Darlington’s Under 23 side were easily beaten 6-2 against Wynyard on Saturday.

With a thin squad and no recognised strikers available, it was always going to be a challenge. At half-time, the Under 23s were 4–1 down after a very poor defensive display in the first 45 minutes. The one bright moment came from 17-year-old Bradley Silvester, who scored a fantastic goal.

The message at the break was simple: win the second half. Quakers came out with intent and created chances, but missed three big opportunities inside the box in the opening 15 minutes that could have brought it back to 4–4. Pushing forward to chase the game left them exposed, and they were punished on the counter. Liam Murray scored a late consolation.

Manager John Walters was fuming after the game, and said; “Some players were not good enough to wear the shirt.

“The squad must come together in the final two games and show pride in their performances.

“With 11 players missing, this was always going to be difficult, but the defending today wasn’t good enough. With two games remaining, we need to improve quickly or we could find ourselves in trouble.

“Good luck to the lads for the final two games — time to show character and finish strong.”