Ferryhill Athletic  2 Darlington Under 23s 0

With over nine players missing from the squad and three new players coming into the side, the game was always going to be a challenge.

The lads stuck to the game plan perfectly for the opening 45 minutes, producing some excellent counter-attacking football while remaining solid defensively with some excellent goalkeeping by MOTM Liam Mason, Darlington were unlucky not to go into the break in front after creating a few promising opportunities.

The message at half-time was simple: keep doing the same things and look to take one of the chances.

However, five minutes into the second half yhey conceded a disappointing penalty after an unnecessary challenge, allowing Ferryhill to take the lead. Shortly after, a scramble in the box wasn’t dealt with despite a couple of chances to clear the danger, and Ferryhill made it 2–0.

From there the game became stretched as Darlington pushed forward in search of a way back, but despite plenty of effort, clear-cut chances were limited as Ferryhill defended well.

Manager John Walters said; “First half we were excellent – great counter-attacking football and very solid defensively. But the second half turned in five crazy minutes when we gave away two poor goals. From then on we were chasing the game for 35 minutes, but we couldn’t create any real clear-cut chances as Ferryhill defended well. A positive first half but a poor second half ultimately summed up the game