Blue Square Bet Premier
Darlington 2
Rushden & Diamonds 0
TWO second half goals condemned Rushden & Diamonds to defeat in their last game of the Blue Square Bet season.
It topped off a pretty miserable week for the club after they had five points docked by the Conference Board after being found guilty of misconduct relating to the reporting of debt.
In a fairly poor first half they were lucky not to be behind as early as the seventh minute when Tommy Wright was unmarked in the box but sent his effort over the bar.
After that Justin Edinburgh’s side were the ones who looked most like scoring, forcing a string of corners and throw-ins level with the area but no-one could quite find that final touch to reward the pressure they’d put Darlington under.
Captain Aaron O’Connor sent a 15-yard curling shot wide of the far post only a minute before Jamie Day played a neat ball through to Nabil Shariff who was one-on-one with Sam Russell but the Darlington keeper managed to save the attempt with his left foot. Then provider nearly turned goalscorer as Day forced a fingertip save from Darlo’s stopper.
Just before the interval Alan Power again forced Russell into action who blocked his low shot and caught it at the second attempt.
But it was Darlington who went in front on 62 minutes when Wright – a Leicester trainee from nearby Market Harborough – scored from close range after Evans had already saved one effort.
Aaron Brown nearly doubled the home side’s advantage but he blasted his free-kick from just outside the top left-hand of the box inches wide of the right of goal.
With just seven minutes to go substitute John Campbell added to the home side’s tally with an effort from 25-yards out which flew into the top of the net.
Teams:
Darlington: Sam Russell, Tommy Wright, Ian Miller, Liam Hatch, Chris Moore, Aman Verma, Paul Arnison, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Gary Smith, Aaron Brown, Jamie Chandler. Substitutes: John Campbell, Greg Taylor, Phil Gray, Nathan Modest, Paul Terry.
Rushden & Diamonds: Simon Evans, Justin Miller, Eddie Oshodi, Max Porter, Curtis Osano, Aaron O’Connor, Jamie Day, Alan Power, Michael Corcoran, Shane Huke, Nabil Shariff. Substitutes: James Broadbent, Matt Johnson, Neil Cousins, Craig Farrell, Ryan Charles.
Referee: J Simpson
Attendance:
