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Darlington 1 Kidderminster 3

Scorers: Penny (og 11 minutes, 1-0), Sterling-James (31 mins, 1-1), Hemmings (43 mins, 1-2), Austin 85 mins, 1-3)

Quakers were beaten at home by Kidderminster in their first home league game.

They lost captain Will Hatfield in less than a minute with a hamstring injury, and after they took the lead looked the better side.

But Kidderminster knocked Quakers out of their stride when they equalised, and went on to win.

Quakers suffered a blow after less than 30 seconds, when Will Hatfield pulled up with a hamstring injury as he stretched to pick up a loose ball from an aerial challenge between Jarrett Rivers and a defender, and was replaced by Ben Hedley.

Quakers had a chance on 8 minutes when Justin Donawa, on the corner of the box, set up Ben Hedley, whose curling left foot shot went just over the bar.

Quakers took the lead on 11 minutes. Justin Donawa picked the ball up on the right side of the box, drove it into the middle looking for Sean Reid and Luke Charman, and Kidderminster defender Alex Penny stuck the ball into his own net.

it was nearly 2-0 on 15 minutes when Charman made a good run forward, took on two defenders, and fired a low left foot shot that Simpson saved low down to his left.

And there was another chance on 19 minutes, when Tony McMahon found Alex Storey with a free kick, and his header was saved on the line by Simpson.

Kidderminster were level with their first attempt on goal on 29 minutes, when Omari Sterling-James turned on the edge of the box, and curled a left foot shot beyond the reach of Johnny Saltmer into the net.

Quakers went quiet for a spell, but almost created a chance on 39 minutes when Donawa got away from his man on the right, and his pull back for Charman was just intercepted.

At the other end, Ashley Hemmings got away, but Wheatley made ground quickly and blocked his shot.

But there was no denying Hemmings on 43 minutes when Kidderminster broke away, and Sam Austin crossed from the right for Hemmings to sidefoot home past Saltmer.

Half time 1-2

Neither side created a chance of note in the second half, although Rivers put a left wing cross across the face of goal on 55 minutes.

Saltmer kept his side just one behind on 65 minutes when Sam Austin hit a left foot shot from the edge of the box that the keeper saved at full stretch to his left, then the keeper made another good save to his right to keep out Sterling-James 25 yarder.

Quakers made their second sub on 71 minutes, when new signing Levi Amantchi came on for Joe Wheatley, and their third on 75 minutes when Theo Hudson replaced Rivers.

It was 3-1 on 85 minutes when Austin won the ball in a challenge on 25 yards out, looked up, and curled the ball into the top corner.

Here's what Alun thought of the game:

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/video-they-wanted-it-more-than-us

Virtual match sponsors man of the match: Johnny Saltmer

Darlington: Saltmer, McMahon, Hunt, Storey, Liddle, Wheatley (sub Amantchi 70), Hatfield (sub Hedley 1), Rivers (sub Hudson 75), Charman, Reid, Donawa

Subs: Watson, Laing, 

Booking: Wheatley

Kidderminster (4-4-2): Simpson, Penny, Lowe, Taylor, Richards, Montrose, Austin,  Prosser, Hemmings (sub White 61), Morgan-Smith (sub Freemantle 90+1), Sterling (sub Moyo 80)

Subs: Palmer, Martin,