Liam Hatch was sent off after only four minutes having tangled with defender Ryan Frater in Quakers’ penalty area.

After a brief delay while referee Ben Cooke consulted a linesman for his view, Hatch was red-carded – it is understood, for having thrown a punch – leaving his team-mates with an uphill task and he is sure to incur the wrath of manager Martin Gray.

St Neots are third in the Southern Premier League, a level above Darlington, so the visitors did well to keep it to 0-0 at half-time.

They held their shape, defending as a team, with Gary Brown moving to centre-back and Adam Mitchell dropping to right-back.

Quakers could even have taken the lead, 44-year-old goalkeeper Paul Bastock doing well to deal with Stephen Thompson’s powerfully-hit volley.

And they had an even better chance after St Neots lost possession cheaply in midfield, Ben Ford and Nathan Frater, brother of Ryan, tackling each other, giving the ball to Leon Scott who charged through midfield and gave the ball to Graeme Armstrong whose shot was saved by Bastock and Scott’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Ryan Frater.

Peter Jameson saved with his feet to stop Lewis Hilliard and Brown cleared from the six yard box after Nathan Frater slid the ball into the corridor of uncertainty.

Perhaps suspecting Darlington would attempt to slow the game down, the referee booked Jameson for time-wasting early in the second half.

The game continued to be even, little between the sides, the ten men creating chances and Armstrong shot wide after a neat turn which left Ryan Frater on his substantial backside.

With the rain now pelting down, St Neots cheered, thinking they’d scored from a corner, but the ball had hit the side-netting after Ryan Frater header towards goal at a corner.

Referee Cooke again warned the already-booked Jameson about time wasting, but there was little chance of the Quakers keeper looking to slow the game down once Hilliard gave St Neots the lead.

It was a lovely strike, one that Jameson had no chance of stopping, to put St Neots ahead on 70 minutes, curling into the net from corner of penalty area.

The lead lasted seven minutes, lovely footwork in the penalty area and a composed finish seeing Amar Purewal equalise.

But seemingly they had not regained their focus after the restart because within 60 seconds Neots were 2-1 up.

Drew Roberts scored with a header, a rare moment when Darlington were beaten in the air inside their own penalty area, after meeting Ben Ford's left-wing cross.

The goals made for a thrilling contest, Darlington throwing men forward in attempt to equalise again while the hosts look good for a third and it was almost 3-1, Jameson saving Hilliard’s spectacular 35-yard effort.

Bastock gathered Thompson’s powerful effort from 20 yards after cutting inside from the left, but it was game over on 84 minutes when Hilliard netted again, this time after a Darlington mistake.

The hosts made the most of an under-hit Hunter back pass, Roberts seizing on it and playing the ball to Hilliard to tap in.

It had been encouraging performance by Darlington, who can be proud of their effort in the circumstances, but the consequences are severe.

As well as Hatch picking up a suspension, Hunter was booked so he will miss one game, joining Gary Brown on the suspended list.

Meanwhile, there was boost elsewhere as promotion rivals Salford and Droylsden both lost, leaving Quakers three points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Their next game is in seven days’ time against Clitheroe at Heritage Park.

Goals: Hilliard (70, 1-0); Purewal (77, 1-1); Roberts (78, 2-1), Hilliard (84, 3-1)

Bookings: Portas (13, foul), Jameson (50, foul); Davies (61, foul); Hunter (73, foul), Dowson (86, foul)

Sending-off: Hatch (4, serious foul play)

Referee: Ben Cooke

Attendance: 715

St Neots Town (4-4-2): Bastock; Deeney, R Frater, Hoyte, York; Hilliard, Spring, Davies, Ford (Cracknell 79); Frater (Dillon 76). Subs (not used): Farrell, Ferrari, Ward

Darlington (4-4-2): Jameson; Brown, Hatch, Hunter, Watson; A Mitchell, Scott (Galbraith 62), Portas, Thompson; Purewal, Armstrong (Dowson 56). Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Lovegreen, Cocks

Match Report Courtesy of the Northern Echo.