AFTER conceding an agonising late goal in the draw with Lincoln on Tuesday, Darlington manager Steve Staunton has turned his attentions to maintaining the momentum at Morecambe on Saturday.
Having collected four points in their last two games almost a third of their season's total of 15 Quakers travel to Christie Park on a mission to continue their valiant fight against relegation.
And they would have earned two more points on Tuesday but for a 97th minute lob by Lincoln's Danny Hone.
Yet the manager could at least take consolation from being unbeaten in back-toback games for the first time this season.
It's all about how we react on Saturday can we make it three unbeaten games on the bounce¯ said Staunton, whose team beat Rotherham last weekend.
I would take four points from every two games until the rest of the season. I'd take a draw at Morecambe, but I tell you what we'll be going there to win and we're capable of winning.
It's going to be a good battle.
It's going to be a really wet and cold Morecambe day, we know what to expect.
Morecambe are big, physical side, we know what they're all about, but I think you can see from our play over the last few weeks that we can match that physical side of the game and can play a bit too.¯
The ball fell to Hone after Darlington keeper Shane Redmond had punched away a free-kick to the edge of the penalty area.
Minutes earlier the on loan keeper had made a terrific reaction save to deny striker Paul Connor and Staunton was full of praise.
He said: The keeper was magnificent. He came for crosses all night and claimed the majority of them. Unfortunately the one he came for where he didn't get enough on the punch was the goal but it was a great lob.
Strikers and goalkeepers are the most revered and the most slagged off in football for the obvious reasons. One mistake by either means a goalscoring opportunity missed, like Ronnie Rosenthal's for Liverpool against Villa all those years ago, or it's like the Lincoln keeper on Tuesday. He made a proper rick for our goal, we capitalised but couldn't add to it.
Just after that we had another chance. A cross to the back post but Gareth Waite could not direct his effort on target. A second goal would have killed the game and I think we would have won by three or four.
The players were gutted after the game, but it's different to before Christmas because now they believe in themselves.¯
Source: Northern Echo
