Darlington  1 Curzon Ashton 2

scorers: Ainge (13 mins, 1-0), Fawns (25 mins, 1-1), Hughes (52 mins, 1-2)

Attendance 1488

Bookings: Ainge

Sending off: O'Hanlon 80

Darlington were beaten at Blackwell Meadows despite taking an early lead.

Quakers played well in the first 25 minutes and could have scored more than once, but Curzon's equaliser changed the dynamic of the game. Quakers were clearly unhappy about conceding two sloppy goals from their point of view.

There was also a late talking point about Ben O'Hanlon's late dismissal, when the referee ruled that he intentionally blocked Connor Hughes' shot with his arm.

Quakers, who were attacking the Tin Shed, gained a corner after just 14 seconds on the left hand side, but it was cleared at the near post.

They had most of the pressure after that with Jordan Nicholson and Tom Elliott showing some good touches.

There was some good combination play between Styche and Ainge to set up Nicholson who had run in behind them, and he forced a corner with a left foot shot.

Quakers took the lead on 13 minutes when Joe Wheatley curled the corner over from the left for Ainge to rise high at the far post, and find the net with a looping header from the corner of the six yard box.

Quakers had another chance when Styche nodded down a left wing cross for Wheatley to hit a right foot shot under pressure that went wide.

Styche then tried an ambitious 40 yarder, when he spotted the keeper off his line and fired the ball over him, but the ball dropped just over the crossbar.

Quakers posed danger from another corner, driven over from the right by Wheatley for Galbraith to have a header blocked, and then from the next corner driven over from the left, Galbraith headed wide of the post.

But out of the blue, Curzon levelled after 25 minutes from their first corner. They played it short for Mason Fawns to chip towards the back post where it dropped in with Maddison under pressure from several players.

Curzon nearly took the lead on 28 minutes. This time, Maddison pulled off a great reaction save to stop Fawns’ shot, and Daniel Shaw fired the rebound into the side netting.

The goal knocked Quakers’ out of their stride, but they nearly took the lead again from another corner by Wheatley from the right that Ainge, at the back post, headed into the keeper’s hands.

Half time:

Darlington 1 Curzon Ashton 1

Curzon took the lead on 52 minutes, when a ball was curled over from the right for Connor Hughes to come running in and head past Maddison.

attendance 1488

Quakers nearly levelled straight away when Styche played a lovely reverse pass through for Elliott to run through and hit the face of the bar with a right foot shot.

But Quakers nearly conceded another. Fawns chipped the ball into the box where Hunt headed goalwards, but Maddison pulled off an excellent one-handed save down to his left to push the ball away.

Alex Henshall replaced Jordan Nicholson on 73 minutes, and straight after Wheatley drove a free kick, awarded for a foul on Styche, wide of the left hand post.

Trotman then made a great run down the right, beating two men and firing into the keeper’s hands from a very tight angle.

Quakers subbed Liam Hughes for Harvey Saunders on 80 minutes.

Quakers were reduced to ten men on 84 minutes when Hughes dribbled through and his shot was blocked by O’Hanlon, who was sent off for deliberate handball, although he was only a couple of yards away when the ball was struck.

Hughes took the penalty, but Maddison saved the spot kick low down to his right, the second time that he has saved a penalty since joining, the other being at PSV De Jong.

Elliott then hit the woodwork again, with a curling effort from 25 yards out on the right, while Simon Ainge and Reece Styche both had loud penalty appeals turned down late in the game.

Final score: Darlington 1 Curzon Ashton 2

Maddison, Trotman, Collins, Galbraith, O’Hanlon; Elliott, Hughes, Nicholson (sub Henshall 63), Wheatley; Styche, Ainge.

Subs: Syers, Bancroft, Henshall, Vaulks, Saunders.

Curzon Ashton:

Mason, Morton, McJannet, Hunt, Shaw, Rowney, Guest, Marshall (sub Ali 78), Sharpe (sub Brooke 74), Fawns, Hughes

Subs; Brooke, Baillie, Crankshaw, McKenzie

Referee: Mr A Kitchen