Darlington Under 23s 1 Middlestone Moor 2

The Under 23s wasted some good chances and paid the price in their home game against Middlestone Moor.

 

Before the game the u23s donated their gate money to Middlestone Moor's Jordan Maughan who recently suffered a horrendous injury and we wish him well in his long road to recovery.

 

Losing Oliver Walters to injury during the warm-up, following his Man of the Match performance on Tuesday night, was a big blow and meant we had to reshuffle the starting line-up.

 

But the lads started brightly. Within the first five minutes, Jack Mortimer saw a great effort brilliantly saved by the Middlestone Moor goalkeeper, who went on to produce a Man of the Match performance, making numerous important saves throughout the 90 minutes.

 

The U23s put in a spirited performance and created plenty of chances, but once again a couple of defensive mistakes ultimately cost them points.

 

Middlestone Moor took the lead with a clever free-kick, although it should have been defended better and both the wall and goalkeeper could have done more.

 

The U23s continued to dominate possession and create opportunities but couldn’t find the breakthrough. With around 15 minutes remaining, after sustained pressure in the Middlestone Moor penalty area, Mortimer popped up in the right place and smashed home a deserved equaliser.

 

Unfortunately, with around 10 minutes left, another defensive mistake and hesitation on the edge of the box allowed a Middlestone Moor player a clear run through, and they slotted the ball home to make it 2–1.

 

The U23s threw everything forward in the final few minutes and put Middlestone Moor under huge pressure, but we couldn’t find the equaliser.

 

Manager John Walters said: “This was another game in which we dominated possession and created enough chances to get something from the game. We are missing too many gilt-edged chances at the moment, and then defensive mistakes are costing us points.

 

"I’m disappointed with the result because I believe the lads deserved more from the game. But I know the performances are there, and I’m convinced things will eventually turn in our favour. We just need to keep working hard, cut out the individual mistakes and start taking our chances.”