Lancaster City 0 Darlington 0

THE destination of the title is now out of Darlington’s hands after failing to defeat Lancaster City today.

The sides drew 0-0, Quakers wasting a hatful of chances in a game they dominated, meaning they are now five points adrift of Salford City with two games to play.

They need to win both matches – Warrington away on Tuesday and at home to New Mills next weekend – and hope Ossett Town can avoid defeat against Salford.

Darlington would not be relying on Ossett however, had they managed to make it seven wins in a row today, and they had numerous goalscoring opportunities against tenth-placed Lancaster but were unable to turn them into goals.

They started at a tremendous pace, the game being played in Lancaster’s half. Leading scorer Graeme Armstrong had a lob palmed away by keeper Mike Hale, an Adam Mitchell shot was blocked and Gary Brown screwed a drive wide from 20 yards.

Good team play through midfield, involving five or six players led to David Dowson laying the ball off for Armstrong, who scuffed his shot.

Alan White headed over the bar from a couple of yards after meeting a Mitchell corner, though it was not an easy chance as the ball bounced up at home, and then Dowson fired a shot across goal that beat the keeper but rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.

During a first 45 minutes that was primarily one-way traffic, one of the few sights of goal Lancaster had was a Ryan Winder volley which went from 25 yards against the run of play.

There was no let up in intensity at the beginning of the second half; a Stephen Thompson volley was saved by Lancaster keeper Mike Hale, then Armstrong miscued an attempted scissor-kick after a Galbraith cross.

Billy Akrigg took the ball off Dowson’s toes as he was about to shoot, and that was one of the Darlington striker’s last touches as manager Martin Gray soon replaced him and Armstrong with Nathan Cartman and Liam Hatch, the latter quickly teeing up one of the best chances of the day.

He held the ball up on halfway before turning and releasing Tom Portas, who was one-on-one with Hale, but scuffed his shot and allowed Hale to save.

It was a glorious opportunity for a player who last month scored a cracking goal against Lancaster in a 3-0 win at Heritage Park.

That evening Dowson scored early on and the goal paved the way for a comfortable victory, and it would’ve been the same today had Quakers been able to make the breakthrough.

It was a backs-to-the-wall performance by a well-organised Lancaster, though they saw more of Peter Jameson’s goal in the second half without threatening to score. A free-kick by right-back Sam Bailey was straight at the keeper on the hour.

The other keeper, Hale, did his best to slow the game down with his occasional time wasting, something that referee Alan Bennett later had a word with him about.

He also booked Bailey for kicking the ball away after a foul had been given.

Aside from his dawdling antics at set-plays, Hale further frustrated Quakers when he made a great save, pushing away Galbraith’s drive and as the clock ticked down Darlington pushed forward in numbers.

Gray sent on Ian Watson for Chris Hunter and changed to 3-4-3, but they continued to see chances come and go.

White’s powerful header went over the bar after meeting Galbraith’s inswinging corner, and injury time there was drama at both ends.

Jameson was sent off after fouling Woods on edge of the penalty area as the Lancaster forward charged towards goal.

After the referee had consulted with a linesman, he dismissed the keeper who will serve a one-match ban, meaning he would miss the play-off final on May 2 should Quakers get that far.

Brown picked up the gloves and pulled off a marvellous save to deny Garry Hunter’s powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area, and Darlington did not give up, attacking into the final seconds and winning a 97th minute corner which Galbraith ‘scored’ from at close-range.

However, he was offside, a linesman quick to raise his flag and the final whistle left Darlington despondent.

The draw felt like a defeat, the play-offs now highly likely for the second season running.

Bookings: Marshall (49, foul), Bailey (82, time wasting)

Referee: Alan Bennett

Attendance: 662

Lancaster City: Hale, Bailey, Davis, Marshall, Freeland; Winder, Akrigg, Hunter, Draycott (Clark 88); Poole (Woods 72), Wearing (Pearce 56). Subs (not used): Donlon (gk), Hudson

Darlington: Jameson; Brown, White, Hunter (Watson 79), Galbraith; A Mitchell, Scott, Portas, Thompson; Armstrong (Hatch 53), Dowson (Cartman 53). Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Mota