DARLINGTON left Leamington wondering how they’d managed to take only a point from a game they led 2-0 and dominated for the first hour.

Their pace, movement and understanding were too much for the Brakes, and if their finishing had been better in the first half, then the game would have been over before the break, especially as home side striker Anthony Dwyer was shown a red card for a lunge on Simon Ainge.

But a killer blow didn’t come, and a penalty award – ironically against Stephen Thompson, who scored a hat-trick at the Phillips 66 Stadium last season – turned the game against Quakers midway through the second half.

It gave Leamington the encouragement and impetus to gamble on scoring an equaliser, which they managed. Nevertheless, Quakers have collected seven points from the last nine, and have lost only once on their travels in the league this season.

“We’ve only got ourselves to blame,” said frustrated manager Tommy Wright. “We should have finished them off in the first half when we were playing really really well. We were wasteful, we weren’t clinical or ruthless enough.

"We missed chances again in the second half, then their penalty came out of nowhere and gave them a lift – you forget about the fact that they were down to ten.

“They brought the game to us, and they showed a lot of desire to force that ball over the line for the second goal. We could have been more ruthless in both boxes.

“I thought a lot of the performance was pleasing. The front two combined well, I thought Thommo was exciting, Trots (Luke Trotman) was different class coming forward, Alex Henshall looked like he was getting there. Jordan Nicholson was exciting and dangerous, the two midfielders covered every blade of grass. Everything was positive, I really didn’t see that result coming.”

In the first half Quakers looked dangerous every time they went forward, and they broke through on 18 minutes. Trotman worked in from the right and played in Harvey Saunders, whose low shot was parried by Breedon and Ainge, following up, confidently tucked the ball home.

Darlington kept stretching Leamington with some great passing and movement, and went two-up on 32 minutes.

Thompson sent Jordan Nicholson away, and even though the former Peterborough player lost possession under pressure, the ball ran for the confident Saunders to confirm his position as the club’s leading scorer on six goals by tucking the ball under Tony Breedon.

Leamington were down to ten and seemingly out of the game on 38 minutes, when Dwyer lunged into a tackle against Ainge with his feet off the ground and was shown red – the third successive game in which Quakers’ opponents had been down to at least ten.

But the reduction in numbers didn’t lead to a Quakers’ victory as it had against FC United and Boston.

The dynamic of the game changed on 64 minutes, when Thompson was adjudged to have handled a throw in from the left inside the area, and substitute Colby Bishop expertly put the penalty into the top corner.

With their tails up, Leamington pushed men up and levelled six minutes later, when a corner was helped on to the back post where Edwards forced the ball home.

The game could have gone either way after that, Jonny Maddison saved point blank from Callum Gittings, while Quakers had another penalty shout turned down when Ainge was held back as he turned in the box.

And in the last minute, Thompson burst into the box but dragged his left foot shot wide.

Wright added: “There was only one team going to win it in the first half. We looked a class above and were really, really good. We were exciting, quick, 2-0 up and cruising. Then they went down to ten and were there for the taking. Last year, we stole three points from them, this year they have stolen one point from us

“I expected to take four points from these two away games. We’ve dropped two at Leamington, and now I expect them to claw another two at Bradford Park Avenue on Tuesday."

Goals: Ainge (18 mins, 0-1), Saunders (32 mins, 0-2), Bishop pen (63 mins, 1-2), Edwards (69 mins, 2-2)

Bookins: English

Sending off: Dwyer

Referee: Tom Parsons

Attendance: 765

Darlington: Maddison, Trotman, Hughes, Galbraith, Elliott (Syers 60); Henshall (J Burn 73), Wheatley, Nicholson, Thompson, Ainge, Saunders. Subs (not used): Glover, Hall, Lingthep

Leamington: Breeden, English, Gudger (Bowen 60), Clarke (Flanagan 60), Mace, Lane, Dunbar, Gittings, Dwyer, Edwards, Obeng (Bishop 46). Subs (not used): Taylor, James