A SUPERB late strike by Richard Hodgson earned Darlington a creditable draw at promotion-chasing Oxford United on Tuesday night.

The point and the performance at the Kassam Stadium was a good response after Quakers' FA Cup defeat by Farnborough Town, especially as Barry Conlon, Clark Keltie and Stuart Whitehead were all missing through suspension.

But Mick Tait's men know they must start turning draws into wins, starting with tomorrow's home clash with Kidderminster Harriers. If not, their season will quickly peter out into mid-table mediocrity despite the obvious improvement under Tait.

The side was boosted by the return of first-choice goalkeeper Andy Collett for Tuesday's match - rearranged after last Saturday's scheduled fixture was postponed.

Neil Maddison also returned for his first appearance in midfield since the defeat by Boston in October, with Gary Pearson and Matt Clarke also in the starting line-up.

Both sides created chances in the first half, but Quakers fell behind soon after the break when Ashley Nicholls was dispossessed in midfield and Steve Basham ran on to score with a low drive from the edge of the box.

Darlington tried to fight back, but it seemed poor finishing would let them down as Neil Wainwright and Hodgson both missed good chances.

Danny Mellanby replaced Maddison with 15 minutes left as Quakers pressed for the equaliser, but there were only three minutes left on the clock when they finally broke through.

It was well worth waiting for as Hodgson unleashed a left-foot shot from 30 yards which flew into the top right-hand corner to give the visitors a deserved share of the points.

Southend's win at Shrewsbury meant that Darlington slipped a place to 17th in the Division Three and time is running out for them to launch a bid for the promotion play-offs.

They desperately need a win over Kidderminster - currently 12th, six points ahead of Quakers - to kick-start a challenge.