Darlo joy as Dale shows his class

Nov 20 2011 Sunday Sun

DARLINGTON came up with the perfect response to recent speculation surrounding their players, with a 3-1 win at Stonebridge Road.

Chairman Raj Singh has offloaded several players since Quakers were humbled out of the FA Cup by Hinckley.

He will be pleased that Liam Hatch wasn’t one of them, with the striker doubling his goal tally for the season in just one game.

But it was 19-year-old debutant Dale Hopson who stole the limelight with a well-taken goal in the last minute to complete a dream debut, and give everyone a boost for the future.

Caretaker boss Craig Liddle, who is also running the youth team as he works seven days a week, said: “There’s a lot been going on at the club in the last fortnight, but the players have responded magnificently.

“They had plenty of belief and desire, I’ve pushed them to the limit in training, and they haven’t complained.

“I told them to go out and enjoy the game. They worked their socks off, and I believe that they’re fitter than they were two weeks ago. I thought putting Dale in the team today was the right thing to do, and he was absolutely fantastic. He took his goal really well.”

Hatch, who has been the subject of interest from several clubs in the last fortnight, scored his first goal since the opening day of the season.

Ebbsfleet keeper Preston Edwards dropped a left-wing corner by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, and Hatch, the only available senior striker, composed himself well before volleying the loose ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

Quakers nearly made it 2-0 on 23 minutes when Ebbsfleet defender Yado Mambo played the ball across his own 18-yard area to John McReady, but the midfielder couldn’t beat Edwards, who saved his effort low down. And 19-year-old Hopson nearly created a goal for Adam Rundle with a neat flick that wrong-footed the Ebbsfleet defence, but Edwards blocked Rundle’s effort with his legs.

The keeper kept Ebbsfleet in the game in the second half. He pulled off good stops from Hatch, Rundle and Ian Miller, while Jamie Chandler hit the bar.

Ebbsfleet levelled out of the blue on 66 minutes when Calum Willock outjumped Sam Russell to a Craig Stone cross, and headed in from 10 yards.

But Quakers regained their composure, and took the lead on 71 minutes when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson crossed from the left for Hatch to volley in at the far post.

There were a couple of anxious moments late on, but with returning skipper Ian Miller and fellow central defender Graeme Lee in unshakeable mode, they held on.

And in the third minute of stoppage time, came Hopson’s glorious moment, when James Gray picked up the ball from an Ebbsfleet corner and sent him racing away, to coolly round Edwards and slot the ball home.