Morecambe 0, Darlington 0 (Match abandoned)

Dec 9 2007 Sunday Sun

THESE two sides had never met before, and as this brief encounter will be scrubbed from the record books, they still haven’t played each other.

While the pitch, one of the best in League Two, was just about playable at the start, the torrential rain didn’t let up and it was clear after a few minutes that conditions would become unplayable.

Darlington manager Dave Penney was disappointed but admitted: “It would not have got any better and the game was becoming a farce.

“The ball was getting stuck in standing water and the only chance Morecambe had came when our skipper Steve Foster got the ball stuck under his feet.

“To be fair to the referee he tried to get the game on and he made the right decision to call it off. I think that on a good surface we would have beaten them, but no doubt they feel that they would have won.”

Darlington’s best away following of the season, around 600, had travelled across the Pennines and are waiting to see whether tickets will be valid for the rearranged game.

Darlington had the wind and rain in their favour and twice top scorer Tommy Wright came close to his 11th goal of the season.

His header from Rob Purdie’s left wing cross on six minutes was deflected narrowly wide.

Then when Purdie crossed from the opposite flank three minutes later, the ball dropped for Wright, who fired past the post from close range.

But one side of the pitch was impossible to play on and referee Darren Drysdale had no choice but to call it off, though not before Darlington defender Alan White picked up a booking that will stand.

He brought down Michael Twiss as he burst towards the penalty area on 14 minutes, Carl Barker sending the free-kick flashing over the bar with keeper David Stockdale beaten.

Darlington had been looking for their fifth consecutive win, and named the side that won at Grimsby on Tuesday.

But Joe Colbeck was not on the bench as the on-loan winger has been recalled by Bradford.

MORECAMBE: Lewis, Yates, Artell, Bentley, Stanley, Twiss, Hunter, Baker, Allen, Newby, Adams. Subs not used: Davies, Curtis, Thompson, Sorvel, Grand.

DARLINGTON: David Stockdale, Alan White, Steve Foster, Micky Cummins, Rob Purdie, Julian Joachim, Ricky Ravenhill, Gregg Blundell, Tommy Wright, Ritchie Foran, Lee Ridley, Subs not used: Andy Oakes, Neil Austin, Ian Miller, Pawel Abbott, Clark Keltie.

BOOKING: Darlington: Alan White 14 mins (foul).

REFEREE: Darren Drysdale (Lincoln)