DARLINGTON began the season with a 2-1 defeat at home to Curzon Ashton.

Five of their seven summer signings were in the starting XI, and one of them, Simon Ainge, put Quakers ahead on 14 minutes with a header after a corner.

It was just reward for Tommy Wright’s men, who started as the better team, winning five corners in the first 25 minutes and having a handful of shots.

They had their first corner after just 14 seconds, won by Jordan Nicholson, another debutant. The other three were Jonny Maddison, Liam Hughes and Tom Elliott, while Alex Henshall was on the bench and Jonny Burn is injured.

But the match turned on 25 minutes when Ashton levelled from their first corner. Mason Fawns swung the ball in after a short-corner routine, but Quakers goalkeeper Maddison fumbled his catch and the ball dropped over the line.

While he was handled by Curzon player, Maddison later admitted he should have dealt with the situation better.

Despite Darlington having enjoyed a strong start, the visitors then looked more likely to score.

Curzon almost took the lead from their second corner, with Joe Guest’s shot parried by Maddison, and Daniel Shaw put the rebound into the side-netting.

John Flanagan’s men did go ahead early in the second half when Paul Marshall delivered a ball from the left that Hughes headed back across goal to beat Maddison for 2-1.

Darlington hit back and Elliott should have scored. Played through by Reece Styche, he beat goalkeeper Cameron Mason but the midfielder’s effort hit the crossbar.

Darlington went down to ten men when left-back Ben O’Hanlon was sent off for handball in the penalty area.

While Maddison saved Connor Hughes’ penalty and ten-man Darlington gave it a go in the closing stages - twice they could have had a penalty when Styche and Ainge went down – they did not do enough to score an equaliser.

Goals: Ainge (14, 1-0), Maddison og (25, 1-1), Hughes (53, 1-2)

Bookings: Ainge (55, foul)

Referee: Andrew Kitchen

Attendance: 1,488

Darlington: Maddison, Trotman, Collins, Galbraith, O’Hanlon, Hughes (Saunders 80), Elliott, Wheatley, Nicholson (Henshall 63), Styche, Ainge. Subs (not used): Bancroft (gk), Syers, Vaulks

Curzon Ashton: Mason, Morton, Shaw, Rowney, McJannet, Guest, Marshall (Ali 78), Hunt, Hughes, Sharpe (Brooke 72), Fawns. Subs (not used): Baillie, Cranksaw, McKenzie