Darlington 1 Worksop 2

Harratt 11 mins, 0-1, Howells 47 mins 1-1, Witham 62 mins 1-2

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Attendance 1698

......Max Howells scores the equaliser but then goes off injured

-----Tom Platt and Max Kilsby also go off injured

......Latest signing Tom Bryant makes his debut

Quakers slipped to defeat against a well-organised Worksop at Blackwell Meadows.

After going behind in the first half, Max Howells fired Quakers level just after the restart, but the visitors recovered and scored the winner. 

However, Quakers were hit by three injuries during the game: Tom Platt soon after Worksop opened the scoring, Max Howells just after he scored the equaliser, and Max Kilsby in a bone-crunching 50/50 tackle near the end.

Darlington keeper Bobby Jones was the first into action, holding a low cross by Oli Greaves from the right, then Worksop’s Lewis Whitham cut in from the left but fired well over the bar,

And Worksop took the lead on 11 minutes when Whitham crossed from the left for Kian Harratt to touch in at the far post as the Quakers; defence hesitated.

Quakers were then forced into a sub, with Tom Platt going off with a knock, and Sam Hetherington coming on. Scott Barrow took the skipper's armband.

The visitors went looking for a second, and Aleks Starcenko tried his luck from 25 yards, but was well wide.

They also won two corners, which were wasted before Quakers had their first opening on 29 minutes.

Mark Beck was fouled a few yards outside the Worksop area, and Ellis Stanton managed to get the ball around the wall, but Worksop keeper Max Dearnley saved at the foot of the left hand post.

With the breeze behind them, Worksop went close with a left foot shot by Greaves from outside the area, while at the other end Max Howells evaded a couple of tackles, but couldn’t get enough behind his shot that was saved by Dearnley.

And on half time, a left wing corner was cleared as far as Hetherington, who fired over the bar from the edge of the box.

Half time 0-1

Quakers had a chance on the restart, a ball into the box wasn’t cleared by Worksop, and Mark Beck was unlucky to see his right foot deflected over from ten yards out.

Quakers scored from Paddy McLaughlin's right wing corner, that was cleared as far as Max Howells, who fired a low shot past the keeper from ten yards.

But Howells went off injured on 53 minutes, and was replaced by Tom Henson.

Toby Lees did well to keep possession for Quakers midway inside the Worksop half and he almost put Dylan Stephenson through, but a defender just managed to get a toe to the ball for a corner.

Worksop went back in front on 62 minutes. Quakers were caught on the break, and the ball was played out to the left for Liam Waldock to pull across the face of goal, and Whitham, completely unmarked, tapped in at the far post.

Quakers made a third sub on 73 minutes,  Aidan Rutledge coming on for Hetherington, and straight away Rutledge was involved, when he nodded down a left wing cross by Max Kilsby for Beck to turn and fire straight at Dearnley.

Quakers made sub number 4 on 81 minutes, when Tom Bryant, signed on Friday, came on for Stephenson, then Kilsby went off injured and was replaced by Ben Hedley.

They forced a corner with two minutes left, but Dearnley held on to McLaughlin’s inswinger.  They piled on the pressure in the closing minutes, but couldn’t break through.

Final:  Darlington 1 Worksop 2

Darlington team: Jones, Thompson, Lees, Barrow, Kilsby (sub Hedley 83), Platt (sub Hetherington 13, Sub Rutledge 73), McLaughlin, Stanton, Stephenson (sub Bryant 81), Howells (sub Henson 53), Beck.

Subs:  Wilkinson, Mason

Booking: Stephenson 72, Stanton 92