nearly won it with six minutes left, with a header by sub Jake Day that went just wide of the left-hand post.