ON a day ideal for staying indoors rather than braving a biting wind and hailstorms, Darlington passed a test of their credentials as promotion contenders by winning at Marine.

While the performance was more workmanlike than entertaining, this was a day when the players required strong personalities and the fans needed a Bovril.

The travelling supporters were cheered by a victory achieved thanks in part to Darlington’s winning mentality, a characteristic they are not short of.

While their fourth-bottom opposition may be relegation fodder, taking control with a patient, passing build-up, as Darlington did during a one-way first 45 minutes on a poor pitch, was admirable.

It is only two months since Quakers were defeated in similarly testing conditions at Barwell.

In the five league games since, however, manager Martin Gray appears to have discovered a winning formula.

He has stuck with the same XI in each of the five games, a period that has produced four wins and a draw, with Saturday’s three points taking Quakers up to sixth.

They’ll be fourth should they beat Buxton tomorrow at Heritage Park, when hopefully the weather will not be as brutal as it was on Merseyside.

“To come down here, a long trip, and get three points is great. The mentality of the team was outstanding,” said Gray after Saturday’s win in Crosby.

“They are winners and that comes about because of the way we conduct ourselves as a club, that’s the way we are.

“We work hard and the discipline of the players today was smashing.”

One of Marine’s five wins came at Darlington in October, and Gray added: “We knew before we came here that it was not going to be easy, even though they haven’t been in good form of late.

“Plus, Marine had beaten us at our place with a workmanlike performance.

“The conditions were awful. There were hailstones in the warm-up and throughout the game it didn’t get any easier, so I thought the character of the players was outstanding.”

Gary Brown’s physical approach eptomises Gray’s will to win, and the last five league games have coincided with his return to the centre of defence, with Saturday being his best game since re-joining from Shildon.

Two of his typically crunching tackles led to Darlington’s goal, scored by centre-back partner Kevin Burgess on 36 minutes.

After Brown laid the ball off to Adam Mitchell, the winger picked out Stephen Thompson and his shot was parried by goalkeeper Matthew Cooper into Burgess’ path.

Gray said: “Kev gets himself into good positions, he’s a threat at set-pieces. He wants to score, he wants to do well. Equally, he’s just as important in his own box and he’s done well.

“I don’t know what he was doing up front to score though. I said to Sean Gregan, what’s a centre-half doing in the opposition’s box?

“I’m pleased he was because it was a good finish.”

The honour of scoring Darlington’s 50th league goal of the season would’ve gone to Lee Gaskell were it not for Cooper.

He was the scourge of Darlington in the first 45 minutes, and when Thompson did beat him with a thunderous effort, it was deflected on to the post.

At the other end Peter Jameson was much less involved, Darlington’s defence keeping him well-protected.

Gray added: “I was a bit disappointed we didn’t take our chances in the first half, but Marine hadn’t threated at all, they didn’t threaten all game.

“We scored a goal which I don’t think was offside from a great ball in. I looked at the players’ reaction and you could see it should’ve counted.

“Lee had a one-on-one and there were a few saves by the keeper, so we should’ve gone in at half-time a few goals up.”

Kicking into the fierce wind and a goal up in the second period, Darlington focused their efforts on maintaining their lead.

Gray sent on Tom Portas and David Dowson and switched formation, explaining: “We changed our shape with the substitutions, we tried to match them up with their three in midfield, it was 4-3-3 when in possession and 4-5-1 when out of possession.

“I thought we counter-attacked well in the second half. We sat in and kept our shape.”

After rounding the keeper, Dowson had a shot cleared late on, but in injury time Darlington avoided a sucker punch.

Marine had been toothless, but when 14-goal Daniel Mitchley had only Jameson to beat the striker fired wide with the home side’s only shot from open play.

“If that one had gone in it would have spoiled our day,” admitted Gray. “Every team is going to get at least one chance, so you can’t take any team lightly.”

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