Darlington 3 Matlock Town 0

A SPECIAL goal by Lee Gaskell was the highlight of a comfortable victory for Quakers, their fourth in a row, over Matlock at Heritage Park last night.

Gaskell has become a specialist at scoring spectacular goals, and the second goal of the game was a very skilful effort at just the right time to ensure the points for Quakers.

Darlington manager Martin Gray, who chose an unchanged side for the sixth successive game, said: “It was a great piece of individual skill. When Lee came to the club, he promised that he would score goals, and that’s what he’s done. It’s what you judge him on, it was a fantastic finish.

“Maybe it wasn’t our strongest performance, but Matlock made us work very hard. It took us a while to break them down.

“I was pleased with a clean sheet again, our defending in general play and in setpieces was very good.”

Quakers were once again dangerous themselves when attacking at setpieces, and Gray pointed out: “If you’ve got good delivery and determination to attack the ball in the box, then you’re always a threat. We’ve been good at setpieces this season, but we have to keep them going.”

Quakers had the first chance in the third minute when Stephen Thompson was tripped just outside the area, but Adam Mitchell curled the free kick over the top, then Mitchell had another setpiece out on the left which he curled into the six yard box, but Terry Galbraith headed wide.

Galbraith had Quakers’ first shooting chance with a 30 yarder which went along the ground straight at George Willis.

Quakers took the lead on 16 minutes. Setpiece expert Galbraith forced a corner off an inswinging free kick from the right, and when the ball came in from the opposite side by Mitchell, Galbraith’s header from six yards was blocked, but Gary Brown was on hand to force the ball home for his first league goal since he returned to the club.

Matlock had a half chance to equalise when the ball came out to Ben Algar on the edge of the Darlington area after Peter Jameson punched the ball clear, but his left foot half volley was saved low down to his right by the keeper..

Quakers nearly got a second on 36 minutes. A dangerous free kick in a central position 35 yards out from Galbraith found Brown, but his towering header deflected just wide off a defender.

Mitchell almost fired a second, when he jinked past a defender inside the area and hit an angled shot that Willis palmed away at full stretch, and in Quakers’ next attack Stephen Thompson steamed forward and fired just over the top.

Matlock had more urgency about them in the second half, and referee Tony Peart was also more willing to book players, showing yellow cards to Matlock’s Laurie Wilson and Quakers’ Galbraith.

Quakers’ first chance of the half came when Turnbull found Mitchell racing down the right, and the winger crossed for Cartman to head a few yards wide.

Matlock spurned a great chance to equalise on 58 minutes when a quick turn by Joel Purkiss left Brown trailing, but Jameson timed his dash off his line perfectly to block Purkiss’ low shot.

Gaskell has made a habit of scoring top quality goals since he joined, and he added another to his list on 63 minutes. With his back to goal on the corner of the box, he cleverly wrongfooted two defenders, turned, and curled a delightful effort over the stranded Willis into the top corner.

It was nearly 3-0 on 67 minutes, when another Galbraith free kick caused confusion and bounced off the post, and neither Brown nor skipper Kevin Burgess could force the ball home.

Sub Tom Portas, on for Mitchell, missed a one-on-one when he won possession from a defender and raced through, but Willis saved well, then another sub, Graeme Armstrong fired high over the bar from the edge of the box.

Quakers scored a deserved third in stoppage time when Thompson fired across the face of goal, and Galbraith came racing in at the far post and scored with a left foot shot to score his fifth goal of the season.

Darlington: Jameson, Hunter, Galbraith, Turnbull, Burgess, Brown, Mitchell (Portas 67), Scott, Gaskell (Armstrong 76), Cartman (Dowson 71), Thompson Subs: Provett, Nowakowski

Matlock: Willis, Harcourt, Nelthorpe, Wilson (Cribley 55), Yates, Burgin, Travis, Needham, Purkiss (Dawes 69), McManus (Gaughan 79), Algar Subs: Holland, Gascoigne

Attendance: 916

Referee: Tony Peart (Northallerton)