FC HALIFAX TOWN 2 DARLINGTON 2

A DRAW might not have been the wedding present Martin Gray was hoping for, but his team at least started 2017 by ending their losing run away from home on the day their manager was otherwise engaged.

A 2-2 draw at FC Halifax Town ended a run of four successive losses on the road, and in unusual circumstances.

While Quakers were at the Shay, Gray got married to his new wife Jill at the Crowthorne Hotel in Yarm, a date and venue arranged two years ago.

Given that Darlington do not usually play on New Years Day due to a combination of inclement weather and league scheduling, yesterday’s match being their first on January 1 since 2012, it is easy to sympathise with the manager for the timing of his big day.

He had attempted without success to rearrange the match, Halifax refusing the proposal, so instead Gray did his pre-match teamtalk at the players’ usual meeting point at a service station on the A19, with coach Sean Gregan and chief scout Harry Dunn then taking the reigns for the match.

They were in the dug-out for the 3pm kick-off, half an hour after Gray had tied the knot.

He was kept informed of the scoreline by assistant manager Brian Atkinson, also absent as he was the groom’s best man.

Atkinson used social media to relay updates from a game which saw Darlington equalise in each half through Josh Gillies and Kevin Burgess to earn a point against a team they had overcome 3-2 on Boxing Day.

“I’ll be glad to give the job back to Martin!” joked Gregan, who has been coaching Quakers under Gray since 2012.

“They’re an honest bunch of lads. I told them before the game that if they don’t perform because Martin is not here then it would be an embarrassment, but these players will run through brick walls for you.

“I felt the pressure a bit. I’m more of a joker around the place, and I’d have felt responsible if things didn’t go right.

“It was great character by the lads to come from behind twice, a good fightback.”

Gray had selected an unchanged XI, aiming for a repeat of last Monday, though he clearly had not planned on another two goals from Halifax’s new signing Adam Morgan.

He bagged a brace at Blackwell on his Shaymen debut, and opened the scoring yesterday on 14 minutes.

Striker Tom Denton, a player Darlington succeeded in nullifying a week ago, played the ball forward into Morgan, and he took a touch before unleashing a low shot into the far corner via deflection off Liam Marrs which gave Peter Jameson little opportunity of saving.

Gregan said: “It looked like it went straight in, but the lads are saying it hit Marrsy.”

The goal meant Darlington’s fragile defence has now not kept a clean sheet in 21 successive league and cup games.

Soon it was close to 2-0, Richard Peniket’s ball across the six-yard box evading Josh MacDonald and Darlington were briefly in disarray.

Jameson punched a corner to the edge of the area where Gillies was too slow to react, but Morgan blasted his effort high and wide.

Quakers recovered after a frenzied few minutes at their end, with Halifax-born Nathan Cartman coming close to scoring with a close-range shot superbly stopped by Sam Johnson, the goalkeeper then blocking Leon Scott’s effort from outside the penalty area as Darlington rallied.

Their deserved leveller came on 22 minutes, Gillies shooting into the corner from just inside the penalty area.

“Josh has got that in his locker,” said Gregan. “If you want someone in that area it’s Josh.”

It came after a long pass by Burgess was flicked on by Mark Beck, leading to Gillies’ seventh strike of the season which Cartman enjoyed celebrating in front of the home fans while simultaneously avoiding an airborne toilet roll flung by one of his townsfolk.

Gary Brown had to be equally agile moments later, successfully covering Jameson to clear off the line from Denton after Peniket had burst into the area, Darlington’s second goal-line clearance after Burgess did likewise inside the first 60 seconds.

Quakers were then thankful MacDonald was off-target with a shot on the turn after being played in by Morgan, and the chances continued in a second half Darlington edged, Johnson making an instinctive save push over from Beck at close-range after Thompson’s right-wing delivery moments after the restart.

The set-piece came to nothing, but another Darlington corner midway through the half led to a goal, but it was Halifax who got it and it was not one Quakers will enjoy watching back.

After a short-corner routine saw Gillies’ delivery cleared, Scott failed to win a challenge in midfield leading to the Shaymen breaking quickly via speedy substitute Matty Kosylo, who played in that man again Morgan.

He still had a lot to do, but the former Liverpool youngster cemented his status as the scourge of Quakers this Christmas with a powerful shot from 25 yards beating Jameson, the goalkeeper whose two errors led to goals on Boxing Day, getting a hand to the ball but unable to stop it hitting the net.

Darlington did not take long to recover, however, scoring their second equaliser on 70 minutes with a corner working in their favour this time.

Swung in by Terry Galbraith, the inviting delivery was met by Burgess who rose highest amid a clutch of bodies at the far post to head home his third goal of the season, which instigated a period of pressure in the closing stages.

There was only going to be one winner from this point, Quakers doing their utmost to cap Gray’s big day by getting men forward and Galbraith twice came close to goal with venomous efforts with that left boot of his.

He exchanged passes with Cartman before unleashing rocket of a strike blocked by Kevin Roberts’ midriff, and then saw a dipping volley from distance go just off target.

There was an escape when Denton lashed well wide from six yards, but a home winner would have been grossly unfair on Quakers at the end of an engaging contest.

“We came from behind twice so that shows you what we’ve got in the dressing room, a great bunch of lads,” added Gregan.

“Halifax had probably one shot on target in the second half and unfortunately Pete’s probably made a mistake again.

“We’re happy with a point because it’s a tough place to come, but we possibly could’ve had three.

“We beat them the other day and they wanted to put one over us, so I’m pleased for the boys that we got a point because we would not have deserved to get nothing out of the game.”

A blow for Darlington was the loss of Gillies to injury late on, Gregan explaining: “He’s dislocated his shoulder so he’ll have to play with a strap now like Lee Gaskell last season. He’ll get a strengthening programme off the physio and fingers crossed he’ll get it sorted quickly because he’s a big player for us.”

He added: “I’m going to the wedding reception now and no doubt Martin will be bending my lug about the game. He texted me straight away saying it was a good point, so he can enjoy his night now.”