Same old story as Quakers lose again (From The Northern Echo)

Same old story as Quakers lose again

10:00am Monday 7th December 2009 in

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Darlington 0 Bradford City 1

DARLINGTON’S misery just goes on and on.

Like Groundhog Day was how chairman Raj Singh, in Saturday’s programme notes, accurately summed up watching Quakers and the latest result continued the wearingly repetitive theme.

Their disastrous season is lurching from one bad result to another with Saturday’s home defeat to Bradford City being a 16th loss in 20 league games.

Darlington are now 11 points from safety though they arguably deserved an equaliser on their second half showing after reacting positively to being a goal down at the break.

So there was at least a small crumb of comfort for Steve Staunton’s side.

It has reached the stage where even the slightest positive has to be emphasised if Darlington are to attempt to be upbeat during an horrific season.

Sticking with the positive spin – although this is really stretching it – they could also take consolation from conceding only one goal this time.

Quakers’ previous three results read: 2-5, 0-4 and 0-4 – a damaging run that severely dented hopes that survival in League Two remains possible.

That three-game nightmare was preceded by last month’s 1-0 home win over Burton Albion, a result which suggested, just maybe, Staunton could conjure a magical escape.

But since then four defeats have left Darlington more deeply anchored and Staunton looking for the plus points in what was the eighth defeat in his ten games.

“I’m trying to think of different ways to explain it but it’s always the same,” said the frustrated Irishman who made five changes to his lineup.

“We conceded a soft goal and then we had a great reaction.

But why does it take until half-time, or until we go a goal down, for that reaction to come?

“The plus was that when we conceded the goal, we didn’t capitulate like we have in some games. We showed a bit of courage and bottle.

“The response in the second half was great. It’s amazing what a little bit of hard graft can do. We had scoring chances and got tighter to their players in midfield but things aren’t dropping for us in the opposition penalty box.

“Unfortunately it took us until half-time to get to grips with things. By then we had given away a soft goal at a setplay, which is the story of our season.”

That soft goal came halfway through a dull first half via Steve Williams who, having evaded the attentions of Quakers striker Lee Thorpe, steamed in at the far post to volley home Scott Neilson’s corner.

Thorpe had the first chance of the game, poking straight at keeper Simon Eastwood, but thereafter Bradford created, and wasted, enough chances before the break to finish off a low quality game.

Supporters were watching two poor sides low on confidence due to their respective recent runs, both having won only two of their previous ten league games.

Darlington’s dire run, however, actually stretches back to the start of the season.

The attendance of 2,744 may have been Quakers’ highest of the season – bolstered by around 1,000 travelling fans – but it was eerily quiet at times with supporters of both sides left stunned by the lack of creativity on show.

More entertaining was the game played at half-time between two sets of attackminded schoolchildren, using a formation perhaps best described as 1-1-8.

Perhaps envious of the applause that the kids received, Darlington made more effort after the break with sub striker James Collins, on for Mor Diop, cutting inside from the right and firing a low shot that Eastwood dealt with comfortably.

Jonathan Hogg forced another save from Eastwood and with five minutes to go came Darlington’s last chance to equalise but from Curtis Main’s left-wing cross Thorpe’s attempt at a glancing header was poor.

It was not an easy chance but such wasted opportunities, as well as the softly conceded goals, have been a recurring feature and are among the many reasons Quakers are bottom of the table.

Another prominent feature has been the non-stop conveyor belt of new players and the latest to don Quakers colours was Andrew Milne, who made his debut at right-back on Saturday.

The loan signing from Leeds took the number of players used this season to an astonishing 40.

The figure undermines the disruption at Darlington and, unsurprisingly, is a club record. Try putting a positive spin on that one.

Match facts

Goal:

0-1: Williams (23, close-range volley at the far post after meeting Neilson’s right-wing corner)

Bookings: Hall (36, dissent), Harsley (41, dissent), Hogg (50, foul), Thorpe (75, foul); Neilson (82, time wasting)

Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Preston): Very harsh on Darlington and somehow managed to book four of the Quakers side 6

Attendance: 2,744

Entertainment: ✰✰

DARLINGTON (4-4-2):

7 LIVERSEDGE: Recalled at the expense of Jones and did little wrong;

6 Milne: Made his debut on loan from Leeds and did not look out of place 7 Hall: Demonstrated a determination to win the ball that could see him earn an extended run

7 Bower: Made captain in his first game since September and slotted back in without any fuss

5 Giddings: Rarely got forward though not helped a great deal by Gray;

5 J Smith: The extremely left-footed player was the least appropriate selection for right-wing

5 Harsley: Not influential enough on proceedings and his booking was justified

6 Hogg: Twice tested the Bradford keeper and a good early pass to Thorpe should have resulted in a goal 4 Gray: Too easily beaten on the left-wing and unable to have an impact in an attacking sense;

5 Thorpe: Presented with Quakers’ best chances and unable to take either of them 4Diop: Occasionally showed he could be a threat but failed to make a significant contribution

Subs:

Collins (for Diop, 60): Looked lively and posed more of a threat than Diop 6

Convery (for J Smith, 73)

Main (for Gray, 73)

(not used): Jones (gk), Foster, G Smith, Groves

BRADFORD CITY (4-4-2): Eastwood 7; Ramsden 7, WILLIAMS 7, Clarke 6, L O’Brien 6; Neilson 7, Bullock 5, Flynn 5, Whalley 6 (J O’Brien 86); Hanson 5, M Boulding 4 (Evans 64, 5). Subs (not used): McLaughlin (gk), Brandon, Bateson, R Boulding, Horne

MAN OF THE MATCH

NICK Liversedge – the keeper deserved to be recalled and did everything required of him.