Darlington Through to Next Round of FA Cup

Darlington Through to Next Round of FA Cup

Three second half goals, all of them from setpieces, put Quakers into the first qualifying round of the FA Cup.

It was the first time that we’d won an FA Cup tie since beating Mossley in November 2010, and the first time we’d won a replay in the FA Cup since beating Solihull way back in 1997.

Most of the early pressure belonged to Quakers, but we didn’t create a chance until the 10th minute, when Terry Galbraith moved forward and hit a deflected 30 yarder into the hands of keeper Dan Lowson.

Quakers went close on 16 minutes when David Dowson burst forward and hit a low shot that Lowson could only hold at the second attempt, then Adam Mitchell, with hardly any backlift, struck a dipping right foot shot just over the bar.

But at the other end Robbie Briggs opened up the home defence with a good run through the middle, but from his lay off Steve Richardson sidefooted tamely at Peter Jameson, then Alex Francis forced Jameson to his knees with a low shot from an acute angle.

Lowson pulled off a good save on 38 minutes when Stephen Thompson, who had switched wings, pulled the ball back from the right for Mitchell to hit first time right footed from the edge of the area, but the former Darlington keeper saved low down.

West were awarded a penalty on 39 minutes when Knight turned quickly inside the Darlington box on the right and was tripped by Galbraith, and the former Newcastle youngster tucked the spot kick into the bottom left hand corner with Jameson beaten.

West nearly went 2-0 up from a quickly taken free kick that ended with Jameson fumbling a Ward cross, and Brown somehow cleared Richardson’s follow up shot off the line. That was a turning point, because Quakers levelled on the hour.

Lowson, who had just received lengthy treatment, pushed a low shot from Dowson around his left hand post. Galbraith curled a teasing corner into the six yard and West defender Darryl Hall turned the ball past his own keeper.

Lowson pulled off a superb save a minute later, when Thompson crossed for Dowson to head towards the top corner, but Lowson went full length to tip the ball over the bar.

Quakers took the lead on 69 minutes from another setpiece, this time from the opposite side. Adam Mitchell curled the ball to the corner of the six yard box, to where Armstrong timed his run perfectly and headed past Lowson off the inside of the post.

Quakers then became guilty several times of being nervously caught in possession, and on one occasion Knight dispossessed Brown and played a 1-2 with Richardson, but fired over.

Quakers made sure five minutes from the end, when Mitchell swung a corner over to the far post, where Liam Hatch, who had only been on the field for a few seconds, headed into the top corner and gave Darlington their first FA Cup replay win in 17 years.