Telford 1-4 Darlington - Report
A Jack Lambert hat-trick condemned the Bucks to another home defeat, leaving them bottom of the table and still without a point under new manager Kevin Wilkin.
Lambert scored at each end of the first half, striking a shot across Bucks debutant keeper Louis Gray and into the far corner from the left of the box, catching the home side cold.
The Bucks recovered, and although Darlington looked the more dangerous in the penalty area, Kevin Wilkin’s team looked positive, especially when they could get the ball to Devarn Green.
Alas, the inattention that has a habit of costing them goals returned on the stroke of half-time. The Bucks might have thought they’d seen off some pressure from the Quakers, but Lambert picked up possession from a clearance, advanced infield and then curled a shot past Gray from 20 yards.
There were some boos at half-time, and Wilkin responded with a double substitution, replacing Bood and Faal with Jason Oswell and Brendon Daniels.
Daniels cut the deficit when he was fed by Green and struck a deflected low shot that wrong-footed Tommy Taylor to creep in to his right.
Thoughts of a comeback were soon ended by a third goal from the visitors, and it was the pick of the bunch. Adriano Moke laid the ball out to midfielder Alex Purver, 25-30 yards from goal, and he struck a peach of a shot over the advancing defenders and Gray’s despairing dive into the top corner.
That killed the contest and in the 80th minute they added a fourth. Lambert claimed the match ball when the Bucks lost possession on half-way and Lambert was located in room on the left of the penalty area; he drove the ball unerringly past Gray’s dive and into the far corner.
Referee: Dean Watson.
Assistants: Emily Carney, Brandon Scaife.
Attendance: 924
Telford: (4-4-2) Gray, Piggott, Craig, Nolan (Burroughs 58), Flowers, Evans (c), Ekpolo, Green, Bood (Daniels 45), Faal (Oswell 45), Blissett.
Subs not used: Burrough, Allen, Chong.
Scorer: Daniels (50).
Cautioned: Flowers.
Darlington FC: Taylor, Dodds, Lawlor, Sukar (Liddle 90), Hedley, Lambert, Moke, Purver, Leesley, Hazel (Barbosa 90), Beck (Rivers 86).
Subs not used: Rivers, Barbosa, Felix, Rose, Liddle.
Cautioned:
Scorer: Lambert (1, 45), Purver (61).
