Late goal by Cedric puts Quakers through
By Ray Simpson
Into the third round
Darlington 1 Buxton 0
Attendance 995
Scorer: Main 90 mins
A superb last minute goal by Cedri Main put Quakers into the third round of the Trophy.
The dreaded penalties were looming, until Hatfield set up Main to grab his fourth goal of the season.
Darlington started with plenty of promise, and Ali Alshabeeb almost threaded the ball through for Cameron Salkeld, but a defender intercepted.
Buxton won the first corner on three minutes, and it ended with a low shot by Connor Kirby that Peter Jameson blocked, and the keeper recovered to save the follow up from Diego De Girolamo.
Buxton won a second corner on 6 minutes, and the ball was floated over for Stobbs to get a header in, but off target.
Ethan Fitzhugh then played a 1-2 to get in a low shot that Jameson saved.
Quakers responded with a ball through by Will Hatfield for Cedric Main, who tried to touch the ball past the keeper True Grant, but the keeper blocked.
After a break in play while Cedric Main received treatment and then Finn Delap went off injured and was replaced by Josh Williams, Josh Popoola had a chance that hit the side netting.
The game lost its rhythm because of that stoppage and one for a Buxton player, and Quakers won two corners which came to nothing.
They created a chance on 45 minutes when Rivers played the ball in from the left for Alshabeeb to find Main, whose right foot shot from the edge of the box was saved by Grant.
Just on the half time whistle, Main crossed neatly from the right to the far post where Maskell sidefooted just wide at the far post.
Half time 0-0
At the start of the second half, Maskell was pulled up for a foul on Burton, which prevented the Darlington forward bearing down on goal.
Jameson pulled off a good save when De Girolamo set up Fitzhugh to fire in a right foot shot that the keeper parried to his left.
Alshabeeb responded with a right foot shot that went over from 25 yards, and then went on a good run that took him to the edge of the box, but Main couldn’t control his pass.
Quakers then made two subs, Alshabeeb and Maskell coming off for Matty Cornish and Caden Kelly. Cornish nearly scored with his first touch from Kelly’s free kick, a right foot shot from 25 yards that went just wide of the right hand post, then Salkeld put an effort from the edge of the box over the bar.
Quakers had another chance when Flint put Salkeld through, but the keeper blocked his shot.
Quakers kept the pressure going, and Kelly set up Cornish, who had an effort blocked, and the ball ran for Main, whose shot was cleared off the line.
Cornish then set up Kelly, whose dipping right foot shot was pushed around the post
Kelly showed great skill to cut in from the left and hit a low right foot shot that looked as if it was going in the bottom corner, but Grant got down well to save.
Then Kelly crossed from the left for Main to head wide.
Cornish created another chance for Kelly on 85 minutes, but he fired straight at the keeper as Quakers finished the stromger team.
Penalties were now looming.
But in the last minute of normal time, Hatfield made a good run through the middle, and set up Main to sidestep two defenders and hit a right foot shot past Grant
Final score: Darlington 1 Buxton 0
Team: Griffiths, Barrow, Lees, Griffiths, Flint, Hatfield, Alshabeeb (sub Kelly 58), Rivers, Salkeld, Main, Maskell (sub Cornish 58)
Subs: Hedley, Platt, Cornish, Rudd, Kelly.
Thanks to our match sponsors, Cadec
and our matchball sponsors, Leada Autoparts
