DARLINGTON have climbed to sixth from bottom in the National League North table following a crucial 3-1 away win at Warrington.

The result means that Quakers have moved above Farsley Celtic, who lost at Spennymoor, but Rushall Olympic kept the pressure on with a home win over Boston.

Darlington manager Steve Watson said: “It was a vitally important win and all about the points.

“In an ideal world, you’d play fantastic football, but it was about winning. We fielded a positive line up and went for the jugular if we could.

“We didn’t score in the first half, but we were clinical in the second. If that was the start of the season, there would be a few things to tidy up, but we’re delighted with the points.”

Quakers missed opportunities to take control of the game in the first 20 minutes.

They created their first chance when Aidan Rutledge played a one-two on the right, ran past several defenders into the area, and from a tight angle fired towards goal, and the ball bounced off Cameron Salkeld’s thigh and went over the top.

They had another chance when Jarrett Rivers pulled the ball back from the left for Salkeld to side-foot towards the bottom left-hand corner, but Dan Atherton saved.

Another chance came when the Warrington defence failed to clear Cedric Main’s cross from the right, and Rutledge pulled his left-foot shot across the face of goal.

Warrington had their first real chance on 20 minutes when Matty McDonald put Josh Amis clear in the box, but Young confidently held his right-foot shot.

The keeper showed his quality on the half-hour when Dec Walker tried his luck with a 30-yarder towards the top corner, but the keeper touched the ball over the bar.

Quakers had two more chances before half-time. Rutledge cut in from the left and fired wide, then Cedric Main crossed from the right for Liddle, who side-footed wide from ten yards out.

Quakers continued pushing forward in the second half, and they took the lead on 51 minutes. The hard-working Jarrett Rivers won the ball in midfield, allowing Main to find Ben Hedley on the right. Hedley then put a measured low cross over to the far post where Rutledge headed the ball home.

Warrington almost got back into the game with a header by Amis that went wide, but after Quakers had strong claims for a penalty turned down for a foul on Main, they got an important second on 81 minutes. Main dribbled past four men to get into the area, and after he was blocked by keeper Atherton, the ball ran for Salkeld to touch in from a couple of yards.

Warrington, though, pulled a goal back on 86 minutes when Matty McDonald turned home a right-wing cross, and then sub Isaac Buckley-Ricketts glanced a header wide.

But there was a huge sigh of relief in stoppage time, when Main again split the home defence for Salkeld to run through and slip past Atherton, despite the attempts of a defender to keep the ball out.