Darlington defeat bad boys West

Darlington moved a step closer to promotion as they emerged victorious from an explosive encounter at Heritage Park where they defeated West Auckland, who were shown FOUR red cards.

Terry Galbraith was the star man, scoring both goals as Quakers recorded a 16th successive win.

With five fixtures to go, they are now 22 points clear of Spennymoor Town, who beat Marske 1-0 and have seven games in hand.

But referee Elton Martin was at the centre of the action as West’s ill-discipline cost them dearly and saw them finish the game with only nine players while manager Peter Dixon was sent to the stands.

The tone was set on only seven minutes when centre-back Mark Stephenson, who is from Darlington, was shown a yellow card for needlessly clattering into Quakers’ keeper Mark Bell at a corner.

By the half-hour mark Martin had no option other than to issue Stephenson a second yellow after he committed a handball offence, stopping the ball after David Dowson had knocked it past him.

By that point Galbraith had put Darlington ahead with a curling free-kick, awarded after Adam Wilkinson had clumsily fouled Dowson.

Wilkinson was shown a yellow for the challenge and was fortunate not follow centre-back partner Stephenson down the tunnel after a clumsy lunge on Craig Gott.

Martin was one of the busiest men on the pitch and he ended the half by issuing another red card, this time to West boss Dixon.

The manager was sent from the dug-out after comments made to the Teesside official, who later described the offence as being abusive or insulting language.

Despite going down to ten men, West had coped admirably, though Darlington had wasted a number of chances.

Gary Brown headed wide when meeting a cross from Joe Tait who had played a one-two with Stephen Harrison on the byline, while early on both Amar Purewal and Dowson had wasted chances in good positions.

The second half was similar in pattern, with ten-man West remaining in the contest while Quakers missed opportunities to strengthen their lead, but the game lost some spark and intensity for a spell.

Aside from the pink-booted Paul Garthwaite regularly moaning to Martin, little of note occurred. West’s three-man midfield continued to work hard while strikers John Cambell and Mattie Moffat, with almost 60 league goals between them, remained a threat.

They were unable to force any clear scoring chances, though, with Darlington creating several with Dowson wasting the first of the second period, shooting at Atkinson when one-on-one.

Quakers’ Chris Emms tried to shoot from the byline, but blasted over the bar when he should have pulled the back to the unmarked Gott before two more chances in quick succession went begging for Darlington.

First, substitute Steven Johnson got between Neil Pattinson and Wilkinson, but took an extra touch and was tackled, and then Tait headed over when unmarked after meeting an Emms corner.

Purewal just poked wide when meeting a Harrison cross before West, sensing an upset, sent on striker Daniel Hindmarsh to replace midfielder Shaun Vipond, who was booked in the first half.

West Auckland manager Peter Dixon is led away after being sent off

But Darlington continued to create opportunities and only a fantastic save by Neil Atkinson kept it at 1-0. He tipped Gott’s powerful effort onto the crossbar.

There was nothing Atkinson could do, though, to stop Galbraith’s thunderbolt.

He strode forward and unleashed a powerful strike from distance that will be another contender for Quakers’ goal of the season from the former Dunston UTS ace.

The wonderful goal, Galbraith’s tenth of the season, gave Darlington a 2-0 lead and breathing space, but it momentarily sparked chaos as West again reacted badly and received two more red cards before play restarted.

They believed Jonathan Gibson had been fouled in the build-up to the goal, and Campbell offered Martin his version of events, something that resulted in the striker being shown a red card and Vipond was dismissed too.

Booked for a first half foul - an horrendous challenge on Leon Scott - and by now on the touchline after being subbed, Vipond received his marching orders for something he said to the assistant referee.

The three red cards today for West’s players took their tally for the season to an astonishing 14 in all competitions, while it was not the first time Dixon has been sent to the stands.

Darlington manager Martin Gray gets his message across

In the final seconds Darlington’s day in front of goal was summed up by Purewal who wasted yet another chance. Put in on goal by an errant Moffat pass, the 21-goal Purewal put his effort wide when he had only the keeper to beat.

It was not to matter, though, as Darlington enjoyed a deserved victory which sets them up for three games in six days.

They are at Heritage Park twice in midweek. On Monday they face Celtic Nation (7.45) and Bishop Auckland on Wednesday (7.30) before travelling to Shildon next Saturday.

Goals: Galbraith (17, 1-0), Galbraith (77, 2-0)

Bookings: Stephenson (7, foul), Wilkinson (16, foul), Vipond (45, foul)

Sendings-off: Stephenson (28, second bookable offence), Dixon (40, foul and threatening language), Campbell (79, foul language), Vipond (80, dissent)

Referee: Elton Martin (Billingham)

Attendance: 1,736

Darlington (4-4-2): Bell; Harrison Brown, Tait, Scott; Emms, Galbraith (Davis 85), Gott, Thompson (Nicholls 80); Purewal, Dowson (Johnson 60). Subs (not used): Turns (gk), Richardson

West Auckland (4-4-2): Atkinson, Pattinson, Gray, Gibson, Stephenson, Wilkinson, Garthwaite, Vipond (Hindmarsh 74), Moffat, Campbell, Banks (Coad 30). Subs (not used): Edwards, Mullen, Coffey