LAST week Darlington watched a video of all the goals they have conceded this season, a move intended to help resolve their defensive issues, and it had an immediate impact.

They kept a long-awaited clean sheet on Saturday when beating Gloucester City 2-0. In truth, their defence was rarely tested by a weak opposition interested only in keeping a clean sheet themselves, but the victory was much-needed.

Few people will want to watch a video of the game, however.

It was turgid stuff, featuring only occasional moments of goalmouth action and little good football being partly due to a poor playing surface.

But, having been in desperate need of a win after an disappointing run of results, seeing Darlington fall from second to sixth in the table, there were few complaints.

Quakers did enough to deserve the win, only their second in nine league matches, having created more scoring opportunities against a team who, somehow, are 11th in the table.

Gloucester kept men behind the ball in an unambitious desire to earn a point, a ploy that contributed to the lack of entertainment, one that backfired when Nathan Cartman and Phil Turnbull scored late on.

Aware Darlington’s display had been far from fluid, manager Martin Gray described it as “a reasonably good performance”.

He said: “It was a tough game, neither keeper had much to do until the first goal went in. It was a game that I felt we were more likely to win the longer the game went on.

“Gloucester would’ve been happy to go home with a point, so we knew that we had to be disciplined and patient.”

The condition of the playing surface perhaps explains why Quakers so readily played the ball in the air up to Mark Beck.

It is not a tactic to everyone’s liking, yet Darlington Rugby Club played on the pitch last Monday and it appeared little remedial work had been done to prepare it for a football match.

Alongside Beck was debutant Lewis Walker, on loan from Derby County, who looked lost and lasted just under an hour before being replaced.

He was one of two changes, Cartman and Stephen Thompson dropped to accommodate a 4-3-3 formation, but the first half saw few moments of note aside from two goal-line clearances.

After a Terry Galbraith free-kick was not cleared, Walker and Josh Gillies’ shots were blocked on the line.

Gray reverted to 4-4-2 not long into the second half, Cartman coming on to a huge cheer and soon getting a shot in, and Thompson also joined the fray.

“The formation and personnel changes made the difference,” pointed out the manager.

“You don’t always get it right, but you’ve got to be brave enough to make changes early enough in the game for it to make an impact.

“I’ve always done that, whether it’s a half-time substitution or five minutes into the second half, it’s what you get paid to do, and the decisions that we made off the pitch were the reason we won the game.”

Goalkeeper Peter Jameson’s clean sheet was never threatened by a blunt Gloucester.

Their lack of menace was summed up when Tom Webb needlessly dribbled over the byline under little pressure, and when Joe Hanks shanked the ball wide it was going for a throw until Galbraith kept it in play.

Similarly, Darlington were unable to find a cutting edge, rarely forcing goalkeeper Jasbir Singh into action, although he did save a downwards header by Beck.

Then up popped Cartman. The man to rely on when the ball is loose in the penalty area, two years to the day since signing from Harrogate RA he was in the right place at the right time to head home after Galbraith’s shot was saved by Singh following a right-wing cross by Gary Brown.

“Nathan had a point to prove and that’s football. He did it by coming on and getting a goal,” said Gray.

“That’s one thing we’ve been asking of him and he just needed that chance, for the ball to drop because he’s a fox in the box. He took his chance as Nathan does.”

Cartman had made the desired impact, and in injury time teed up the historic second – Turnbull’s first goal for the club, and it was one to remember.

Turnbull began the move, launching a counter-attack, playing the ball wide to Cartman who considered heading for the corner flag before returning the ball to the midfielder, the pass sitting up nicely for a half-volley high into the net from 18 yards.

“When you score your first goal you want it to be like that,” said Gray. “He’s threatened many times in games and in training he does it.

“We counter-attacked with pace and it was a good decision by Nathan. He could have gone himself, but he slotted it through and Phil put it away first time. It was a fantastic finish.”

Gray dedicated the win to Ryan Wilson, the Quakers supporter who died last week in tragic circumstances.

The 26-year-old was killed instantly when his bicycle collided with a car in Darlington.

A minute’s silence was held in tribute to him ahead of Saturday’s game and his family were in attendance.

Gray said: “It’s very sad that we’ve lost him, a true fan, very passionate about his club. He used to watch us home and away, so our thoughts are with his family.

“That win is for his family and for Ryan.”