SUBSTITUTE Rob Purdie would have taken a penalty in Tuesday’s shoot-out defeat to Rotherham had Darlington not ran out of time before being able to make the change, manager Dave Penney has revealed.

Purdie was on the bench for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie which ended 1-1, Rotherham winning the penalty shoot-out 4-2.

They will meet Scunthorpe in the northern section final, while Darlington are left contemplating their fifth game without a win.

It was their fourth consecutive penalty shoot-out defeat, the previous one being at Rochdale in the play-offs last May, when Purdie was successful from the spot.

He also scored two penalties in league games earlier this season, so Penney wanted him on the field at the Don Valley Stadium, though the manager says he did not consider sending on striker Curtis Main.

Penney said: “We wanted to get Purds on for a penalty but we couldn’t get out of our own half.

“We wanted to make sure Tim Ryan, our left-back, stayed on while we were defending and if we had got in to Rotherham’s half we would have taken Tim off and put Purds on in his place.

“But we were under the cosh and the game finished before we could get Purds on the pitch.

“I didn’t consider putting Curtis on because he’s only a boy so there would have been too much pressure.”

Billy Clarke and Seb Carole, who had replaced Purdie as one of three changes, scored from the spot, but Richie Foran and Michael Flynn had their efforts saved by Rotherham keeper Steven Cann, who was only playing because former Quakers keeper David Stockdale was banned.

■ Alan White and Franz Burgmeier will be at the club shop in Priestgate between 4pm and 5.30pm today to sign Quakers merchandise.

Ray Simpson and Andrew Wilkinson will be there on Saturday, 11am-12pm, to sign copies of their Farewell to Feethams book.