Brackley Town 2 Darlington 4.

Quakers gained their first win of the season in style at St James’ Park thanks to a magnificent hat trick by skipper Reece Styche.

This was an excellent victory by Quakers, coming on the back of a 2-2 draw against Spennymoor on Tuesday night, and especially bearing in mind that Brackley won the FA Trophy and reached the play off final last season. They only lost three times at home last season, and were renowned for keeping clean sheets at home.

The hat trick also cost the skipper £50, because a Darlo fan had pledged a generous amount to the club’s Sponsor a Goal scheme if he did so – so Styche said he would donate £50 if he succeeded.

Manager Tommy Wright believes that the first half was the best since he took over ten months ago. “It was explosive. I challenged the boys before the game, and told them that the team we’d put together was flirting with being a good team – and to be a good team, you have to go out and prove against other good teams you really are what you say.

“They proved it. Alan White and I know what they’re capable of, they needed to go and put that into practice. On Saturday we wanted a statement, and we got that. We’re going to get better and better as a group – on Saturday we looked a constant threat and caused them a lot of problems.

“I want them to look forward to coming to places like Brackley, and unsettle teams, get in their faces and show them up. Man for man, we really did a job on their threats, and Brackley didn’t have an answer to ours. I think that shocked Brackley, because they had one of the tightest defences in the league last season.”

Styche and Ainge have already scored six between them in three league games already this season, and Wright pointed out; “Our front two were a handful. The signing of Simon during the summer to play alongside Reece was a statement to this league, but they really have to click – and on Saturday they did. Stychey scoring his goals off Ainge’s flicks was a massive boost. Your talisman centre forward scoring goals is what every supporter of this football club and every manager in this whole league wants to see. Thommo did unbelievably well on the right hand side, Alex Henshall is getting stronger.

“The midfield two covered every blade of grass, Jonny Burn came in and looked as if he hadn’t been away – him and Dom Collings were superb. The full backs and the keeper also did well – everyone put in their shift.”

Styche has scored four goals in his last two matches, and he proudly grabbed the matchball at the end of the game.

“It was vital that we got our first win,” he said. “Against Curzon Ashton we didn’t show our true potential and on Tuesday we saw glimpses of it. I think we proved a lot of people wrong last Saturday with that win, and I was buzzing to get the hat trick.

“You could definitely see what we’re about in that first half. We knocked the ball around well and caused Brackley all sorts of problems. Throughout the game we looked solid in defence, and it’s something to build on going into the Blyth game on Wednesday.

“When you come to Brackley, if you show them too much respect and let them pass the ball around the park, then they’ll carve you open. That’s happened to me with other teams in the past.

“We said at the start of the game that we had to get into their faces. We started off on the front foot, and the fans really geed us on. They made a difference on Saturday, especially as they outnumbered the home fans.

“The first goal took the pressure off, and at 1-1 we turned the screw and played some really good football. There are little partnerships working well around the field at the moment.”

Styche’s partnership with Ainge is certainly looking good at the moment, especially with Stephen Thompson chipping in, as they ran the Brackley defence ragged.

Styche scored his first goal on just 2 minutes, when he picked the ball up 30 yards out, looked up, and sent a vicious right foot shot sailing past Brackley keeper Danny Lewis into the net.

Brackley levelled on 6 minutes, when Shane Byrne curled a corner in from the left, and Jimmy Armson, unmarked, headed past keeper Jonny Maddison from six yards into the net.

Quakers posed a danger every time they went forward, and they stunned Brackley by scoring three times in six clinical minutes.

Styche scored his second of the game on 21 minutes, when Ainge flicked a through ball on for him to run through in the inside left position and roll past Lewis into the net.

Two minutes later, he was celebrating his hat trick, this time when Stephen Thompson laid the ball off to him on the right, and he fired right footed across Lewis into the bottom left corner.

Ainge had been equally a handful for Brackley, and he got in on the scoring act when he controlled Styche’s pass, sidestepped a challenge, and stroked a right foot shot across Lewis into the net.

It could have been more before half time, as Ainge had a penalty appeal turned down.

As expected, Brackley came out of the traps quickly at the start of the second half, and pulled a goal back within two minutes, Lee Ndlovu heading in an Armson cross from six yards out.

But any fears of Quakers buckling were short lived, except for when Matt Lowe picked his way through and forced a full length save out of Maddison, who recovered quickly enough to smother the follow up from Ndlovu.

Indeed, Quakers could have added more. Thompson, at full stretch, put one over the bar, and then Lewis held on firmly to his stinging right foot shot after he had picked his way through. A free kick by Alex Henshall was deflected just wide of the post, while Lewis held on to a 30 yard free kick by sub Liam Hughes.

Quakers’ victory sets up their next game, at home to Blyth on Wednesday, quite nicely, as Blyth hammered Chester 8-1 at Croft Park on Saturday.

Darlington (4-4-2) Maddison, Trotman, Collins, Burn, Galbraith, Henshall (sub Nicholson 67), Wheatley, Elliott, Thompson (sub Saunders 85); Styche (Hughes 79), Ainge.

Subs: Syers, Vaulks.

Booking: Nicholson.

Brackley (4-4-2): Lewis, Lowe, Franklin, Byrne, Hall (sub Nti 79), Dean, G Walker (sub Fairlamb 59), Armson, Ndlovu, Murombedzi (sub Myles 69), A Walker.

Subs: Graham, Smith.

Referee: Amy Fearn.

Goals: Styche (2 mins, 0-1), Armson (7 mins, 1-1) Styche (21 mins 1-2, 23 mins, 1-3) Ainge (26 mins, 1-4), Ndlovu (47 mins, 2-4).

Attendance 570.