Quakers show they have survival spirit

Nov 16 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

NOT quite off the critical list, but the sick man of North East football is no longer looking like a terminal case.

Steve Staunton’s Darlington are still a daunting seven points away from League Two safety but after a second successive home victory against play-off chasing Burton Albion, their improbable escape from the jaws of non-league football is gaining precious momentum.

In truth, this was neither an attractive nor a particularly emphatic victory for Staunton’s side. Indeed the Quakers spent most of the second half pinned in their own half as a profligate Burton hammered away at Nick Liversidge’s goal.

But there was a determination and character about Darlington’s play that bodes well for the rest of what promises to be a gruelling campaign.

Wily skipper Steve Foster delivered an immense performance alongside the resolute Iain Miller, Curtis Main belied his tender years by leading the line with maturity while midfielder Gary Smith was efficiency personified, stemming the tide of yellow shirts with some crucial interventions.

But it fell to new addition Stuart Giddings, a midweek signing from non-league side Hinckley United, to set the tone by playing for more than an hour with a broken nose.

Blood gushing from his nose after he was on the end of a clearing punch from his own goalkeeper, Staunton didn’t need to ask whether his new recruit needed to be substituted at half-time as it was Giddings’ first taste of the Football League since August 2007. “I was delighted with the character we showed and Stuart (Giddings) was excellent. Considering he played for over an hour with a broken nose,” Staunton said.

“He took it like a man. His all-round game was exemplary, I thought.”