Alun Armstrong: 'It was a fantastic point - it could have been three'

The draw meant they finally got off the mark at the fourth attempt, but they had to work hard for a point after Jassem Sukar was needlessly sent off.

Quakers were on top in the second half, until Sukar saw red for a rash challenge and manager Alun Armstrong had no complaints.

“It was a fantastic point, but it could have been three,” he said.

“We were well on top until that moment of madness from Jassem. I have no complaints about the red card, I can’t argue with it.

“As soon as it happened, I knew it was red, and I couldn’t get my head around why. He’ll learn from it. He’s devastated, and apologised to the lads. But it’s a team game, he’ll help somebody else when he’s playing again.”

Hatfield, in his first game at Blackwell Meadows after returning to Darlington from Fylde, scored a blistering free kick, and Armstrong said: “We know what Will’s got, he’s got that quality, and he’s getting better and stronger.

“He’s annoyed that we haven’t come away with three points.”

Quakers did not get off to a good start by conceding an early goal, exactly what they did not want after three defeats.

They conceded a corner on their right, and the ball was curled into the six-yard box by Alfie Bates and unmarked Danny Newton headed past Tommy Taylor.

The home side nearly levelled on 12 minutes when Andrew Nelson did well to hold off two defenders in the area from a Jordan Mustoe long ball, and he laid it off for Jacob Hazel, but his weak right-foot shot was saved by Danny Lewis.

One of Quakers’ weaknesses is that they don’t score very often from set-pieces, and they put that right on 33 minutes.

Nelson was adjudged to have been fouled just on the edge of the Brackley area, and Hatfield, hit the free kick into the top corner past Lewis.

Brackley nearly regained the lead just on half time when Shep Murombedzi’s free kick was blocked, and the ball ran for Riccardo Calder, whose left foot effort was going into the top corner until Taylor pushed it around the post.

Quakers slowly got on top in the second half. Toby Lees headed a right-wing corner just wide, then Nelson and Hazel combined well to set up Adriano Moke, whose right foot shot was touched against the post by Lewis, thus denying him his first goal in 57 games for the club.

However, just as Quakers looked as if they were going to dominate, Sukar was shown a red card for a lunging challenge on Murombedzi with the ball long gone.

Thanks to Sukar’s moment of madness, which means a three-game ban, Quakers went from looking like winning to defending a much-needed point.

They did that quite successfully thanks to a commanding Jake Lawlor, with Jimmy Armson the only threat with a header over the top from a free kick.

And Quakers nearly won it when sub Kaine Felix broke away from a Hazel pass, but his shot was blocked by a defender.

“The lads were extremely nervous for the first 15 minutes, everyone could see that in the ground,” added Armstrong.

“But I’ve got to give them massive credit because they could have crumbled, and the fans could have got on their backs which they didn’t, they stayed with them and believed in them.

“The lads worked their socks off and got their just rewards, and the desire and workrate to get something from the game were superb.”