Our U23s fell to a 6–3 defeat away to a strong Belmont United side, despite a spirited attacking display and another standout performance from Reece Nelson, who bagged a brace and earned the Man of the Match award.

The unbeaten hosts made a fast start, taking the lead inside seven minutes and doubling their advantage midway through the first half. Belmont added a third shortly after, leaving Darlington chasing the game.

The U23s showed great resilience to respond, with Nelson pulling one back on the half-hour mark after linking well with the midfield before calmly slotting home. Momentum began to swing, and Steven Dawson reduced the deficit further with a composed finish on 42 minutes, sending the visitors into the break trailing 4–2 after Belmont restored a two-goal cushion just before half-time.

The second half saw Darlington continue to fight, but Belmont’s attacking threat proved difficult to contain as they added two more goals to stretch the scoreline to 6–2. However, the young Quakers refused to give up, and Nelson struck again in the 86th minute with a well-taken goal to cap off a strong individual performance.

Despite the result, there were positives to take — particularly in the character shown to keep pushing until the final whistle and the sharp finishing from Nelson and Dawson.