Back in draw

Darlington chief Gray reverted to a 4-4-2 after the break, as he revealed afterwards that The Quakers were seeking to stem the County tide - but the visitors had very little by way of goalmouth action in an entertaining second half, with The Hatters’ eventually proving the masters of their own downfall.

Lloyd fired well over after meat interplay with the excellent Osborne before Scott Duxbury burst forward to drive well wide, as County went in search of a winner which would push them into the final play-off position and ●●Jim Gannon level on points with The Quakers - with results going in their favour.

As time began to run out, it was two changes which did the trick for Gannon, as the returning Jimmy Ball drilled home a half-volley from close range as a cross from fellow substitute Kaine Felix caused chaos in the Darlington area.

Ball spurned a glorious chance to seal the win as Stopforth’s deflected effort carried through to the midfielder inside the area, but the youngster’s one-on-one effort was tipped wide by Jameson, with a save that would prove vital after the stopper’s early mishap.

Darlington had mounted very little pressure in terms of goalmouth action when Beck found room to force Hinchliffe into a tremendous save over the crossbar, but County failed to clear the resulting corner and their short-lived resistance was broken at the third attempt, as the eventual cross came back in by Thompson for Beck to stoop and head home at the far post.

Remarkably though, there was still time for Ball to crash a strike against the underside of the crossbar and away as County almost dramatically grabbed a winner, but four minutes of stoppage time soon passed to leave the hosts deflated whilst Darlington celebrated an unlikely point with their travelling fans.

The Hatters now travel to in-form Halifax this weekend, who did move into that final play off position for the time being at the expense of County, looking to bounce with a big statement at The Shay.