Alun Armstrong: 'The lads were outstanding'

On the fringes of the play-offs after winning five league games out of six, their FA Cup run having featured a televised tie against Walsall and now they have progressed in the FA Trophy, last night toppling a team challenging for promotion to the Football League.

This from a club which, before this season, had not made any progress whatsoever in either Cup or Trophy in three successive seasons.

Alun Armstrong has changed at all that. In his first season as the Darlington’s manager he has given the supporters something to smile about, and last night it was Omar Holness who made them cheer loudest by scoring the winning goal.

A cool finish by Holness, who also scored in FA Cup matches with Tamworth and Walsall, in the second half saw Darlington pull off a surprise 1-0 replay win at Blackwell Meadows.

The teams had drawn 2-2 at Solihull before Christmas to set up last night's tie, and while Holness the match-winner in the second half, goalkeeper Chris Elliott made a number of vital saves before the break.

Darlington indebted to the No. 1 for helping secure a win that means he will face one of his former clubs, Harrogate Town, in the second-round tie on Saturday at home.

Armstrong was beaming with pride at full-time.

“The lads were outstanding. It was really difficult in the first 20 minutes, you can see how Solihull play, they put the pressure on and play direct balls, they put you under pressure at free-kicks and corners, but the lads stood up to it,” said Armstrong, who immediately after the final whistle headed for the Tin Shed to thank the Quakers faithful for their vocal backing.

“Once we played our football the lads realised we could get through them. We had a few chances towards the end of the first half and that gave the lads confidence at half-time, they were brave and expressed themselves.

“I couldn’t fault any of them out there.”

Solihull, who won at Hartlepool United in November, started predictably enough, living up to their reputation as long-ball merchants by playing the ball early from their own half. Either high or long it did not matter much as long as it was cannoned deep into Darlington territory.

However, knowing what Solihull were going to do did not necessarily mean Darlington were able to stop them doing it, and for the bulk of the first half it was Tim Flowers’ men on top.

He had been vicious in assessment of his players’ performance when the teams drew 2-2, and they started last night like he had given them a similarly venomous pre-match team talk.

Darren Carter curled a corner under the crossbar which Elliott had to push away, Jake Beesley headed over after a Terry Hawkridge cross, and then Beesley headed into Elliott’s hands after Paul McCallum knocked the ball back to him in an unmarked position.

Elliott, back in the team after being rested on Saturday, made an excellent save to push away a McCallum header after a Carter cross, the former Sunderland midfielder making an impact.

Too often Darlington tried to play long passes of their own, perhaps in an attempt to relieve pressure on their own defence, but Quakers were careless and it only stymied the yellow tide briefly.

On 32 minutes, however, one simple forward pass saw Quakers create a chance out of nothing.

Adam Campbell played a pass over the top of Solihull’s defence, Jarrett Rivers latched on to it, but he did not look confident and prodded his shot too close to goalkeeper Ryan Boot.

But Boot had to be alert when Darlington had a brief spell of attacking before half-time, which saw Holness win a free-kick. Stephen Thompson’s set-piece was blocked by the wall, but Quakers regained possession and Boot parried away a Thompson blast.

The brief spell seemed to generate confidence among Quakers, and they asserted themselves on proceedings early in the second half, which were a reversal of the first 45 minutes in terms of possession.

There was no smashing of the ball down the pitch, of course, Quakers preferring to play football rather than the peak Wimbledon era preferred by Solihull, but it was the home side looking more like scoring.

Holness blazed a shot over, and just before the hour right-back Ben Hedley found himself on the edge of the penalty area before trying a reasonable effort down Boot’s throat.

Rivers had a shot blocked when Howe threw himself at the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and then Darlington took a 1-0 lead on 74 minutes.

It was a move started and finished by Holness. He calmed dribbled the ball out of Darlington’s half, gave it out wide to the left where Thompson and then Rivers advanced, Hatfield had a shot blocked, and it fell nicely to Holness who had timed his run to perfection and finished calmly.

By this stage Solihull had hardly threatened Elliott’s goal in the second half, and it was almost 2-0 when Campbell got a shot in and Boot saved at the second attempt.

Donawa then made penetrating run, Campbell crossing, Thompson heading wide.

Solihull made a sub, sending on striker Danny Wright for left-back Jamie Reckord, they had to go for it and almost levelled with a McCallum towering back-post header, but Elliott saved, as he did one-handed from Howe in injury time as Darlington survived late pressure to set up Saturday’s home tie.