Morale-booster for Darlington
Darlington will play Rochdale in the play-offs after gate-crashing Peterborough United's promotion party.
Posh's biggest league crowd of the season, 10,400, was in attendance to celebrate elevation to League One, but Quakers dampened Peterborough spirits, despite having just two shots all game.
Goals either side of half-time from Jason Kennedy and Micky Cummins earned a makeshift Darlington side victory on a day in which they also re-wrote the record books.
Teenage striker Curtis Main became their youngest ever player, at the age of 15, when he came on as a sub in the closing stages of a game in which Quakers suffered yet another injury.
This time it is goalkeeper David Stockdale affected. He limped off with a bruised foot shortly after Kennedy's opener, which came in the third minute, and must now be a doubt for the first leg of the play-offs.
That will be next Saturday at home to Dale whose draw at home to Shrewsbury meant they slipped a place to fifth.
Stockport County and Wycombe Wanderers will contest the other play-off with the aim being to win a place in League One at Wembley on May 26.
But Peterborough already know they will be in that division next season and at London Road were celebrating their promotion however, it was Quakers who silenced the home crowd early on.
Following good play up the right involving Clark Keltie, Neil Wainwright's cross was fired towards goal by Ricky Ravenhill and received a hefty deflection off Kennedy to wrong-foot the Posh keeper.
But just two minutes later Stockdale collapsed in a heap on the edge of his penalty area after a collision with Aaron McLean.
Alan White's backpass left Stockdale and McLean contesting a 50/50 ball with Quakers' keeper coming off second best.
After treatment he continued for seven minutes but was clearly struggling so Polish keeper Przemyslaw Kazimierczak came on for his debut.
He made several good but comfortable saves as Peterborough enjoyed the majority of the possession but Darlington's defence - without the rested Steve Foster - held firm, and limited Posh's opportunities.
Kazimierczak's best first save came when the ball ricocheted towards goal after it hit both Kennedy and Peterborough's Craig Mackail-Smith following a cross by key player George Boyd.
He was a bag of tricks on the left wing and a header of his in first half injury time was only kept out by Kazimierczak who made another save just after the break to catch a Mackail-Smith volley.
It proved decisive because 60 seconds later it became 2-0. Adam Newton was dispossessed and Craig Nelthorpe passed the ball across Posh's penalty area for Cummins to slam home from eight yards.
The game exploded with a rash of bookings midway through the second half with Micah Hyde booked for obstruction, though other referees would have shown him a red for lashing out at Keltie.
Incensed by the injustice, seconds later Keltie dished out his own brand of retribution with a tough challenge on Hyde and was promptly booked, as was Boyd who felt Darlington's midfielder should have been dismissed.
In the closing stages Posh cranked up the pressure as they looked for a way back into the game, but Darlington rarely looked like conceding.
In the second 83rd minute they created history with manager Dave Penney sending Main coming on and in the limited time he had the teenager showed willingness to get involved.
Despite not being the tallest, he even used his strength to beat experienced former Hartlepool defender Chris Westwood in the air after meeting a left-wing cross, although the chance to nothing.
Main does not turn 16 until next month so he beats the previous record that was set by Dale Anderson who made his debut as a 16-year-old exactly 21 years ago on Sunday.
Quakers had to seek permission from South Shields Community School to use Main who is still in the club's school of excellence and does not start his two-year apprenticeship until next season.
By then Darlington hope to be in League One and they might well be if they can take Saturday's form into the play-offs.
Darlington: Stockdale (Kazimierczak 12mins); Wiseman, Miller, White, Purdie; Wainwright, Ravenhill (Main 83), Keltie, Kennedy, Nelthorpe; Cummins. Subs (not used): Foster, Burgess, Wright
Referee: S J Bratt (West Midlands)
Attendance: 10,400
*Darlington's home play-off semi final will be played on Saturday, May 10 (5.35pm) with the return leg on Saturday, May 17 (12pm).
7:35pm Saturday 3rd May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Pete, Darlington on 5:03pm Sun 4 May 08
Smashing day out and it means I can sample some more fish and chips from Rochdale.
Smashing day out and it means I can sample some more fish and chips from Rochdale.
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