A last-gasp goal from new signing Danny Mellanby saved Darlington's blushes in their latest friendly at Palmerston Park last night.

Quakers looked as if they were heading for defeat against Scottish Second Division side Queen of the South until Mellanby, who replaced Neil Maddison, on the hour, headed in a Mark Convery cross with the last touch of the game.

Quakers dominated the first half but despite an imperious performance from Maddison and some patient build-ups couldn't convert their superiority into goals.

They came close to scoring after ten minutes when Steve Harper popped up on the right side of the box only to hit a right-foot shot just over the bar.

After 29 minutes, Adam Marsh, who played up front with the hard-working Barry Conlon, missed a sitter after Conlon flicked on a long clearance for him to lob the ball wide with the keeper well out of position. The Scottish side nearly scored at the start of the second half when former Newcastle Blue star striker Peter Weatherson chested down a right-wing cross six yards out but his shot was cleared off the line by Alex Jeannin.

Conlon nearly broke the deadlock after 56 minutes with an instinctive overhead kick from a Mark Ford flick, while Quakers keeper Keith Finch was called into rare action after 62 minutes to hold onto a powerful drive from Weatherson.

Instead it was former Sunderland player Warren Hawke who opened the scoring after 67 minutes with a blistering right-foot shot from just inside the area.

And after another former Northern League player Stephen Pickering hit the post, Quakers looked as if they would finish on the losing side until Mellanby's late strike.

Darlington: Finch, Liddle (Reed 59; Liddle 81), Jeannin, Maddison (Mellanby 59), Brightwell, Ford (Pearson 58), Convery, Atkinson (Hodgson 68), Conlon, Marsh (Marcelle 59), Harper.

*Trialist Simon Betts yesterday became Bennett's fourth summer signing when he agreed a two-year deal.

The former Scarborough, Yeovil and Colchester defender played in Saturday's win at Billingham Town and Bennett secured his signing despite interest from Oxford.

Bennett said: "He can play either left or right back and gives us options in defence.''

Betts could have signed for Quakers ten years ago, but then boss Billy McEwan opted against signing the on trial defender.

*Darius Vassell's last minute goal gave Villa hope of overturning a single goal deficit in the second leg of their Intertoto Cup semi-final at Villa Park next Wednesday.

Vassell's late goal came at the end of a night that started badly for Villa and got worse.

First John Gregory was forced to leave out new signing Peter Schmeichel, after the goalkeeper pulled out after injuring a calf in the warm-up. Then the French side established a two-goal lead only for Vassell's effort to give Villa hope

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