Darlington 3 Radcliffe Borough 0

A workmanlike performance was enough to secure three points for Darlington as they overcame struggling Radcliffe Borough 3-0 at Heritage Park.

Goals by strikers Nathan Fisher, Ian Ward and David Dowson gave Quakers a victory which strengthened their position in the play-off places.
With four games to go they are 11 points ahead of sixth, though Curzon Ashton effectively sealed the title today when they beat Prescot Cables and a win at Harrogate RA on Monday will secure first position.

Darlington are striving to finish second, though Martin Gray’s team was not at its best today while the lowly visitors wasted good chances to cause an upset.

Radcliffe had the ball in the net on 14 minutes, but Brad Robinson’s celebrations were cut short due to an offside flag and then Nathan Fisher’s sixth league goal of the season put Darlington ahead after Stephen Thompson saw a shot blocked.

The goal fired Quakers into life and by the break they led 2-0 with Ian Ward scoring his second goal in as many starts, heading home from a Terry Galbraith corner.

Substitute David Dowson finished the scoring in the 74th minute, lashing home after a Galbraith pass.

Goals: Fisher (19, 1-0); Ward (34, 2-0), Dowson, (74, 3-0)

Bookings: Brown (36, foul); Carden (90, foul); Tait (90, dissent)

Referee: Thomas Rogers (Houghton-le-Spring)

Attendance: 1,040

Darlington: Bell; Tait, Hunter, Galbraith; Walker, Scott, Brown, A Mitchell (Hopson 66); Thompson; Fisher (Dowson 61), Ward (Purewal 46). Subs (not used): Jameson (gk), White

Radcliffe Borough: Cheetham, Lafferty, Grimshaw, Ayers, Mullineux, Lambert, Sherlock (Landregan 55), White (Carden 55), Burey, Robinson (Manning 80), Rokka. Subs (not used): Thompson, Matupe-Ojo