Source: Northern_Echo
Darlington show improvement at Fleetwood
Fleetwood Town 0 Darlington 0[LNB] Darlington put in a hugely-improved display last night as they drew 0-0 at title favourites Fleetwood Town in an entertaining affair.[LNB] Manager Mark Cooper was deeply disappointed in his side's performance when they started the campaign at the weekend with a 1-0 win against Braintree Town, and his team responded to the criticism superbly.[LNB] Fleetwood are the bookies' tip for promotion and so last night's performance was a good gauge of where Quakers stand in comparison.[LNB] And they passed as from the first minute, leaving a beaming Cooper to say: "That's what my teams are all about.[LNB] "On Saturday I thought we were rubbish and I told the players so, but tonight was much better. They worked their socks off.[LNB] "If they gave me that work-rate in every game then they would make the play-offs at least, no question.[LNB] "We worked on a different shape in training on Monday and tonight I've only got praise for them.[LNB] "We had a decent following from Darlington and that was a good performance for them which I hope they were happy with."[LNB] Darlington started brightly and Fleetwood keeper keeper Scott Davies was forced to make a save, though it was from team-mate Matthew Flynn who inadvertently prodded ball towards his own goal as he cut out a Ryan Bowman right-wing cross.[LNB] Davies did well to save with the setting sun providing a distraction beyond the opposite stand. The conditions meant that the Darlington fans behind Davies' goal spent most of the first half shielding their eyes, though the cause could equally have been Quakers' eye-catching new luminous lime green away kit.[LNB] One of the few occasions Sam Russell was called on before the break was to stop a tame long-range effort from Fleetwood right-back Scott Brown as Darlington showed a willingness to attack.[LNB] One impressive move saw Liam Hatch, taking advantage of briefly escaping Steve McNulty's clutches, exchange passes with Kris Taylor who crossed perfectly to the back post where Bowman's header was held by Davies.[LNB] Bowman was the only change to Quakers' side, in for the rested Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, and he played to the right of a three-man attack as Darlington deployed a 4-3-3 formation.[LNB] The forwards did not give the home defence an inch of space and at one point Hatch and Bowman combined to pressure Flynn into losing possession, such was symptomatic of the team's high tempo approach.[LNB] Although Darlington did most of the pressing, Russell had to remain alert and he demonstrated a smart reflex save just before the break, blocking with his legs from Donnelly.[LNB] But Darlington were again in the ascendancy during a competitive second 45 minutes in which there were eight yellow cards, six for Quakers as referee Robert Merchant handed out yellows far too frequently.[LNB] Both teams were clearly intent on winning, though it was Darlington who came closest to scoring.[LNB] James Walshaw inadvertently blocked an Ian Miller that was was heading for goal after a Taylor corner, and Bowman had a side-footed shot saved by Davies.[LNB] After both Chandler and Jamie McGuire were booked for squaring up to each other, the sides traded chances with Russell saving a Donnelly effort with his legs before Walshaw played in Chandler whose rising drive was saved.[LNB] Darllington's tempo faded in the closing stages during which Fleetwood's Richard Brodie attempt at winning a penalty - falling at Grame Lee's feet - went unpunished before came two moments of alarm for Darlington in injury time.[LNB] First, Scott Brown hit the crossbar after a loose John Campbell pass gave possession away, then McGuire let fly from 40 yards, but Russell turned the ball over with a flying save.[LNB] Cooper added: "You're inevitably going to come under pressure at some point when you play against a team like Fleetwood. We got a bit of luck in the end, but we had chances of our own and it was a fantastic display in terms of desire and commitment.[LNB] "We showed that we can compete with Fleetwood, maybe not in terms with money but in terms of commitment."[LNB] MATCHFACTS[LNB] Bookings: Donnelly (52, time wasting); Lee (54, foul); Hatch (63, dissent); McGuire (65, unsporting behaviour), Chandler (65, unsporting behaviour), K Taylor (69, foul), Atkinson (84, foul), Purkiss (90, time wasting) Referee: Robert Merchant (Staffordshire) 5 Attendance: 1,811 Entertainment: ****[LNB] FLEETWOOD TOWN (4-4-2): Davies 6; Flynn 7, Atkinson 6, McNulty 6, Goodall 6; BROWN 7, Barry 5 (Briggs 45, 6), McGuire 7, Cox 5 (Seddon 61, 6); Donnelly 7, Mangan 5 (Brodie 20, 5). Subs (not used): St Louis Hamilton (gk), Vieira[LNB] DARLINGTON (4-3-3): Russell 7; Purkiss 7, Miller 7, LEE 8, G Taylor 7; Chandler 7, Atkinson 7, K Taylor 6; Bowman 7 (Bridge-Wilkinson 89), Hatch 6, Walshaw 6 (Campbell 76). Subs (not used): Pocklington (gk), Arnison, McReady[LNB] MAN OF THE MATCH GRAEME Lee Blocked everything that came his way [LNB]
