Bishop Auckland 1 Darlington 4

Darlington produced another very good performance in a 4-1 friendly win at Heritage Park tonight.

Manager Alun Armstrong fielded 19 players in the 90 minutes, giving 45 minutes to several triallists, and 90 minutes to Terry Galbraith, Jamie Holmes and Michael Liddle. Overall, it was another very promising performance that will add to the rising optimism around the club.

Quakers started at a fast tempo, and missed some good chances to take the lead, Justin Donawa and Omar Holness both going close.

Darlington keeper Cameron Hall had barely touched the ball when he was beaten by a powerful 30 yarder by Bishops' Bailey Prudhoe, that flew into the top corner of the net.

Bishops were only in front for five minutes, when Jamie Holmes, who was always a threat on the left hand side, cut in from the left and hit a right foot shot that Bishops keeper Tom Flynn couldn't keep out.

AA put out a stronger team for the second half, which they dominated.

Holmes was just off target with a right foot shot, then he dribbled past three defenders before having a shot blocked.

Quakers took the lead on the hour, when a good move down the left hand side ended with Adam Campbell pulling the ball back across the six yard box for Holmes to turn in.

Campbell and Jarrett Rivers were both denied before Campbell set up triallist Lucas Bell to fire home.

Bell saved the best moment of skill in the match until the last minute. He controlled a diagonal ball on the left touchline, avoided the tackle of a defender, wrong footed another, and then curled a delightful right foot shot over the keeper into the net.

Starting eleven

Hall, Halliday, Liddle, Bascome, Galbraith, Burn, Donawa, Holness, Tyrell, Scott, Holmes.
Subs: Elliott, Laing, Hatfield, Rivers, Glover, Campbell, Bell, Atkinson

Second half eleven

Elliott, Atkinson, Liddle, Laing, Galbraith, Glover, Hatfield, Rivers, Bell, Campbell, Holmes