Morecambe 2 Darlo 0
by Scott Thornberry - 14th February 2010
Darlington's newly found good form was once again lost when the visited the home of the Prawns on Saturday. Recent results has given Darlo fans a faint glimmer of hope and travelling over to pennines a few would have had hopes of gaining at least a point.
But The Quakers are not bottom of the football league for nothing and by the time the full time whistle was blown we left the ground pointless, beaten by a goal in each half from Phil Jevons and Paul Mullen.
With both Cheltenham and Grimsby picking up a point it meant that we were further adrift from that safety net which is getting harder and harder to grasp.
Nathan Mulligan made a surprise start on the wing with Tadgh Purcell playing upfront alongside Curtis Main. Mor Diop was dropped to the bench.
It was Mulligan who could have made his mark on the game in the opening stages, his powerful strike from a Purcell pass was superbly saved by Barry Roche in the Morecambe goal.
Purcell was next to have a go, but his shot was saved again by the keeper, this all after some early pressure from Morecambe which should have seen them take the lead.
But in the 9th minute Phil Jevons managed to break the deadlock for the home team. Jevons evaded the Darlo defence with ease and slotted home past the helpless Shane Redmond.
It was Redmond who was on hand minutes later to keep Darlo in the. Stuart Drummond, no not the monkey!, rose unchallenged to head a goalbound shot from a Neil Wainwright cross. Redmond pulled off a quality save but Morecambe continued to pressurise.
With Darlingon struggling to get into the game Steve Staunton took drastic action, substuting the uninjured Curtis Main on with just under 30 minutes on the clock, Paddy Deane being his replacement.
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Just before half time both sides had great chances. An Alan White shot was again saved by Barry Roche whilst Shane Redmond did well to deny Phil Jevons one on one to score his second goal of the game.
13 minutes into the second half and it was game over. Darlington failed to clear a free kick and Paul Mullins smashed home from close range. It was a goal which angered Staunton and it appeared that Alan White may have got the blame. Again no injury apparent, White was replaced with Irish defender Richie Byrne.
Nathan Mulligan did manage to get the ball into the net, unfortunately the referee deemed he was offisde after latching on to a Gary Dempsey pass.
In the final minutes Purcell managed to breakthrough one on one with Roche, but once again the home goalkeeper came off the better and Darlington's day was to end goalless and pointless.
Goals: Jevons (9, 1-0), Mullin (58, 2-0)
Bookings: Miller (20, foul), Byrne (70, foul), Mulligan (77, foul); Wilson (90, dissent)
Referee: Geoff Eltringham (Sunderland)
Attendance: 1,741
Morecambe (4-4-2): Roche; Parrish, Haining, Artell, Wilson; Duffy, Stanley, Drummond, Wainwright (Adams 85); Mullin, Jevons. Subs (not used): Davies (gk), Moss, Bentley, Twiss, Hunter, Panther
Darlington (4-4-2): Redmond; Madden, Miller, White (Byrne 58), Giddings; J Smith, Waite, Dempsey (Gray 67), Mulligan, Purcell, Main (Deane 29). Subs (not used): Liversedge (gk), G Smith, Groves, Diop