Source: Northern_Echo
Darlington 2 Gateshead 0
Darlington 2 Gateshead 0[LNB] A COMFORTABLE victory and another clean sheet ensured Darlington swiftly put the dismal midweek defeat to Grimsby Town behind them.[LNB] There was little danger of there ever being anything other than a home win as Quakers eased past Gateshead, winning 2-0, with a goal in each half of a match in which Mark Cooper's defence returned to its defiant best.[LNB] It was exactly what was required to quickly put a smile back on fans' faces but it was Joe Clarke who left The Northern Echo Arena happier than anyone his senior debut could not have gone much better.[LNB] It may have been Paul Terry, scorer of the first goal in the last minute of the first half, who received the club's man-of-the-match award, but it was Clarke who deserved the plaudits after marking his rise to prominence in style.[LNB] Playing at the heart of defence, Clarke played his part in keeping the club's third clean sheet in five games and scored the match-clinching second goal in the second half.[LNB] Not a bad afternoon's work for a 22-year-old who is one of the few players in football who knows the genuine meaning of a hard day's graft.[LNB] Just a few weeks ago he was combining playing for Solihull Moors with working as a carpenter in the West Midlands.[LNB] Having had him on trial while at Kettering Town 12 months ago, on the eve of the season manager Mark Cooper plucked the unassuming youngster from the Blue Square North and handed him his chance on Saturday.[LNB] It wasn't a bad start really, a clean sheet and a goal,[LNB] Clarke said, with no small amount of modesty.[LNB] I've just finished my apprenticeship as a carpenter.[LNB] I've always been working towards being a professional footballer but felt I needed something to fall back on, and maybe in ten or 12 years time I might need it, so I tried carpentry.[LNB] It was graft, it was hard, but I enjoyed it. It was a 7.30am until 4.30pm job, Monday to Friday, so now I'm really working hard in training because I've got to take this chance.[LNB] The football was part-time so I was training Tuesday and Thursday nights and then playing a game on the Saturday.[LNB] It was hard, you've got your late nights with the travelling back from away games too and then the early morning at work, but I was playing football, which is the main thing.[LNB] I've got my chance here sooner than I thought I would.[LNB] Having previously made two substitute appearances, Cooper put Clarke in the starting XI as one of four changes from the midweek defeat.[LNB] Josh Gray and Richard Offiong were both left out with Offiong likely to see his loan from Carlisle cancelled while Ian Miller (knee) and John McReady (hamstring) were both injured.[LNB] Clarke played alongside Danny Hone, and Cooper said: We only had one recognised centre-back, which makes the win even more pleasing.[LNB] Danny is a young centreback, Joe is not a recognised centre-back and they hadn't played together before, but we had no other option.[LNB] Joe's best position is probably right-back or centre-midfield, so he can be pleased with his full debut in professional football.[LNB] His goal in the 54th minute effectively killed the game off.[LNB] From the corner of the sixyard box Clarke drove home after Paul Arnison's free-kick was not dealt with by the Tynesiders, and for the remaining 35 minutes Quakers coasted home in uneventful fashion.[LNB] The match was similarly lacking in incident before the break, but in an improvement on last Tuesday, Cooper's men did most of the pressing and created various chances, with teenage striker Michael Smith heavily involved.[LNB] He was making his first start of the season, with Jamie Chandler and Tommy Wright recalled, and should have opened the scoring instead of heading over an Arnison cross.[LNB] He then lured Ben Clark into a booking when the former Hartlepool defender arrived an age too late for his attempted tackle.[LNB] Sam Russell's only significant involvement came five minutes before the break when he dived to his right to stop Craig Baxter's low drive from distance shooting form long-range was about as close to a goal as Gateshead got.[LNB] In the final minute of the half, Smith's persistence paid off. After an Arnison cross, Smith held the ball up well under pressure, played in Terry and the 31-year-old swept home from six yards.[LNB] Once Clarke scored, Darlington's supporters were able to enjoy Gateshead's first competitive trip to Quakers since the early 1960 which attracted 415 visiting fans in stress-free fashion.[LNB] Matchfacts Goals: 1-0: Terry (45, turned in from closerange after M Smith pass from the right) 2-0: Clarke (54, volley from corner of six-yard box following Arnison free-kick) Bookings: Clark (37, foul), Turnbull (85, foul), Heckingbottom (88, foul) Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Carnforth) - Was correct in dishing out three yellow cards in what was an uncontroversial game 7 Attendance: 2,233 Entertainment: [LNB] DARLINGTON (4-3-3): 6 Russell: Made a good save from Baxter in the first half and thereafter engaged in some catching practice; 7 Arnison: Both goals came via his deliveries which were a regular feature of Quakers' play 7 Hone: Kept tabs on Fisher and Wake who came on in the second half and hardly got a touch 7 CLARKE: One slip in the first half was all about that went wrong. A comfortable afternoon 5 Brown: Another unconvincing display. Cooper will hope that Austin soon recovers from injury; 7 G Smith: Rarely lost possession but sustained a nasty ankle injury in the final minute 6 Chandler: Back in the side and Cooper was pleased with his lively performance 7 Terry: First goal for the club and rarely lost possession from his position at the hub of midfield; 5 Wright: Made little impact up front but made a contribution when defending set-pieces 6 Hatch: Played as the spearhead of a three-man attack but saw little of the ball 7 M Smith: Teed up Terry for his goal. Tired in second half but did enough to impress before the break[LNB] Subs: Main (for Chandler 86) J Gray (for G Smith 90) Senior (for Hatch 90) (not used): Jack (gk), P Gray[LNB] GATESHEAD (4-4-2): Deasy 6; Baxter 6, Clark 6, Jones 6, Heckingbottom 5; Brittain 5 (Ferrell 72), Turnbull 5, Gate 6, Marwood 5; FISHER 6 (Nelthorpe 82), Mulligan 5 (Wake 46, 5). Subs (not used): Cook, Brown[LNB] MAN OF THE MATCH JOE Clarke a goal and a clean sheet on his full debut[LNB]
