Dariington 2 Bedford 0

Main 13 mins, 1-0, Maskell 47 mins, 2-0

Attendance 1595

Darlington recorded their third straight win to go fourth in the table.

Cedric Main gave Quakers the perfect start on 13 minutes, then just after half time Jack Maskell put them in the driving seat.

Quakers won a throw on the left in the second minute. The ball was thrown long by Scott Barrow for Elliot Forbes to put in a header that was saved by Nathan Ashmore.

At the other end, Rory Watson had to dash off his line to prevent Marsh getting to the ball after Ellis Brown’s shot was deflected.

Quakers had a half chance on 8 minutes, when Howells played the ball back to McGowan, who played a first time ball into the box where Stanton just failed to get a touch.

But Bedford responded when George Moncur cut in from the left and hit a right foot shot that Watson pushed up in the air before the ball was cleared.

Quakers took the lead after 13 minutes. Jack Maskell forced Ashmore into a good save at the foot of his post from a low cross by Tom Tweedy, but the ball came back out for Cedric Main to blast the ball into the net for his 15^th league goal of the season.

And there was nearly a second for him when McGowan chipped the ball into the box, but he couldn’t quite get a touch six yards out.

Maskell was causing problems, and when his run was stopped on the edge of the area, Forbes hit a first time shot straight at Ashmore.

However, Bedford kept plugging away, and former Darlington player Greg Taylor fired a right foot shot a couple of yards wide from the edge of the area.

Quakers nearly got another on 40 minutes when Tweedy, who was looking more and more confident on the left, crossed into the far post where Maskell couldn’t quite turn the ball in at full stretch.

Just on half time, a Scott Barrow free kick dropped for Toby Lees, who had a volley blocked.

Half time:

Darlington 1 Bedford Town 0

Quakers started the second half with a left foot shot by Howells that Ashmore saved.

Then on 47 minutes, Quakers scored the decisive second, when Tweedy sent Main away down the left, and he crossed perfectly to the far post where Maskell came charging in to head home his 12th goal of the season.

Quakers kept the pressure going, and on 55 minutes had a penalty shout when Tweedy went down when he tried to pick up a Maskell nod down, but the referee waved play on.

Then Stanton set up Main, whose right foot shot was saved by Ashmore.

Aidan Rutledge came on as sub and nearly scored with his first touch, a header from Tweedy’s left wing cross that was parried by the keeper, then he put the loose ball into the side netting from a tight angle.

Bedford replied and Watson had to touch a header by George Moncur over the bar.

But Quakers soon got on top again and Howells fired a right foot shot over the top from the edge of the box, then Tweedy put a right foot shot wide after Barrow’s long throw had been cleared to him.

Rutledge and Maskell were unlucky when they tried to unlock the visiting defence between them.

Bedford had a late rally, and Moncur fired over from the edge of the box, while Main just failed to get on the end of a pass by McGowan.

Final score: Darlington 2 Bedford 0

Watson, Forbes, Lees, Barrow, Platt (sub Rutledge 62), Stanton, Howells (sub Myers-Smith 90), McGowan, Tweedy, Main, Maskell

Subs: Hedley, Cornish, McGrath, Lowes, Griffiths

Booking: Stanton

Thanks to our match sponsor, Tempest Jones

And our matchball sponsor, RD Safety Services