Darlington 0 Kidderminster 1

DARLINGTON did everything but score against Kidderminster at Heritage Park last night.

Quakers created and missed good chances, and they couldn’t cancel out an excellent early goal by Kidderminster’s Arthur Gnahoua, and in the process missed an opportunity to return to the top of the table.

Manager Martin Gray said: “I felt that they started the game better and deservedly went 1-0 up, but I was disappointed that we conceded a goal from the only shot they had in the first half.

“They had good possession and good movement off the ball, but didn’t really hurt us.

“We stayed in the game, and in the rest of the first half I thought we created some good chances, not just half chances.

“Over the 90 minutes I thought we created enough chances to have won the game. We had ten corners in the second half, six on the bounce, but nothing would drop for us. We hit the bar and their keeper pulled off a fantastic save.”

Quakers were without defender Gary Brown and midfielder Josh Gillies through injury, so in came Chris Hunter and Tom Portas.

With former Newcastle and England boss Steve McClaren watching, had the first chance on 12 minutes. Kev Burgess launched a long ball forward that went over Mark Beck’s head, but the ball dropped behind him for Liam Hardy who controlled instantly, but he pulled his left foot shot across the face of goal.

The full-timers netted on 13 minutes when the tricky Arthur Gnahoua picked the ball up on the left, moved inside, and hit a terrific right-foot shot from 25 yards that flew over Peter Jameson and into the top right corner of the net.

Quakers forced two corners in quick succession, and from the second swung in by Stephen Thompson from the right, Terry Galbraith headed wide.

Quakers then had two chances in two minutes to equalise. Thompson won the ball midway inside the Kidderminster half, ran at the defence and slipped the ball to the supporting Galbraith, who blazed over.

Then Beck flicked on a long ball from Hunter that Hardy controlled, but under pressure on the edge of the box, he fired straight at keeper Sam Hornby.

And another deep ball from a Liam Marrs free-kick nearly dropped for Burgess six yards out, but he couldn’t get a clean contact on the ball.

But Harriers nearly caught Quakers on the counter on 37 minutes, when Elton Ngwatala cut in from the right and hit a deflected shot past the stranded Jameson.

Quakers then went close twice more in the space of a minute. Beck almost caught out Hornby, but the keeper just managed to push around the post, and from the corner Thompson helped the ball on for Burgess, who headed over.

Kidderminster nearly made it two at the start of the second half, when Gnahoua again found space just outside the area, and hit a powerful shot that Jameson palmed over.

Quakers had a free-kick on the right on 55 minutes that was hoisted into the penalty area by Galbraith, and Wayne Thomas misdirected his clearing header into his own keeper’s hands.

Gray made two changes on 62 minutes, taking off Tom Portas and Liam Hardy, and replacing them with Adam Nowakowski and Nathan Cartman.

Nowakowski’s first action was to cross from the right into the middle for Beck, under pressure, to head wide.

Liam Marrs then sent Adam Mitchell racing down the right, and he crossed perfectly for Beck, six yards out, to head against the crossbar, and when the ball bounced back out to Nowakowski, his cleanly-hit volley was clawed out by Hornby.

As Quakers pushed up, Kidderminster nearly caught them out when Gnahoua set up Ryan Croasdale, who sidefooted wide from ten yards.

Quakers were still denied an equaliser in the last minute when Thompson’s corner from the left reached Galbraith at the far post, but his effort was blocked on the line.

Darlington (4-3-1-2): Jameson, Marrs, Burgess, Hunter, Galbraith, Turnbull, Portas (Nowakowski 62), Scott (Mitchell 53), Thompson, Beck, Hardy (Cartman 62). Subs (not used): Bell, Purewal,

Booked: Thompson

Kidderminster (4-3-3): Hornby, Williams, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Lowe, Tunnicliffe, Waite (Austin 66), McQuilkin (Thomas 55), Dieseruvwe, Ngwatala (Brown 82), Gnahoua. Subs (not used): Truslove, Stambolziev

Booking: Tunnicliffe

Attendance 1729