Darlington 1 Sunderland Under 23s 1

Scorer: Steels (36 mins, 0-1) Dos Santos (45 mins, 1-1)

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Quakers continued their progress with an encouraging 1-1 draw against Sunderland Under 23s.

After a slow start, Quakers improved as the game went on, and produced some good football with Kevin Dos Santos scoring a good goal and almost scoring another.

Sunderland put the Darlington defence under early pressure, but when Quakers attacked, Luke Charman put a great reverse ball through for Rivers, who couldn’t quite get past his man and won a throw in instead.

Quakers forced a couple of early corners without much success, but they nearly scored when Luke Charman wrong footed two defenders and crossed to the far post, but Kevin Dos Santos couldn’t get on the end of his cross.

Quakers nearly scored on 21 minutes when Kevin Dos Santos beat a defender on the left and crossed into the middle for the ball to hit Mondal and land in the keeper’s hands.

Sunderland scored with their first real attempt on 36 minutes when former Darlington youngster Vinnie Steels chased a through ball and beat Tommy Taylor with a low left foot shot, despite Lexus Beeden's attempt to keep the ball out.

Darlington keeper Tommy Taylor then went full length to push away a low free kick.

Quakers came to life in the five minutes before half time.

Joey Hope made a great run down the left on 41 minutes and put a great cross over to the far post, but Mondal couldn’t connect properly.
A minute later Luke Charman cut in from the left and struck a right foot shot that keeper Jack McIntyre saved at full stretch.
Just before half time Lexus Beeden found Mondal with a good ball up the left, and Mondal’s lob was saved by the keeper.
Quakers levelled just on the half time whistle. Will Hatfield made a surging run forward and found Dos Santos, who turned quickly and fired right footed past McIntyre.

Half time 1-1

Half time stats: 

Shots on target; 4/2

Shots off target: 1/1

Corners 2/0

Fouls committed 5/4

Offsides 1/4

Quakers made four subs at half time: Griffiths, Rivers, Hatfield and Charman all went off, Hedley, Purver, Ravenhill and Cassidy came on,

Dos Santos nearly put Quakers ahead on 52 minutes with a quick turn and a low shot from the corner of the box, but the keeper saved down to his right.

At the other end Alex Purver, now playing at centre half, broke up a Sunderland raid in his own penalty area.

Quakers made another two subs on 68 minutes, Cole Kiernan and Andrew Nelson coming on for Dos Santos and Mondal, then George Smith Smith replaced Beeden and Lucas Martin replaced Tommy Taylor.

Quakers were looking the more likely to score again at this stage , but Sunderland nearly broke the deadlock with a powerful free kick by Caden Kelly from 25 yards that hit the post with Martin beaten.

Triallist Omar Sanyang, who has been at Bradford PA, Scunthorpe and Tadcaster in the past, came on for Joe Wheatley.

Cole Kiernan thought he’d scored the winner when he picked up a great pass from Andrew Nelson and rounded the keeper to put the ball in the net, but he was flagged offside.

Stats: 

On target: 5/2

Off target: 6/3

Fouls 9/6

Corners 6/1

Offsides 5/4

Darlington: Taylor (sub Martin 75), Griffiths (sub Hedley 46), Beeden (sub Smith 63), Storey, Hope, Hatfield (sub Ravenhill 46), Mondal (sub Nelson 68), Wheatley (sub Sanyang 80), Rivers (sub Purver 46), Charman (sub Cassidy 46), Dos Santos (Sub Kiernan 68)

Sunderland: McIntyre, Scott, Almond, Wilding, Jessop, Richardson, Idowu, Harris, Wearne, Dyce, Steels.

Subs: Newell, Gardiner, Kelly, Cachosa, 

Here's our half time ad roll, thanks to Alex Holland: