DARLINGTON manager Alun Armstrong admits that getting a result at Spennymoor’s Brewery Field will be a tough ask in his side’s return local derby this afternoon. The sides drew 0-0 at Blackwell Meadows in a wind-spoilt game of very few chances on Boxing Day, and Armstrong knows that his team will be in for another tough game today. “We know that we’re going to have a difficult game, and getting a result will be a tough ask,” said Armstrong. “We had a good win on Monday against Blyth, but so did they at Gateshead. They’ll be full of confidence with that win, but we know what to expect after playing them last week. Having said that, they know what to expect from us. Hopefully, we won’t have to deal with a gale-force wind.”
THERE have been numerous memorable matches between Darlington and Spennymoor Town. Quakers’ pivotal 3-1 win at the Brewery Field which helped win the Northern League in 2013, the pulsating play-off final in 2015, and Moors’ 3-1 success on New Year’s Day this year are among key contests in their rivalry. Saturday’s was not one of the classics, however. Not by a long shot. It was a competitive but scrappy, a largely forgettable draw as both sets of players battled the elements as well as each other. Or, as one club official put it: “90 minutes that I won’t get back.”
DARLINGTON will be looking for revenge when AFC Telford United visit Blackwell Meadows in the third round of the Buildbase FA Trophy tomorrow afternoon.
Quakers lost 2-1 to the Bucks in National League North a month ago with a poor defensive performance that infuriated manager Alun Armstrong, and he believes that his side will produce a much better display against the visitors tomorrow, who put ten past Coleshill in their second round tie in midweek. This will also be the third time that the two clubs have met in the Trophy – Quakers won at the Buck’s Head on their way to their 2011 Trophy win, while Telford won at Blackwell Meadows two seasons ago.