While goals don't always win games, Clark Keltie's late equaliser on Saturday was well worthy of clinching any encounter.

Not content with rescuing a point for his side, Keltie had the audacity to go and almost win the game all by himself after Quakers had fought back from two goals down.

Having opened his account for the club in spectacular fashion with a 25-yard rasping drive to level matters in the 82nd minute, Keltie was then denied a second goal when his injury time free-kick rattled off the bar.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Quakers straight from the kick-off when Luke Rodgers opened the scoring after just 63 seconds and Ian Stevens added a second midway through the first half.

"I spoke at half-time about what had gone wrong," said caretaker boss Mick Tait.

"There wasn't an awful lot wrong, just two awful bits of defending.

"We played too much possession football in the first half and we didn't open them up and create chances.

"We were quite happy with the fact we had a lot of the ball in the first half but we needed to be more precise and incisive with the passing.

"And once we got that right in the second half we started to create chances."

Tait made two changes from the side that knocked Wrexham out of the FA Cup a week earlier with on-loan keeper Michael Ingham coming in for the injured Andy Collett.

Gary Pearson was handed his first start of the season with Stuart Whitehead still struggling with a stomach injury and Matt Clarke suspended.

Goalkeepers usually like to get an early feel for the ball and although Ingham, signed on a month loan from Sunderland last week, would have been grateful for an early touch, he can't have been too impressed when he was picking the ball out of the net with little over a minute played.

With the Quakers defence left standing, Rodgers, who scored in both fixtures last season, was on hand to convert Mark Atkins' pull-back from six yards out.

Hardly the ideal start for Ingham and his new teammates, who it seemed where still finding their feet when Rodgers stole in to claim his ninth goal of the season.

Quakers looked for a quick reply but the passing game which has been encouraged under Tait struggled to bring much reward on a bobbly pitch.

Ashley Nicholls almost found a way through in the 14th minute when he got the better of Leon Drysdale only to be cynically hauled down by the defender.

After escaping with a warning from referee Mike Fletcher, Drysdale received another ticking off, this time for a lunge on Neil Wainwright, which left the Quakers winger needing treatment.

Two minutes later Quakers recorded their first shot at goal when Keltie dragged his volley wide of Ian Dunbavin's goal.

Keltie was then on the receiving end of a Rodgers swipe which fortunately for the Town striker went unnoticed.

The home side continued to press forward and they added a second after 25 minutes through Stevens. The former Carlisle striker, now in his second spell with the club, latched on to Neil Moss' through-ball before slipping the ball past Ingham.

The 4-5-1 formation which Tait agreed "worked a treat" at Wrexham last week was clearly not having the desired effect this time around and it came as no surprise when Clark resumed his position in attack alongside Barry Conlon for the second half.

And after sending in challenges left, right and centre in the first half Kevin Ratcliffe's side seemed to ease off after the interval giving Quakers the impetus to have a go.

Nicholls almost reduced the arrears when his diving header from Clark's cross was tipped away by Dunbavin.

Ryan Valentine then tried his luck from long range with a shot which flew narrowly wide.

With chance after chance a goal looked on the cards and it arrived in the 63rd minute.

Valentine found space down the left before sending a deep cross over for Conlon who made no mistake with a looping header over Dunbavin.

A minute later Conlon thought he had equalised when again he headed past Dunbavin only to see the lineman's flag raised.

Jamie Tolley then dragged his shot wide from Rodgers' knock-down and then substitute Steve Jagielka scuffed his effort straight at Ingham.

At the other end Ian Clark pulled away from his marker down the left before firing a low shot into the side-netting.

Quakers continued to press in search of an equaliser and they got it with eight minutes left.

Nicholls played his corner short to Richard Hodgson, who stepped over the ball, leaving Keltie to let fly with an unstoppable drive past Dunbavin.

His first goal for the club was impressive and his celebrations were also anything but dull as he removed his shirt before sliding to the ground in front of the delighted visiting fans.

Keltie may well have doubled his tally but his free-kick came crashing off the bar in injury time.

Had the woodwork not come to Shrewsbury's rescue the midfielder may well have taken more than just his shirt off!

Result: Shrewsbury Town 2 Darlington 2.

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