TOMMY WRIGHT described Saturday’s 3-2 success at Leamington as “massive”, and it certainly felt that way as Stephen Thompson scored a hat-trick and Darlington won for the first time since Boxing Day.

It is only one win that lifts Quakers a mere two places, and they remain perilously close to the relegation zone, yet victory represents more than black and white statistics.

That’s what a last-gasp winner can do for you: Joy. Pride. Relief. Mainly relief, in fact. Darlington, having not won away since the opening day of the season, finally found a way to win, demonstrating that they have some fight in them.

No matter that they did it the hard way, falling 2-1 behind against a team that had had a man sent off, Darlington could now be invigorated.

Could, it should be emphasised, because nobody is taking anything for granted, there remains concerns – no clean sheet since September, for one – but the win lifts spirits and instils belief.

Quakers trailed to 2-1 until late in the second half of an eventful game in Warwickshire and, just when it looked like it had been a long way for nothing, Thompson netted twice.

“That was massive for us,” said Wright. “It will lift a lot of people. It’s not all doom and gloom, I’ve tried banging the drum on that, but it’s hard for people to relate to that when we’re not getting the results.”

Results have been poor since September. Long before Wright’s arrival Darlington began to tumble down the table, with Saturday’s success being only their fourth in 25 league fixtures.

Goalscorer Thompson admitted: “At the moment we’ve got pressure on us, people can tell we’re nervous, we all are. It’s because everybody cares and we all want to win.

“We’ve got to keep on getting points however we can, that’s all that matters for the rest of the season.”

For a while there was uncertainty how many points, if any at all, Quakers would take from a topsy-turvy encounter.

They led on nine minutes, Thompson scoring his fourth penalty of the season after Reece Styche had been impeded by Junior English, but just nine minutes later it was all-square with another penalty after Gary Brown upended Ahmed Obeng.

Quakers keeper Aynsley Pears almost kept out Callum Gittings’ spot-kick, pushing it into the roof of the net.

Brown’s hackles had been raised, however. Before the penalty he had been elbowed off the ball by Jack Edwards, an incident missed by the officials but caught on camera, a red mist descended as the defender sought retribution and was soon substituted before he was sent off.

Wright explained: “Browny got an elbow in the face and was aggrieved by that. But I’ve been there and done that, it was a massive part of my game – when you dish out elbows and then get one in the face you’ve got to take it better than that.”

Instead it was Leamington who went down to ten. Midfielder Joe Clarke, at Darlington in 2010-11, received two bookings for fouls, leaving Quakers with an hour to kill off the opposition.

Having switched to four at the back from 3-5-2 when Brown was replaced, Darlington started the second half much better, having more of the ball, Styche missing a great chance, yet Leamington went ahead on the hour.

After Pears saved from Daniel Udoh, a chance that came following a simple punt down the middle that should have been dealt with, Edwards rose highest from a corner to head home.

Wright took action, a double substitution seeing him send on Phil Turnbull and Caton, and his subs both had an impact with the latter particularly catching the eye.

Within minutes he had a shot on target, he looked fired up, like a man with a point to prove.

One moment saw him barge Edwards off the ball and play a precise raking pass from halfway ahead of Dave Syers, who was unable to make the most of it. Caton was finally showing why Martin Gray signed him.

As the half wore on Leamington were hanging on, Darlington looking more dangerous and eventually getting a deserved leveller on 73 minutes when Thompson barged his way into the penalty area like an unwelcome guest at a party and fired through a defender’s legs.

Wright said: “Tommo is very quick over five-ten yards – when he faces someone up he’ll drop the shoulder and powers past people.

“He’s strong as an ox and built like a British bulldog. There’s a reason he’s scored so many goals for this club, because he strikes the ball so cleanly.”

Leamington’s panicking ten men were desperate to hang on to a point, while Darlington’s desire for three was evident and their crucial winner came in the first minute of added time.

Caton teed it up after charging down the left, and then crossing for Thompson who wellied the ball home with his trusty left foot.

“We put Phil Turnbull on the pitch and he controlled the tempo for the last half an hour,” said Wright, who was pleased to see Caton take his chance, saying: “He’s had a hard time, a real hard time. He’s had a lot of stick, but he was electric. That’s what I expect of my wingers and nobody is more delighted than myself.”

Time will tell if the day proves to have been a turning point, but beating a team fighting the drop and making it three games unbeaten for the first time since August made for a satisfactory day.

With seventh-top Blyth to come at home this forthcoming Saturday, Wright added: “We haven’t got to be looking at other teams’ results – next week we’re focused on playing Blyth, not who Gainsborough or anyone else have got.

“We’ve got a local derby, we’ve got to be up for it to build on what we’ve just achieved.”