Darlington escape again
For the second consecutive home game Darlington recovered from being 2-0 down in the first half to avoid defeat with two goals in the last six minutes.
Jason Kennedy had pulled it back to 2-1 with six minutes to play and then Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu snatched an 89th minute leveller to rescue a point.
The draw means Quakers won just one point over the Easter weekend, but so did promotion rivals Hereford United as they lost at Lincoln City.
Dave Penney's side is now just one point off third-placed Hereford who visit the Arena in a crunch clash next month.
However, the title race now appears to be very much between MK Dons and Peterborough who both won today and are now nine points ahead of Darlington who have hit a bad patch at just the wrong time.
They have now won just once in five games, and that was just over a week ago when Quakers went 2-0 behind to Grimsby before Pawel Abbott inspired a dramatic comeback to win 3-2.
Against Morecambe Darlington again went 2-0 down, just as they also did at Chester City on Saturday.
In a drab first half both sides appeared to be going through the motions, though Quakers missed chances early on with Kennedy, much-improved from his display on Saturday, and Alan White both going close early on.
Then Julian Joachim wasted an opportunity to lift a shot over the keeper and Darlington were left to rue their misses when Morecambe took the lead in the 38th minute through a penalty.
Captain Steve Foster felled Wayne Curtis and from the spot Garry Thompson sent David Stockdale the wrong way.
Just as Grimsby opened up a two-goal lead with two quickfire strikes midway through the opening period, so too did Morecambe with Thompson again involved.
Just three minutes after the opening goal Morecambe's highly-rated right-winger crossed for the unmarked Jon Newby to head home.
With no Abbott to rely on for a comeback, it looked bleak, especially when striker Tommy Wright missed a golden opportunity.
Somehow he headed over an open goal from close-range after Kennedy's powerful drive had thundered off the underside of the crossbar as Darlington went in search of salvaging a point.
Penney sent on Rob Purdie, one of three players dropped after the defeat at Chester, but the manager soon made two more changes.
He brought off Gregg Blundell for Ndumbu-Nsungu, but then Wright had to leave the field clutching his ribs and clearly in pain.
An injury to Darlington's leading scorer will cause real concern, especially with Abbott unlikely to play again this season.
Wright leaving the pitch meant a reshuffle, Purdie going to left-midfield and Richie Foran became a striker alongside Ndumbu-Nsungu.
Similar to Saturday's performance at Chester, Quakers made a real go of it, sending men forward and creating chances but little came off for Penney's side.
As Quakers increased the pressure there were a few anxious moments in the Morecambe defence and only a sliced clearance from inside the six yard bix prevented Ryan Valentine from scoring.
Joachim then wasted a free-kick which was driven straight into the Morecambe wall but then came a lifeline with Kennedy scoring after 84 minutes.
In the middle of the penalty area he received the ball with his back to goal, turned a defender and stroked it past the keeper to set up a frantic last six minutes.
The goal came at the same time Foster pulled a goal back a Chester, but unlike Saturday this time Darlington managed to escape with a point thanks to Ndumbu-Nsungu.
Left out of the 16 at Chester, Ndumbu-Nsungu responded in the perfect manner. The sub received the ball from Ben Parker, turned and rolled the ball into the corner of the net to spark wild celebrations at the Arena as fans enjoyed another escape.
Hereford's 2-1 defeat at Lincoln, as well as the fact Stockport and Wycombe drew with each other, makes Darlington's point all the more important, but performances must improve quickly.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Ashington)
Attendance: 3,719
Darlington (4-4-2): Stockdale; Valentine, Foster, White, Parker; Joachim, Hodge (Purdie 54mins), Kennedy, Foran; Wright (Austin 64), Blundell (Ndumbu-Nsungu 61). Subs (not used): Liversedge, Miller
Morecambe (4-4-2): Davies; Yates, Bentley (Artell 22mins), McStay, Burns; Thompson; Stanley, Drummond, Curtis; Newby (Twiss 77), Blinkhorn. Subs (not used): Hunter, Baker, Jalal
6:08pm Monday 24th March 2008
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