Darlington 1 Barnet 2

Mar 21 2010 Sunday Sun

And in first-half stoppage time Purcell split the Barnet defence with a superb pass from wide on the left. Gareth Waite had made ground to race clear into the penalty area, but his tame shot was blocked by keeper Jake Cole to bring to a close an incredibly frustrating half.

Darlington were given a huge boost on 57 minutes when Moore, signed from Whitley Bay, whipped in another fine cross, and veteran ex-Sunderland defender Gary Breen, lunging to try and clear, diverted the ball into his own net.

The impressive Moore, with his pace and crossing, has adapted well, and from another of his crosses, Josh Gray saw a shot from just six yards blocked on the line as Quakers’ frustration continued.

Their effort could not be faulted and Purcell and Andrew Milne sent long- range efforts over the bar as the bid for an equaliser continued until the final minute.

Manager Steve Staunton said: “It’s so frustrating and I feel for the players. Barnet were that bit more clinical than us and we must learn from that.

“I can’t fault the lads for effort or for the number of chances they are creating, but we need to be ruthless.

“They reacted quicker than us for the first goal and we stood off them for the second, but let’s take the positives.

“We scored and kept a clean sheet in the second half, so let’s build on that against Aldershot on Tuesday.”