Exeter City 1
Neville

Darlington 1
MacDonald
Report By Trina lake

A MISSED penalty and heroics by Darlington goalkeeper Fred Barber cost Exeter City their 11th home point of the season on Saturday.

Skipper Keith Viney found it third time unlucky for penalty kicks this season when his attempt at accuracy rather than power failed, enabling Barber to save his seventh minute spot kick. And the Darlington 'keeper, inspired by that stop, brilliantly saved everything bar a fine 83rd-minute equaliser from Steve Neville.

City manager Jim Iley was once again left shaking his head at the way City had failed to take advantage of what little good fortune comes their way these days. "That penalty miss cost us the game. Had we got a goal then, in the first 10 minutes, it would have set us on fire," he said.

City may not have set St James's Park alight with their performance but there were some sparks of encouragement. Neville at last seems to be running into form and his first goal of the season capped probably his best dis- play so far. When he does play well City always look dangerous and he was in- volved in almost everything positive the side did on Saturday. City played the type of controlled possession football they have been incap- able of this season in the early stages against Darlington.

Their more patient build-up was rewarded in the seventh minute when Phil Lloyd was somewhat harshly adjudged to have brought down Neville but, in Darlington's eyes, justice was done when Barber saved the ' penalty.

Viney, who has already scored twice from the spot this season, tried to place it just inside Barber's right hand post instead of blasting the ball as he usually does and the 'keeper kept it out fairly comfortably. Heads dropped a little for a while and Nick Marker made two uncharacteristic mistakes that almost let Darlington punish City in general, and Viney in par- ticular, for that tragic miss. But Viney went some way to making amends with a great saving tackle to stop Carl Airey in his tracks in the ninth minute and Jeff Wood saved with his legs from Garry MacDonald two minutes later. Much like Swindon last Wednesday, Darlington were not afraid to shoot from anywhere but there was precious little on target. They looked a well balanced side, however, and showed why they are the only side in the Canon League with an unbeaten away record.

Even playing badly by their standards they man- aged to keep an eager City side at bay, but that was due in no small measure to Barber. Apart from the penalty stop, his most memorable save of the first half came in the 29th minute to deny Kevin Smith. Viney's free kick was touched off by Neville to Smith and his curling shot had goal written all over it until Barber somehow managed to get his fingertips to it and turn it on to the post. City thought they had him beaten in the 32nd minute when a shot from Martyn Rogers was deflected home by Neville but the "goal was ruled out for offside. A minute later, and right against the run of play, Darlington went ahead. Striker MacDonald hit the softest of shots from the edge of the penalty area but somehow it sneaked in at the far post. Steve Harrower, who had another busy game in midfield in plce of Martin Ling, tried to level the scores with an accurate 37th-minute shot but it was just deflected wide for a corner.

Most of the second half shooting from both sides was equally fruitless. Ray Pratt and Smith did not trouble Barber with early efforts and, apart from a speculative cross-cum-shot from MacDonald that hit the angle of post and crossbar, Darlington were not much better.

Neville continued to carve out promising openings but all in vain until seven minutes from time. The City forward line finally clicked with Smith finding Pratt and his intelligent lay off giving Neville the chance to crack home a fine shot to deny Barber his fifth clean sheet in a row. In a frantic final few minutes Barber made three crucial saves to maintain his club's proud away record. Dependable-as-ever Jim McNichol drove in an 87th- minute shot which Barber had to get down to quickly and a minute later he was acrobatically leaping back- wards to keep out a 25-yard shot from substitute Frank Howarth, on for a sadly off-form Graeme Kirkup. His final point saver came in the dying seconds from a Pratt header. "Missed chances, that was our problem again today. We should have beaten them," said Iley sadly. City's attacking confidence looked higher on Saturday, however, and if Iley could just get the mid- field player he needs they could be quite a different proposition.

Exeter City: Wood, Kirkup. Viney, O'Shea, Marker. McNicholNeville, Smith, Pratt, Harrower, Rogers. Sub: Howarth (on for Kirkup 70).

Darlington: Barber, Senior, Johnson, Tupling, Smith, Lloyd, Cook, Todd, Airey, MacDonald, McLean. Sub: Forster (on for MacDonald 77)

Attendance: 2,325.