Darlington draw another blank to frustrate Cooper

09 August 2010 10:47
Darlington brought their pre-season programme to a close with a 0-0 draw at Gretna and the team's lack of bite up front left manager Mark Cooper frustrated.[LNB] Cooper saw his side limp to a second consecutive 0-0 draw having also drawn at Spennymoor last Monday with creativity at a premium at Raydale Park.[LNB] The season begins at home to Newport County on Saturday, and Cooper admits to being concerned about Quakers' forward play.[LNB] We have to improve in the final third of the pitch, said Cooper, who deployed a 4-3-3- formation and gave a game to trialist striker Richard Offiong.[LNB] We have to take more care around the opposition box when we are attacking.[LNB] Too many times when we are crossing we are hitting the first man, and when we are around the box we aren't picking the right pass.[LNB] The frustration for Cooper is the difference between Darlington's misfiring attack and a defence which has proven solid in pre-season.[LNB] Quakers conceded only one goal against Premier League Sunderland and again to Sheffield Wednesday, and Cooper said: We looked solid as a team again and hard to break down.[LNB] Gary Smith, Paul Terry and Jamie Chandler all battled in the middle of the park and we are looking hard to beat.[LNB] One of the stars of Darlington's impressive defence since putting pen to paper has been Kevin Austin.[LNB] The veteran defender, who is enjoying his time with Darlington in the twilight of his career, has impressed since moving from Chesterfield and he shares his manager's frustration.[LNB] It was a frustrating game,[LNB] he said. I thought defensively we did alright but in our attacking we weren't up to scratch.[LNB] That's not just down to the forwards though, it's down to the whole team to be creating chances, just as the defensive side of things is down to the whole team, not just the platform at the back.[LNB] There are a lot of positives but there are still some things to work on too and hopefully we can get them sorted out soon.[LNB] As expected, Darlington enjoyed the majority of possession against Gretna, who now compete in the East of Scotland League.[LNB] But Quakers failed to capitalise when they found themselves in good positions throughout the first half.[LNB] The second period saw some improvement, with Chris Senior, Dominik Werling and Chris Moore bringing a more direct style of play and natural width.[LNB] Moore has endured a limited role throughout pre-season but, with Senior, helped raised the tempo of Quakers' play when he came on as a substitute.[LNB] We have to look at the positives and there have been a lot this pre-season, said the former Whitley Bay winger.[LNB] We kept another clean sheet and we have looked good at the back for a while now.[LNB] We just need that bit of quality in the final third and we will be hard to beat.[LNB] We know we are getting in the right positions and it's just a matter of time before things click, but for now we will just go back to the training ground and we'll be ready for next week.[LNB] Cooper is looking to bolster his attacking options by adding former Quakers loanee Offiong to the squad.[LNB] He is out of favour at Carlisle and played the first half on Saturday and linked up well on the right with Gary Smith and Paul Arnison.[LNB] Cooper is in talks with Offiong and Carlisle regarding the move and is hopeful something can be done before Saturday.[LNB] Offiong played nine games for Quakers during the 2002-03 season, while on loan from Newcastle United, and scored four goals.[LNB] In 2006 he joined Hamilton, where he scored 38 league goals in 93 games before moving to Carlisle last summer, but his appearances at Brunton Park have been limited.[LNB] Cooper, meanwhile, has revealed that midfielder Michael Brough requires an operation on his knee.[LNB] The manager said: Brough will have an operation on Tuesday and we don't know how long he will be out for until the surgeon has had a look.[LNB] We have got through the Gretna game without anymore injuries, thankfully, and now it's all eyes on Newport next Saturday.[LNB] Darlington (4-3-3): Russell; Arnison, Hone (M Smith 73), Miller, Austin; G Smith (Main 84), Terry Chandler (Moore 68); Offiong (Senior 46), Hatch (Wright 57), J Gray (Werling 46). Subs (not used) Jack, P Gray.[LNB] Attendance: 198[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo