Darlington 0 Salford City 1

Darlington are now eight points off the top after losing narrowly to league leaders Salford City at Heritage Park.

A first-half goal from Danny Webber was enough to maintain Salford’s superb start to the season as they defeated Darlington 1-0 at Heritage Park in a close match, though one in which Martin Gray's side rarely looked dangerous against a solid side.

Quakers were missing four Terry Galbraith, Stephen Thompson, Amar Purewal and David Dowson and it showed as they lacked the guile and creativity needed. 

Salford moved the ball around quickly and enjoyed the better of the first half, Webber breaking the deadlock with a tidy finish on 34 minutes after latching onto Dale Johnson’s superb pass.

As one of five changes, transfer-listed striker Nathan Fisher was handed a chance to impress and he had a volley blocked on the line by Paul Linwood.

Salford were content to sit back after the break and soak up pressure from Quakers who had lots of the ball but lacked the quality to breakdown a well-organised side.

Alan White had a header cleared off the line and Adam Reed blasted the follow-up over the bar.

Ryan Noble and Liam Hatch were sent on as substitutes in an attempt to salvage the game and the latter set up the former by putting him in on goal, but he failed to take the ball into the penalty area, allowing himself to be tackled when he should have done much better.

Noble’s impact was poor. He later punted a cross out of play when he should have picked out a man and on this performance it remains to be seen how many more chances he will be given by Gray.

White was sent up front for the closing stagea as Darlington switched to three at the back and the first thing he did was win a corner, taken by Adam Mitchell, from which White headed wide.

Mitchell had been a bright spot for Quakers, occasionally driving the team forward, but he faded in the second half as did Darlington’s chances of salvaging a point.

Their next game is at Radcliffe Borough on Tuesday evening, in the meantime Gray will work on bringing two or three new players to the club.

"We're going to freshen things up," he said after the game, while also revealing his dissatisfaction with certain members of his squad, saying: "Certain individuals have got to look at themselves. Are they doing enough? If they’re not I will move them on."

Goal: Webber (34, 0-1)

Bookings: Jameson (19, unsporting behaviour); Johnson (54, foul); Edgehill (69, foul)

Referee: P Keogh (Blyth)

Attendance: 1,013

Darlington (4-3-3): Jameson; Brown, White, Hunter, Scott; Robinson (Noble, 59), Portas, Reed; Fisher, A Mitchell, Armstrong (Hatch 57). Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Scarr, Cocks

Salford City (4-3-3): J Lynch; Edgehill, C Lynch, Linwood, Moss; Platt, Dunn, Rother; Johnson (Brown 73), Webber (Walters 88), Madeley (Wiles 55). Subs (not used): Smith, Messer