DARLINGTON proved they are heading in the right direction after putting five goals past Worcester City, four of them headers.

Gary Brown scored two of them from corners as Quakers won 5-1 at Heritage Park, their fourth successive home win during which time they have scored 16 goals.

Brown first had sight of goal on nine minutes when he headed Josh Gillies’ delivery over, but soon he found the target when scoring at the near post from the same source.

Gillies swung the ball in, allowing Brown to head in and it was not the last time the two would combine.

It was 2-0 on 28 minutes from another header, this time Mark Beck heading home a Stephen Thompson cross after Brown’s throw-in, although Worcester keeper Ryan Boot got a hand to the ball and should have done better.

Then Brown and Gillies performed a repeat of the first goal, the nimble winger firing the ball in for the Darlington defender to make it 3-0 at the break.

The points were effectively sewn up within two minutes of the restart, Beck bagging his second of the game, the only goal of the day that was not a header.

Following a Terry Galbraith corner, Phil Turnbull and Gillies both had shots blocked, but Beck was on hand to steer home a loose ball to add his second goal of the day.

At this point both Brown and Beck were on a hat-trick, but neither took the matchball home as it was Dave Syers who got the final goal, heading in a Galbraith cross just three minutes after coming on.

The substitute, who also netted when he came off the bench last Saturday on his debut, timed his run to perfection to make it 5-0 with less than an hour gone.

Worcester, who had lost only one of their previous six league games, pulled one back when Ebby Nelson-Addy strode forward and tucked the ball under keeper Peter Jameson.

The goal was a disappointment to Darlington, who have still kept only one clean sheet this season, but the win keeps them in second place, four points behind leaders Fylde who come to the North-East next month.

Next Saturday Darlington, who unbeaten away from home, travel to fifth-placed Harrogate Town, who are yet to lose in the league at home but today were beaten 2-1 at Fylde.

Goals: Brown (19, 1-0), Beck (27, 2-0), Brown (43, 3-0) Beck (47, 4-0), Syers (56, 5-0); Nelson-Addy (71, 5-1)

Bookings: n/a

Referee: Martyn Rawcliffe (Manchester)

Attendance: 1,479

Darlington (4-4-2): Jameson; Marrs, Brown, Burgess, Galbraith; Thompson, Falkingham, Turnbull (Syers 53), Gillies (Davie 57); Cartman (Hardy 62), Beck. Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Watson

Worcester City (4-4-2): Boot; Gallinagh, Hutchison, Oji, Weir; Steele (Ross 46), Fitzpatrick (Murphy 46), Nelson-Addy, Keane; Hughes (Jackman 62), Bishop. Subs (not used): Evans, English