Quakers beat the league leaders at Croft Park thanks to a top quality goal by striker Lee Gaskell, his ninth of the season.

It was a pulsating, fast and furious game similar to that between the two sides back in August, with the main feature being Quakers’ high workrate.

Darlington started the game well enough and had more of the ball than Blyth, and they nearly got a gift goal on 7 minutes when Nathan Cartman put Ryan Hutchinson under pressure, and the defender hit a back pass that keeper Adam McHugh faield to control, and the ball hit the side netting.

From Terry Galbraith’s corner that followed, Gary Brown had a header cleared off the line, and from the next corner taken by Adam Mitchell on the opposite side, so did Galbraith.

[caption id="attachment_15880" align="alignnone" width="300"] Gary Brown wins the ball in the air[/caption]

And from a third corner, McHugh pulled off a flying save from another header by former Blyth player Brown.

Blyth had their first real chance on 15 minutes when Arran Wearmouth played the ball through for Michael Richardson to chip over the bar.

Quakers had another chance on 25 minutes when Adam Mitchell put Hutchinson under pressure inside his own area, and Hutchinson’s clearance went to Stephen Thompson 25 yards out, and after taking a touch, Thompson fired just over the top.

But Blyth had an equally good chance at the other end when Richardson avoided Brown’s challenge just outside the box, and hit a low shot that Peter Jameson saved.

Quakers took the lead on 33 minutes. Nathan Cartman headed Stephen Thompson's chip forward, Lee Gaskell chased the ball, kept it in, sidestepped a defender and hit a terrific right foot shot across McHugh into the top corner of the net.

[caption id="attachment_15879" align="alignnone" width="300"] Darlington players celebrate Lee Gaskell's goal[/caption]

It was nearly 2-0 when Gaskell came short for Galbraith’s corner, and forced McHugh into a save low down, then in Quakers next attack McHugh went low down to his right to hold a stinging shot from Thompson.

[caption id="attachment_15881" align="alignnone" width="300"] Lee Gaskell shoots at goal[/caption]

But Blyth nearly levelled just on half time when Richardson again found a touch of space with a left foot shot that Jameson saved.

HT 0-1

Blyth had the first chance of the second half, when Jordan Watson cut in from the left and found Richardson who fired over.

In Blyth’s next attack, Alex Nicholson hit a 30 yarder that Jameson saved at full stretch, then recovered to block the follow up from Richardson.

But Quakers nearly went 2-0 up when a left wing corner by Mitchell was cleared to the edge of the box where Thompson struck a half volley that McHugh touched over the top.

Blyth were beginning to look more dangerous, especially when Wearmouth cut in from the right past two defenders, and forced Jameson to save at his post.

Manager Martin Gray used all his subs in the space of five minutes in order to introduce some fresh legs, and one of the subs, Graeme Armstrong, nearly scored when he chased a through ball, beat a defender, but McHugh was equal to his left foot shot.

Quakers regained control of the game, and Galbraith waltzed through the Blyth defence to the corner of the six yard box, but his left foot shot was blocked.

David Dowson then cut in from the right to the edge of the box, but pulled his shot wide. Dowson typified Quakers’ harrying endeavours when he chased down Blyth defender Danny Parker inside his own box, but the loose ball didn’t quite fall for Armstrong.

Blyth tried to pile on the pressure near the end, and there was a bizarre decision by the referee when he awarded Blyth a free kick on the 18 yard line, when if any offence occurred, it had been three yards inside the box when Brown and a Blyth player challenged for the ball..

Quakers got the free kick away, and nearly scored at the other end when Galbraith cut in from the left, and curled a right foot shot just wide of the far post.

Right at the end, Blyth were awarded a free kick that Dale curled over the wall, but Jameson saved well.

Blyth: McHugh, Nicholson, Watson, Parker, Hutchinson, S Turnbull, Wearmouth, Richardson, Reid, Wade (sub Hooks 76), Dale.

Subs:

Morse, Robinson, Cartwright, Davis

Darlington:

Jameson, Hunter, Galbraith, P Turnbull, Burgess, Brown, Mitchell, Scott, Gaskell (sub Dowson 65), Cartman (sub Portas 60), Thompson (sub Armstrong 60)

Subs: Nowakowski, Provett

Referee: M Dicicco

Bookings: Thompson (foul) S Turnbull (foul) Brown (foul), Parker (foul), Wearmouth (foul)

Attendance 1876

(Images by Tim Hickman)