[caption id="attachment_32172" align="alignnone" width="298"] Adam Rundle[/caption]

Darlington and this Saturday's opponents Tamworth have met before in the Conference, back in season 2011-12. Can you remember it?

Darlington 2 Tamworth 0

Darlington teenager Dale Hopson scored in the last minute on his home debut – just a week after he scored at Ebbsfleet in the last minute on his full debut.

The 19 year old netted in a frantic last minute of stoppage time, which started with Tamworth forcing a corner, and keeper Jonathan Hedge going up in attack.

The Darlington defence, behind which Sam Russell was outstanding, managed via Adam Rundle to clear the ball to Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, whose long ball upfield was miskicked by the backtracking Hedge, and the lurking Hopson took advantage to race clear and slot the ball in from an acute angle.

Darlington caretaker manager Craig Liddle, who has now seen his team win the last three games, said: “Dale has got good vision, is composed and he can finish. He set up the goal, set up Rundle to hit the bar, and scored in stoppage time for the second successive week. It was a great ball for the first goal, and he took his goal really well.

“We weren’t as fluent as we were last week at Ebbsfleet, but the players showed the right attitude and got their reward.”

Quakers went close in the first half, when Adam Rundle hit the bar with a dipping left foot shot from the edge of the area but Tamworth went close themselves. Darlington keeper Sam Russell made a splendid reflex save from Nabil Sharif after the midfielder was set up by a run around the back of the defence by Kieron St Aimie, while Aaron Brown also cleared off the line from St Aimie.

Quakers took the lead on 55 minutes when Hopson cleverly played a ball through the middle for Adam Rundle to quickly control and prod past Hedge for his first goal in two spells for Quakers.

Russell then pulled off several good saves to keep his side in the lead. He flew to his right to push a piledriver from Danny Thomas around the post, and he twice blocked point blank efforts from Paul Green. He also managed to prevent Sam Habergham scoring after the full back broke into the box.

A curling free kick from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson at the other end nearly crept in to provide some brief respite, but Quakers showed their newly refreshed character and team spirit by clinging on, and everyone, including Russell, celebrated with Hopson at the other end of the field when the teenager scored.

Tamworth manager Marcus Law said: “I had a go at the lads because I felt we should have got something. I warned them about counter-attacks and that’s where Darlington’s goals came from. But maybe I was a bit harsh on them, because when the home team’s keeper gets man of the match, it says everything. However, we should have taken at least a couple of those chances.”

Darlington: Russell, Arnison, Miller, Lee, Brown(sub Sanchez-Munoz 48), McReady  (sub Reach 71), Chandler, Bridge-Wilkinson, Rundle , Hatch , Hopson.

Subs not used: Bowman, Atkinson, Nixon

Attendance: 1752