Source: Northern_Echo
Quakers crash at Crawley
Darlington's play-off aspirations are all but over after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Crawley Town today.[LNB] The league leaders won thanks to a goal midway through the second half of a match in which Quakers rarely threatened, but they had succeeded in limiting the hosts' sight of goal.[LNB] However, Ben Smith's shot in off the post on 67 minutes pushed the hosts closer to the title and condemned Darlington to a defeat which means Mark Cooper's men are now ninth and 11 points adrift of the play-offs.[LNB] Starting the day eighth, they had been hoping to chip away at the gap between themselves and fifth-placed Kidderminster Harriers.[LNB] But the the match began ominously with Smith going close to scoring after only four minutes, only prevented from notching with a powerful header thanks to Sam Russell's flying save.[LNB] Smith had met a right-wing cross for that effort, and from another David Hunt delivery striker Matt Tubbs' diverted a deft header that Russell caught.[LNB] Russell was heavily involved with Hunt the trying his luck with a header before the Quakers' keeper saw a Tubbs free-kick roll wide of the Darlington as wall as the goal.[LNB] Quakers saw little of the opposition half in the opening stages, not until 24th minute did Red Devils keeper Scott Shearer make a meaningful contribution.[LNB] He claimed Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's ball across goal before John Campbell could connect.[LNB] Bridge-Wilkinson was one of three changes, returning to the side after missing the midweek win at Grimsby, as did Paul Arnison and Paul Terry who made his first start since October.[LNB] Cooper made another change though, after half an hour, when he replaced Campbell with Nathan Modest. The manager later explained he was disappointed with Campbell's contribution.[LNB] It was Modest who forced Quakers' first corner, after 36 minutes, after charging into the Red Devils' penalty area.[LNB] The set-piece came to nothing, but soon came Darlington's best bit of football of the half. A swift move in midfield involving Terry and Bridge-Wilkinson ended in Greg Taylor firing powerfully over from 16 yards.[LNB] Taylor was occupying the defensive midfield position usually filled by Jamie Chandler, but he remains on the sidelines due to his broken hand.[LNB] After rarely being involved before the break, Darlington striker Liam Hatch will have been hoping to make an impact in the second half, but his first involvement was to earn a booking.[LNB] Directly in front of the home bench, he slid in on Josh Simpson, an act that preceded Crawley boss Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor vigorously remonstrating with referee Rob Whitton.[LNB] Evans and Raynor, always an animated pairing on the sideline, were then apoplectic when Whitton stopped play, quite reasonably, due to a stray ball being throw back, having seconds earlier been cleared out of the stadium, on to the pitch into a crowded penalty area.[LNB] Evans and Raynor, though, were not complaining when Whitton played advantage, with Taylor all over Tubbs, during a move that led to Tubbs being tackled just as he was about to shoot.[LNB] Whitton took centre stage again on the hour, this time however, it was little to do with one of his decisions though most of them went in Crawley's favour.[LNB] He delayed the taking of a Crawley corner to jog back down the pitch to retrieve his notebook having dropped it during an attack by the Red Devils.[LNB] The whistle blower needed it soon afterwards, to make a note of the hosts taking the lead on 67 minutes and although the hosts had enjoyed more of the ball there was some fortune attached to the strike.[LNB] Quakers captain Ian Miller slid in to make a tackle in a central position just outside Darlington's penalty area, but the rolled kindly to Smith whose low strike from 20 yards flew past Russell and went in off the post.[LNB] It could have got worse soon after as Crawley came close to a second. Tubbs cut in from the left, but his low shot was saved by Russell.[LNB] Then right-back Hunt delivered a right-wing cross that saw Tubbs evade Arnison and head across goal but the effort rebounded off a post and Burn ushered the loose ball away to safety In the closing stages did Darlington mount anything approaching a challenge for an equaliser, with Shearer having to save from Hatch.[LNB] From a Brown corner, Hatch's header was pushed away by the keeper before Burn lifted the rebound over the bar and on to the roof of the net In injury time Burn was involved again, this time deflecting a Richard Brodie shot that Russell did well to tip over the bar, *Darlington are away again on Tuesday, making the long trek to Newport County.[LNB] Goal: Smith (67, 1-0) Bookings: Hatch (49, foul); Simpson (73, foul); Bridge-Wilkinson (90, not retreating ten yards) Referee: Rob Whitton(Essex) Attendance: 3,554 (187) Crawley Town (4-4-2): Shearer; Hunt, Wassmer, McFadzean, Howell; Simpson, Bulman, Smith (Cook 83), Torres; McAllister (Brodie 70), Tubbs (Wilson 90). Subs (not used): Jordan (gk), Gibson Darlington (4-1-2-1-2): Russell; Arnison, Miller, Burn, Brown, Taylor, G Smith (McReady 81), Terry (M Smith 72), Bridge-Wilkinson, Hatch, Campbell (Modest 30). Subs (not used): St Louis-Hamilton (gk), Senior[LNB]
