Darlington 4 Alfreton 1

Quakers survived an early scare to fight back and record their third successive win, to keep them joint top of the table.

It was a rapid fire  start to the game, with two goals inside the first two minutes!

Quakers went behind after 33 seconds, when they lost possession inside their own penalty area, and Craig Westcarr won the ball and set up Chris Sharp to score into the bottom corner.

But Quakers levelled after 94 seconds, when James Caton swivelled quickly inside the Alfreton box and fired into the roof of the net, his first goal for the club, and the sixth different goalscorer this season.

The action quietened down after that, with Quakers looking more settled and probing with a rampaging run by Gary Brown, that ended on the edge of the Alfreton box.

Alfreton created a chance on 16 minutes when Sam Topliss crossed from the right for Sharp to head towards goal, but Adam Bartlett held on comfortably

Alfreton made a sub on 20 minutes, Andre Johnson coming on for the injured Sharp.

Quakers had a chance on 23 minutes when Terry Galbraith chipped a free kick into the area for Brown to nod down for David Syers to fire over the top.

But Alfreton went straight up the other end and Billy Whitehouse hit a left footed snap shot that Bartlett pushed around the foot of his left hand post.

Quakers had a great chance on 32 minutes when Caton got past a defender on the left and crossed in his stride to the far post, and from six yards out Mark Beck was unlucky with a header that struck the bar.

Quakers went 2-1 up on 37 minutes when David Ferguson's cross from the left caused problems for the Alfreton defence, Syers had a header blocked, but the ball dropped nicely for Josh Gillies to steer home his second goal of the season.

And it was nearly 3-1 on the stroke of half time when Ferguson's run was stopped, but the ball ran square for Syers, whose low right foot shot was just pushed around the post by Elliott.

Half time: Darlington 2 Alfreton Town 1

Alfreton nearly levelled five minutes into the second half when Ryan Jennings floated a cross from the left into the box where Craig Disley met the ball with a glancing header, but Bartlett got down very well low to his left and kept the ball out.

But Quakers took control on 55 minutes when Syers had a shot blocked, but he regained possession and rolled the ball across the penalty area for David Ferguson to sidestep two defenders and beat the keeper with a right foot shot, his third goal of the season.

It was 4-1 on 63 minutes, when Beck nodded down a left wing cross from Ferguson for Gillies to place just inside the left hand post, and at this point, Quakers seemed well on their way to their third successive win.

After that, Quakers slowed the game down, and nearly got another when Ferguson cut in from the left and played a couple of good one-twos, but he was tackled deep inside the box.

Gillies nearly got his hat trick when Scott Fenwick put him clear in the box, but Elliott saved his low attempt

Attendance 1547

Bartlett, Hunter, Galbraith, Turnbull, Collins, Brown, Gillies, Syers, Beck, Caton, Ferguson

Subs: Scott, Wilczynski, Thompson, Saunders, fenwick

Alfreton

Elliott, Topliss, Wood, Platt, Shiels, Priestley, Whitehouse, Disley, Sharp, Westcarr, Jennings

Subs: Johnson, Allan, Robertson, Nyoni, McGowan