Darlington stun Rotherham with 2-1 win

Darlington are back with a bang. After five weeks without a game they returned to action in style tonight with two second half goals to win 2-1 at promotion-chasing Rotherham United. Debutant Tadhg Purcell and Gary Smith did the damage, scoring the goals which gave a determined Darlington their first away win of the season which stunned their hosts. Playing against the only team in the division with an undefeated home record, few would have given Quakers a chance but they showed a determination that will serve them well in the closing months of the campaign. Though the result does not lift Quakers from the bottom of the table, it will certainly lift spirits at The Northern Echo Arena. The recent arrival of six new players demonstrated that Darlington intend to do their utmost to avoid relegation, and four of their recent recruits started at a bitterly cold Don Valley Stadium. With four new players in the starting line-up, Darlington made the brighter start, forcing the match's first shot on goal on nine minutes with Purcell firing at the keeper. The 24-year-old latched on to Stuart Giddings' perfectly-weighted through-ball and, after the Millers' Ian Sharps missed the ball, Purcell took his shot early but Andy Warrington was equal to it. Irishman Purcell was playing alongside a Frenchman in Mor Diop while Scottish striker Patrick Deane was on the bench. Shortly after Purcell's chance, the promotion-chasing Millers had their first two efforts of the evening with winger Kevin Ellison having them both which were of target. Quakers' Jeff Smith, who saw a tame effort easily dealt with by Warrington, was one of only five players to keep their place in the team from the last time Quakers played on December 12. That was when Darlington slumped to a fifth consecutive defeat at Torquay, after which they had six games postponed while Staunton made changes to his squad. Of the new batch, midfielders Gary Dempsey and Gareth Waite both started, as did defender Alan White and striker Purcell who made his presence felt. After one hefty challenge he required treatment, but was able to continue and his team-mates showed a similar determination. Rotherham centre-back Pablo Mills headed over the bar after meeting a corner taken by Nick Law, a midfielder reported to have recently been the subject of a £150,000 offer that was turned down. Darlington can only envy being in such a position, with Staunton having to trawl the League of Ireland as well as non-league for his new recruits. Before the break Adam Le Fondre had a goal disallowed. After meeting Ellison's corner, he forced the ball over the line but Liversedge had been impeded. It was a let-off, but within two minutes of restart Quakers had the lead with Purcell scoring. Just 90 seconds into the second half the Irishman was played in down the left channel, cut inside and buried a shot past Warrington to stun Darlington's South Yorkshire hosts. Rotherham immediately attempted to find a leveller and they came closest at a 55th minute corner, conceded by Liversedge after he had pushed away a Le Fondre effort. Pablo Mills' shot was blocked by White from the resulting set-piece. Ex-Spennymoor man Waite came so close to scoring on the hour, heading over Jeff Smith's cross but soon after Gary Smith scored his first for the club to make it 2-0. He prodded past the keeper from close-range after being played in by Diop, sending the visiting fans into raptures. But the home supporters were furious at seeing their side 2-0 down to bottom of the table Quakers. With the Darlington defence holding firm, Staunton's side were rarely threatened for much of the second period. With Quakers two goals up, Staunton took off Purcell and Diop, replacing them with teenagers Curtis Main and debutant Deane, but within minutes Rotherham had pulled one back. On 78 Cummins, on as a sub, scored from the edge of the area following a corner and suddenly Quakers were rattled. But they hung on, surviving a nervy eight minutes of injury time and a handful of Rotherham corners, to secure a morale-boosting victory which demonstrated that Darlington are not dead yet.

Source: Northern_Echo