Darlington 1 Port Vale 3
ANOTHER second half collapse saw Darlington make it ten home defeats for the season and this was one of the most demoralising of the lot.
Not as spectacular as last time when Quakers threw away a two-goal lead in the final ten minutes to lose 3-2 at home to Chesterfield, but just as disheartening.
In front of the club's lowest attendance since 1996, 1,582, Steve Staunton's side led at the break thanks to Tadhg Purcell and were untroubled during the first half.
Then three Vale goals inside 15 second-half minutes swung the game in the visitors' favour leaving the Blue Square Premier looming ever larger.
Relegation has been a likelihood for sometime, but with games in hand and some improved performances of late hope still remained.
That hope increased after six minutes last night when man of the moment Purcell put Darlington ahead with a tap-in.
A throw-in led to left-back Stuart Giddings pinging a ball to the far post where Darlington-born Dan Groves, making his first start for three months, played the ball back across goal for Purcell.
The strike was the Irishman's sixth goal in only his ninth appearance a statistic certain to create plenty of interest in the former Shamrock Rovers forward.
His goal meant Darlington had taken the lead for a fifth consecutive home fixture but, having won only one of those games, Staunton's side were well aware that at least another was required.
And just six minutes later they spurned a great chance when they were awarded a free-kick inside the Vale penalty area after keeper Joe Anyon picked up John McCombe's back-pass.
But from 12 yards Josh Gray fired his effort straight into the Vale wall and within two minutes the visitors were denied an equaliser by Quakers keeper Shane Redmond.
He dived bravely at striker Craig Davies to block a goal-bound effort after Marc Richards had beaten the offside trap.
Aside from that, it was Darlington who saw more of the ball in the opening half, Staunton's side showing the kind of desire desperately needed.
Nobody epitomises that approach more than the ever-committed Purcell and it was he and Mor Diop who combined to a create a chance that Diop rolled inches wide of goal from 18 yards.
Six minutes before the break midfielder Gareth Waite wasted a chance for a second.
He latched on to a Gray pass and from 15 yards looked likely to score but drilled the ball directly at Anyon and it was a chance he would regret as Quakers capitulated in the second half.
The period began with right-back Lee Collins rising above a clutch of defenders to meet Kris Taylor's inswinging free-kick but he put it over the bar, much to the relief of Staunton who had spent the 30 seconds before the setpiece desperately barking instructions to his players.
Just before the hour mark Staunton sent on Gary Smith for Groves who will have been eager to make an impact having put a late penalty over the crossbar when Quakers lost 1-0 at Vale Park in August.
But it was one of the visitors' substitutes, Doug Loft, who had a bigger effect on proceedings.
He equalised within 60 seconds of coming on for Robert Taylor after 66 minutes.
Loft was allowed space in Quakers' penalty area to ram home and soon the lively Lewis Dodds made it 2-1.
Redmond's punch fell to Dodds lurking on the edge of the penalty area, he took a touch before drilling past the keeper.
Exasperated at seeing almost a repeat of the Chesterfield debacle, Staunton sent on new signing Ross Chisholm who became the 50th different player to be used this season.
The Scottish midfielder began his career with Hibernian and signed yesterday having previously been with Shamrock.
But the game was out of Quakers' reach by the 81st minute when Lewis Haldane made it 3-1.
The midfielder held off defender Ian Miller to meet Loft's right-wing cross before firing past Redmond.
Matchfacts Goals: Purcell (6, 1-0); Loft (67, 1- 1), Dodds (72, 1-2), Haldane (81, 1- 3) Bookings: White (foul, 71) Referee: Mark Haywood (Wakefield) 8 Attendance: 1,582 Entertainment:
DARLINGTON (4-4-2): Redmond 5; MADDEN 6, Miller 5, White 5, Giddings 6; Groves 6 (G Smith 58, 5), Waite, 5, Dempsey 6, Gray 5 (Chisholm 75); Purcell 6, Diop 5. Subs (not used): Liversedge (gk), Burn, Mulligan, Deane, Main
PORT VALE (4-4-2): Anyon 5; Collins 6, Owen 7, McCombe 5 (Yates 45, 6), K Taylor 6; Haldane 7, Griffith 5, Dodds 7, R Taylor 5 (LOFT 66, 7); Richards 7, Davies 5 (Riggs 45). Subs (not used): Martin (gk), Prosser, Richman, Morsy
MAN OF THE MATCH DOUG Loft the substitute scored one and set up an another goal
Source: Northern Echo
