Match Report: Grimsby Town 3 Darlington 0 (From The Northern Echo)

Threadbare Quakers fall at first hurdle

8:00am Monday 12th December 2011 in Darlington FC Match Reports By Craig Stoddart, Deputy Sports Editor

LAST season the FA Trophy represented both a glorious moment in Darlington's history and a platform which provided an opportunity to progress.

That opportunity was not taken and this season the club's sole Trophy appearance - Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Grimsby Town - represents the outcome of Raj Singh's drastic approach to cost-cutting, which has weakened the squad.

His not unreasonable aim was to ensure that the club became more viable and sustainable on attendances averaging fewer than 2,000.

But the swift implementation of Singh's ideal has had consequences for what has become a threadbare playing pool, which now relies on youth team players to bolster numbers.

Five made the trip to Blundell Park with two in the starting line-up, Dale Hopson and Scott Harrison (Jordan Nixon and Rob Ramshaw were subs, but Danny Lambert did not make the bench).

Singh's desire to reduce the wage bill meant Darlington began the defence of the Trophy without a right-back or a striker. Ninety minutes later their Trophy defence was over.

Seven months after Singh held aloft the Trophy at Wembley, Darlington were swept aside by an in-form Grimsby who exacted revenge for Quakers' 2-1 win at Blundell Park in August.

That day Darlington had options all over the pitch. On Saturday, due to Paul Arnison's suspension, left-footed Kris Taylor - a midfielder and occasional left-back - had to play at right-back, while also missing were the injured Jamie Chandler and Ryan Bowman, and Liam Hatch pulled out on the morning of the game.

To a squad as paper-thin as Darlington's, four absences had a destabilising effect.

Caretaker manager Craig Liddle said: "Arni, Chandler, Bowman and Hatch, that's four players who would probably have started.

"That's always going to affect you at any level of football, if you've got four of your regulars missing you're always going to be up against it.

"But I won't slag anybody off because I think everybody gave as much as they've got, we've just got to take it on the chin."

Harrison made only his second senior start as centre-back Graeme Lee had to play up front, but he saw little of goal as Quakers only occasionally threatened.

Two fine saves from Grimsby keeper James McKeown - one from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson before the break and one to stop Adam Reach's close-range header in the second half - ensured Quakers did not score for the third game running, but from the beginning there appeared to be few goals in the team.

Of the starting XI only Hopson and Adam Rundle, with two and one goal respectively, had scored from open play this season, so the absence of Hatch was keenly felt.

Liddle added: "He reported ill with flu. He texted me at 5am so when I got up at 6.30 it was a nice early morning wake-up call.

"He reported to the ground and wasn't well enough to play so we sent him home. He didn't look well."

After what had been an even start, Grimsby took the lead on 22 minutes through Michael Coulson. Allowed time and space to shoot from outside the penalty area, the ball bounced through Sam Russell's hands.

Russell, one of only four in the side that started at Wembley in May, soon had to make a couple of saves to stop striker Liam Hearn, but Darlington continued to play some decent football with Hopson frequently on the ball.

He prompted and probed, with one sublime pass just taken off the toes of Reach in front of goal by Charlie I'Anson.

But for all their promising build-up there was little end product.

Just before and after the break the Mariners added two goals that effectively sealed the game.

After Anthony Elding's initial shot was parried by Russell, the ball was worked back to the unmarked striker to ram home, and Coulson added his second on 49 minutes thanks in part to slack defending.

Quakers had enough bodies behind the ball, but Hearn was able to pass to Coulson, whose drive across the penalty area nestled inside the far post, thus rendering the remaining 40 minutes a hollow contest.

The final stages saw the hosts firmly on top with the home support cheering their every touch.

On a cold December afternoon, it felt a long way from that sunny day at Wembley, and Liddle added: "I can't be overly-critical. The only thing I lost my head for was the last five minutes when we let them play around us and the crowd were cheering - that comes down to personal pride.

"We were always going to be up against it and people have got to realise that. Kettering made a massive deal of it last week of what they had available, whereas I try not to make excuses.

"But in our 18-man squad we had nine or ten that were 19-years-old or younger.

"We've got a really young side so I'm not going to stand here and hammer them because they gave everything."