Darlington’s season continues to crumble, play-off hopes diminishing by the game.
They have now won just twice in right matches, Andrew Nelson’s added-time equaliser rescuing a point today at home to struggling Rushall Olympic.
But neither result nor the performance was good enough for a team supposedly aiming for the play-offs.
Steve Watson’s side are 11th and eight points off the top seven with seven games to play. Mathematically they can make it, realistically they won’t.
Certainly not if they continue to play like this. Their pace was pedestrian, their play laboured on a poor playing surface in possibly its worst condition since Quakers moved to Blackwell in 2016-17.
Not until the closing stages did they show any hint of an equalising goal against a team with the worst away record in the division before today.
Their recent two-game per week schedule has had an impact, contributing toward a series of injuries with several first-team players unavailable – particularly Elliot Forbes, Tom Platt and Kallum Griffiths – meaning Watson had to field makeshift defence with Jarrett Rivers at left-back.
But they should have had enough to overcome Rushall, and they made a good start with Matty Cornish’s stooping header putting Darlington ahead with 18 minutes on the clock, connecting at the far post with Caden Kelly’s cross.
The 1-0 lead, however, lasted just four minutes thanks to weak defending.
Rushall’s Alexander Fletcher found former Quaker Theo Williams, and the striker dribbled around Peter Jameson and tapped into an empty net.
Kelly shot dragged wide from around 16 yards, and he also saw a shot towards the near post saved by Scott Moloney.
Rushall almost went ahead before half-time, Fletcher volleying wide after a corner.
Kelly hoped for a spot-kick when he went down weakly under a challenge by Callum King-Harmes, but referee Thomas Wilson rightly ignored the winger’s pleas for a penalty.
During the half-time break, Watson will have demanded better but it got worse soon after the restart when Rushall went into a 2-1 lead.
Will Hatfield’s pass was intercepted, and the Pics raced away on the counter, Seb Thompson dribbling down the left and crossing low for Austin Samuels to tuck home.
Rushall’s Roddy McGlinchey came close to making it 3-1, his shot hitting the side-netting after a corner.
At 2-1 down and the side lacking ideas, Watson made four substitutions, sending on Ben Andreucci, Hazeem Bakre, Andrew Nelson and Sam Hetherington, with the out-of-sorts Cedric Main one of those replaced.
The striker now has not scored from open play in 11 matches and his barren never came close to ending today.
A Kelly free-kick into penalty area failed to find a Darlington man, instead hitting McGlinchley and before being caught by the Rushall keeper.
But there was little in the way of fight from Darlington; they looked devoid of spirit and creativity, and not until added time did they threaten a goal.
It came when Bakre played Jack Maskell into the penalty area, and the striker crossed low to the far post where Nelson blasted home a dramatic equaliser in front of the Tin Shed.
It was Darlington’s third crucial late goal in four games, having also won points recently against Radcliffe and Alfreton in similar circumstances.
Referee: Thomas Wilson
Attendance: 1,479
Darlington (4-3-3): Jameson; Hedley, Lees, Barrow, Rivers (Hetherington 76); Cornish (Bakre 70), Hatfield (Andreucci 70), Flint, Kelly; Maskell, Main (Nelson 73). Sub not used: Small
Rushall Olympic (4-4-2): Moloney; King-Harmes, Bavanganga, McAlinden, Bood; Williams, Fletcher, Thomas, Thompson; McGlinchey, Samuels (Benbow 82). Subs not used: Green, Hull, King, K Hall
