Darlington 1 Stourbridge 1

Gary Hackett made one change from Monday night’s home win against Sutton Coldfield Town, with Chris Lait returning to the starting line-up in place of Ben Billingham.

Stourbridge were slow to settle after the long trip, and it was table-topping Darlington who had the first sight of goal, Lee Gaskell shooting straight at Lewis Solly from the edge of the penalty area after good link-up work in just the first minute.

That warning was not heeded, however, as the Glassboys fell behind with only four minutes played. Stephen Thompson played a one-two with Nathan Cartman and advanced into the penalty area before placing a low shot to Solly’s right and into the bottom corner.

However, Stourbridge responded well to conceding their first goal in almost 400 minutes of football. A long throw from Tom Tonks saw Stuart Pierpoint unable to get enough power in his header to trouble Pete Jameson in the home goal, and then Jameson had to come off his line to claim a dangerous cross from Lait at the feet of Matt Dodd. And the Glassboys came closer still on ten minutes, as Lait drove into the area and produced a shot that Jameson could only parry, with Leon Scott just about managing to get enough of a block on Karl Hawley’s follow-up to prevent what looked a certain equaliser.

Two minutes later a cross from Kristian Green almost took Jameson by surprise as it threatened to dip under the crossbar, but the Darlington stopper just about recovered to claw the ball over for a corner, from which Pierpoint got his header all wrong, the ball sailing well over the target.

Darlington were still playing some good football when they broke, and the threat of a second goal to make Stourbridge’s life even more difficult was always there, but Solly and his defence were generally alert to most situations and allowed few sights of goal, whilst Stour continued to find openings at the other end, aided, and occasionally hindered, by a stiff wind in their favour.

Dodd went close on 19 minutes heading wide at the far post from a very narrow angle from a deep cross by Lait, and then Dodd again was foiled five minutes later, this time having his shot blocked by the feet of Jameson after Justin Richards had teed him up.

An equaliser finally did come on the half hour though. Dan Scarr headed a long clearance back towards the Darlington goal, where Richards turned and helped the ball on to give Hawley a clear run and the striker never looked like missing, composing himself to clip a shot beyond Jameson and into the bottom corner.

It was Darlington’s turn to produce a response to a set-back now, and Green was forced into a hurried clearance after Scarr mis-kicked in the penalty area, whilst Gaskell blasted wildly over from ten yards after the ball had dropped to him. In between times, Richards could have put Stourbridge ahead, but gave Jameson too much of a sight at the ball and the keeper was able to smother the chance, and half time came with the game finely-poised.

The second half took a while to come to life. Broadhurst failed to trouble Jameson with an early free kick, shooting well over from just outside the corner of the penalty area, but that apart it was not until the hour mark that either side created anything of note.

Pierpoint had to head the ball behind from a dangerous free kick on 62 minutes, with two Darlington players lurking behind him at the back post, before Stourbridge sparked into life and began to press again with a triple-chance on 64 minutes. Lait got in behind the defence from Dodd’s pass, but Jameson again blocked, and then did likewise from Broadhurst’s driven follow-up, although he perhaps knew a little less about that one, and then Dodd shot hurriedly over from the rebound.

Richards got clear again on 77 minutes but, on his left foot, could not get his shot on target under pressure from a defender, and then just a minute later Hawley, from a similar position, brought another fine save from Jameson.

The final ten minutes saw the home side upping their tempo as they sought a winner, with the tricky Adam Mitchell, who had probed the Glassboys defence all afternoon without much joy, firing over when well-placed, and then Scott at the far post nodding wide from a free kick with just two minutes to play.

There was still time, however, for two further Stourbridge chances. With the game entering added time, Hawley held the ball up in the area and laid it back to Billingham, whose delicate chip was only fractionally wide of Jameson’s right-hand upright, and the same two players combined with Billingham’s cross finding Hawley unmarked just six yards out, but he rushed a little at his header and could only send the ball looping over the bar when he seemed set to score.

The final result was perhaps a little disappointing given the balance of the play, but in a wider context an excellent performance away to the League leaders showed again the progress that has been made this season.