Darlo made to pay for squandered chances

DARLINGTON missed a chance to go sixth in the table with a poor defeat at the Tameside Stadium.

But they only had themselves to blame for some poor finishing, and right at the end, they paid the penalty.

They had a great chance after nineminutes when Liam Marrs crossed perfectly from the right, but Mark Beck headed just wide.

Quakers had another chance on 25 minutes. New signing Adam Dawson set up David Ferguson who crossed for Stephen Thompson to head wide from six yards out.

Quakers dominated the game with some good approach play, and Curzon even gifted them a chance just before half time when Thompson pounced on a loose ball and raced into the box, but he blazed over.

But Curzon were as equally wasteful at the other end when Joe Guest pulled the ball back for Richard Baker, who fired over from six yards out when it seemed easier to score.

Another chance went begging on 56 minutes. Again Dawson found Ferguson on the left, and the full back crossed into the middle for Beck, under pressure, to head wide.

Sub Nathan Cartman had a longrange shot saved on 65 minutes, and then two minutes later he had a goal harshly disallowed because the ref said that he had tripped defender Danny Shaw as he chased a good pass from Joe Wheatley.

Quakers kept going and had another chance on 80 minutes when Ferguson played a one-two with Wheatley, ran into the area, but fired wide.

But as Quakers pressed forward, they left themselves open at the back, and Baker nearly took advantage when he broke forward, sidestepped a challenge, and then fired wide, and then he missed a better chance when a clearance dropped to him, but he sidefooted straight at Bartlett from 10 yards out.

And with two minutes left, Tyrell McKenzie made Quakers pay for all those missed chances when he picked the ball up on the right, and chipped the ball left footed over the stranded Bartlett.