DARLINGTON are set up nicely for the Easter weekend after stretching their unbeaten run to four matches at the AFC Telford United.

Quakers have games coming up against Southport on Saturday and Spennymoor Town at the Brewery Field on Easter Monday, and a battling 0-0 draw has put them in the mood to put on a show for the fans over the weekend.

There was never much chance of a repeat of the 6-0 thumping handed out to North Ferriby last week because of a sticky, bobbly pitch that clearly bore the scars of its winter waterlogging issues, and then joint top scorer Reece Styche didn’t reappear for the second half because of a calf strain.

Quakers also overcame other factors that hampered them, such as the absence of Dave Syers alongside Styche, and a near five hour coach journey without a stop that curtailed some of their pre-match preparations. So all in all, it was a good point which means Quakers have lost just once in their last 11 matches.

Manager Tommy Wright is determined to end the season with a flourish and put everyone in a good frame of mind ready for next season. Quakers are currently tenth in the table, and while the play offs could be out of reach with games running out, then an eighth or ninth place finish isn’t out of the question.

“I want to end the season well, and give the fans something to shout about,” he said. “We’ve still got plenty to aim for, I want us to play some good attacking football and score a few goals, just as we have been doing in our recent home matches.

“The Telford match wasn’t pretty at times. When I got to the ground before the game I knew that it wouldn’t be a pretty spectacle because it’s that time of year when everyone’s pitches are struggling. Dave Syers was missing so we were a bit disjointed, and Reece came off at half time with a tight calf which didn’t help. The lads had a long bus journey and turned up late for the warm up so the preparations were affected, so there were quite a few factors.

“I’m delighted to keep a clean sheet and extend the run. I don’t want to go looking for clean sheets every week, I’d rather score goals and play attacking football, but there are times in the season and in certain scenarios when the lads need to defend really well and on Saturday they did. For a young back four and a very young keeper, it’s exciting and I think the lads are getting a buzz for keeping clean sheets.

“Reece has had a long season. He played up front by himself at Tamworth, and he’s done the same for us. It’s been a long season for him, and he’s getting a bit fatigued, and so we took him off as a precaution.

“It wasn’t the right kind of game for us in an attacking sense. I thought we lacked that little bit of spark in the final third, but I’m sure we’ll be back to normal for the Southport game. We defended well as a unit, which was the main positive. It was a good point, not the best of performances, but the lads have got something even though we didn’t play very well. I was really proud of them.”

Telford were quite nippy up front early on through Karl Richards and Marcus Dinanga, who scored the winner at Blackwell Meadows earlier in the season, and they caused a couple of anxious moments before they nearly scored on 13 minutes.

Ellis Deeney, the brother of Watford’s Troy, curled a free kick over from the left that dropped to Dom Smith at the far post, and Aynsley Pears, fresh from his trip to Poland with England Under 20s, quickly dashed off his line to block at his feet.

That was essentially the last time in the game that Pears had a direct effort on his goal to save, because he was protected so well by his back four and midfield, with Josh Heaton and Terry Galbraith winning plenty in the air.

Quakers had a brief spell of pressure midway through the half that saw Telford keeper Ben Wilson claw away a Galbraith free kick and a Josh Gillies corner, but there was never any real rhythm to the game because of the number of stoppages from a fussy referee and misplaced passes from both sides.

Telford were just off target with efforts by Deeney and Jordan Lussey before the half time interval when Quakers were forced to sub Styche with Harvey Saunders, who will be on trial at Barnsley again next week.

Telford, who needed the points for their fight against relegation, tried to increase the pressure in the second half to no avail, but they had frantic appeals for a penalty turned down on 75 minutes when Heaton got on the wrong side of Richards and the Telford striker broke clear and then went down with Heaton in hot pursuit, but the referee waved play on, much to the loud protests of the fans and home players.

Quakers though nearly pinched the points when Josh Gillies sent Saunders bursting clear but Wilson raced out of his area to hack the ball away, and in the third minute of stoppage time Joe Wheatley fired a free kick a yard or so wide of the left hand post with the keeper static.

Darlington defender Luke Trotman, who had an excellent game at right back, said; “From how the game went on, with losing Stychey at half time and David Syers before the game, then we were happy with a point.

“It was a difficult surface to get clean strikes on the ball. I thought we defended well, and restricted them to shots from range.

“That’s four clean sheets in a row – I asked Pearsy when was the last time he conceded a goal! It was good, everyone was organised and knows what they’re doing, especially with Pearsy behind us. Twinny and Joe are protecting us, the wingers are doing their jobs, and the lads are pressing from the front. It was a good team defensive performance.

“We would take a point away then do at home what we did against North Ferriby. We want to put on a show for the fans against Southport on Saturday.”

Bookings: Deeney, Richards; Wheatley, Heaton, Gillies

Referee: Alex Kirkley

Attendance; 1,318

AFC Telford United (4-4-2): Wilson, White, Harris, Smith, Sutton; Deeney, Lussey (Giles 83), Cowans, Newby; Richards (Murphy 90), Dinanga (Marsden 79). Subs (not used): Johnson, Singh

Darlington: (4-4-2): Pears, Trotman, Heaton, Galbraith, O'Hanlon; Gillies, Turnbull, Wheatley, Thompson; Styche (Saunders 46), Caton (Scott 65)

Subs (not used): Bancroft, Glover, Vaulks