Quakers’ spirit is praised by Penney (From The Northern Echo)

Quakers’ spirit is praised by Penney

8:59am Tuesday 14th April 2009 in

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DARLINGTON twice fought back from a goal down to during a thoroughly entertaining four-goal thriller yesterday.

Jason Kennedy and Pawel Abbott got Quakers’ goals either side of half-time at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena.

Bury’s promotion hopes were dented as a result, but that was of no concern to Darlington boss Dave Penney who was pleased with his side’s battling spirit.

The Shakers took the lead on eight minutes, and again eight minutes into the second half, but Darlington fought back in one of the best games at the Arena this season.

Penney said: “I think the fans got value for money because it was an end-to-end game as both teams were trying to win the game even though there was nothing riding on it for us.

“There was definitely something on it for Bury, and it is the same for our opposition in our three remaining games so hopefully they’ll be as good.

“We showed great character to twice come back into the game against a team who are flying at the moment.

“Bury are pushing for an automatic place, so for us to keep coming back was great and we could even have won.”

The sides also drew 2-2 at Gigg Lane during the Christmas period, and Bury’s first goal yesterday was a gift, a huge deflection off Tim Ryan.

It caught Darlington cold and Przemyslaw Kazimierczak flat-footed as there was little the Pole could do to stop Glynn Hurst’s long-range effort.

It stunned Darlington who initially lacked invention.

Penney added: “In the first 20 minutes or so we weren’t at the races, but that was maybe due to the fact that Bury had played on Friday so had an extra 24 hours to recover.

“We didn’t have the sharpness, but once we got going I thought we were as good as Bury.”

Bury’s towering centreback Ben Futcher was perhaps fortunate not to be punished for climbing on Abbott in Shakers’ penalty area.

That came just as Darlington were beginning to enjoy supremacy, playing neat football against a side desperate for points towards promotion.

Abbott then dinked a high ball into the area that Curtis Main fired wide.

Main started as both Liam Hatch and Danny Carlton were again left out as the question of their loan eligibility while the club is in administration remains unanswered.

Their situation is expected to be resolved before the end of the week.

Before the break Main put plenty of work in as Darlington pressed and earned a handful of corners, one of which coming after a hilarious piece of gamesmanship by Bury’s Elliott Bennett.

In trying to shepherd the ball out of play ahead of Rob Purdie, he performed a spectacular dive that drew jeers and laughter.

The corner came to nothing, but Darlington did not have to wait long for goal, Kennedy scoring seven minutes before the break.

He flicked a header past keeper Wayne Brown following Franz Burgmeier’s leftwing cross after working a short corner with Purdie.

It was just reward at the end of a first half in which Darlington had showed greater endeavour and after the break Abbott twice called Brown into action early on. But it was Bury who scored next.

From a corner conceded after a fine sliding challenge by Alan White, Efe Sodje rose and his downwards header beat Kazmierczak.

Sodje also scored against Quakers in December, and the defender was soon at the centre of controversy, somehow being awarded a free-kick after tumbling inside his own area under a weak challenge from Main.

Darlington were not having any luck, as demonstrated when Purdie’s powerful shot took a deflection but, unlike Hurst’s goal, it bounced wide.

But a second leveller soon came with Main the provider.

On 74 minutes the determined 16-year-old chased Ricky Ravenhill’s forward ball and picked out Abbott to prod home from close-range.

Although Abbott scored, the goal owed much to Main’s persistence and calm pass to his strike-partner.

Chances continued to fall for both sides with another Sodje header landing on the roof of Quakers’ net, before the bandanna-wearing defender denied Darlington by clearing from under his crossbar with Abbott lurking.

There was still time for Danny Racchi to whack Darlington’s crossbar with a freekick, but a goal then would have been cruel on Quakers.

Match facts

Goals: Hurst (0-1, 8mins); Kennedy (1-1, 38); Sodje (1-2, 53); Abbott (74, 2-2).

Bookings: White (25mins, dissent); Bishop (25, foul), Buchanan (37, foul), Welsh (58, foul); Ryan (68, foul).

Referee: Andy Hall (Birmingham) 7

Attendance: 2,927

Entertainment: ✰✰✰✰✰

DARLINGTON (4-4-2): Kazimierczak 5; Valentine 7, WHITE 8, Miller 8, Ryan 7 (Poole 75); Purdie 7, Ravenhill 6, Kennedy 6 (Hulbert 90), Burgmeier 7; Main 7, Abbott 8. Subs (not used): Pocklington, Fortune, Griffin.

BURY (4-4-2): Brown 6; Haslam 6, Futcher 7, Sodje 7, Buchanan 6; Bennett 4 (Baker 81), WELSH 8, Barry-Murphy 7, Jones 5 (Racchi 66, 6); Bishop 6, Hurst 7 (Morrell 85).

Subs (not used): Creswell, Belford.

MAN OF THE MATCH

ALAN White – defended in characteristically determined fashion.