Darlington 0 Middlesbrough 5

A DARLINGTON side made up of fringe players, youth team members and trialists was outclassed last night as Middlesbrough marched to a 5-0 win.

And the scoreline did not betray the balance of play as a Boro team, which amounted to a strong reserve side, dominated Quakers’ final friendly of the summer.

With the season starting at home to Exeter at the weekend, manager Dave Penney chose not to use any of players likely to be in Saturday’s line-up and instead used last night’s match to field five trialists.

Ben Muirhead, Paul Evans, Robert Bayly, Marcus Haber and Paul Robinson started, while Tim Ryan played his first game since January.

The defender’s contract expired at the end of last season, but he has been training with Darlington as he attempts to recover from a knee injury and hopes to earn a new deal.

But the makeshift nature of Darlington’s side showed as they struggled to compete with their local neighbours in front of a surprisingly big crowd of 5,811, many of whom would have been hoping to see some more familiar names.

One of Darlington’s five trialists, Robinson, had the first real chance, shooting low across the wet surface but keeper Brad Jones tipped it wide.

Jones is hoping, now that Mark Schwarzer has left, for more first team opportunities this season as is Adam Johnson, one of the few Boro players on show with Premier League experience.

The impressive left-winger saw a lot of the ball although he sliced the Teessiders’ first chance wide from inside Quakers’ penalty area, before speedy Dutch striker Marvin Emnes did similar.

For many of the impressive away following of 3,193 it was their first glimpse of Emnes and he was heavily involved as Boro bossed the opening 45 minutes.

They were inches away from taking the lead when Josh Walker let fly from 25 yards and hit the post. Boro’s other winger, Graeme Owens, saw keeper Prezyslaw Kazimierczak push wide a shot.

But Kazimierczak could do little about the opening goal, a Johnson penalty after half an hour.

The winger cheekily chipped it high into the net and celebrated by needlessly goading the Darlington fans behind the goal.

But the kick was controversially awarded after referee Jonathan Moss harshly deemed Evans tripped Johnson on the byline.

Regardless of the decision, the visitors deserved the goal as they put Darlington’s mix and match team under pressure for lengthy periods and only solid defending from captain for the night Ian Miller kept the score down.

However, it became 2-0 just before the break with Emnes firing past Kazimierczak. He received a low pass from Owens, turned sharply inside the penalty area and arrowed a low shot beyond the keeper.

Miller’s close-range header from Evans’ pin-point corner came a minute after an Emnes strike was stopped on the Boro goal-line.

But the Teessiders were soon back in control after the break with Kazimierczak punching a Walker effort over the bar and left-back Joe Bennett firing across the face of goal.

It became 3-0 on the hour mark and again Johnson was involved. Although, like the penalty, there was an element of fortune about the goal, Darlington could have few complaints the validity of Boro’s lead.

Johnson fired in a rightwing corner that bounced across goal and deflected into the net off a flat-footed Lewis Hardman.

At this stage both teams began to make several substitutions, Quakers taking off youth team player Dan Groves as well as beanpole striker Marcus Haber.

The Canadian trialist has had an eventful summer as he attempts to find a club having had trials with Leeds and Luton, while last week he played for Hartlepool at York.

But Gareth Southgate’s side maintained their supremacy, making it 4-0 when Tony McMahon tapped home after Kazimierczak could only parry an effort at a corner.

Boro’s Darlington-born striker Tom Craddock was narrowly wide with an angled shot as he got away from the defence, but the fifth and final goal came from, typically, Johnson.

The winger was the star performer throughout, he had too much ability for the hosts, and fired home on 72 minutes after Bayly, on trial from Leeds, lost possession in midfield.

The game then petered out as more subs took to the field, but there was still time for Kazimierczak to make a fine save at point-blank range from Walker after Ryan had almost inadvertently scored an own goal.

Darlington (4-4-2): Kazimierczak; Hardman, Miller, Ryan, Hewitson (Main 83mins); Muirhead, Evans (Riley 83), Bayly, Groves (Gray 62); Haber (Smith 64), Robinson. Subs (not used): Liversedge, McReady

Middlesrough (4-4-2): Jones; McMahon, J Johnson (Saiko 67mins), Williams, Bennett; Owens, Shawky, A Johnson (Smallwood 80); Porritt (Franks 68), Emnes (Craddock 60). Sub (not used): Steele.

Attendance: 5,811