Darlington have a player sent off but still hang on

Match Report by Ed Hogg 

Exeter City 0 Darlington 0.

Friday 26 March 1999.

Referee: P Walton

Att: 3179

PETER Fox should have known better. On the eve of the Division 3 campaign, the Exeter City boss was backing his strikeforce to fire the Grecians into the play-offs. His confidence had solid found- ation. Steve Flack, Darran Row- botham and Barry McConnell shared 43 goals in the 1997/98 season. Only two clubs in the section promoted duo Notts County and Colchester - had found the net more - frequently than the Grecians. But, in the inherently-superstitious world of soccer management, tempting fate is a dangerous game. Last night's home stalemate against 10-man Darlington left Exeter in the midst of their most-impotent spell since 1994. It's now more than four contests precisely 400 minutes of action since Paul Tosh's winner at Barnet on February 27. The barren month has dragged Fox's side almost out of play-off contention. And the manager is growing back the trademark moustache he shaved off (and, significantly, left off) as City embarked on 99 in fabulous fashion. Rowbotham, Flack and Tosh all squandered excellent chances to despatch Darlington following the first-half dismissal of visiting midfielder Michael Oliver. Fox even gave McConnell his first taste of senior action since December as a late substitute. But City found Quakers' goalkeeper David Preece in inspired form. And they lacked the wit and wisdom to capitalise after Oliver's premature departure had left the former tabletoppers shortstaffed. City desperate for a fillip after consecutive home defeats at the hands of Cardiff and Cambridge were robbed of the services of skipper Jon Richardson and influential midfielder Chris Holloway through injury and international duty respectively. Nevertheless, the home side began brightly. Tosh swivelled neatly onto Jimmy Gardner's early cross only to drag his shot wide and Jason Rees almost seized upon Rowbotham's sublime pass. Darlington responded with Oliver feeding debutant striker Martin Carruthers for a close-range drive that forced a typically-smart Ashley Bayes stop. Brian Atkinson then lashed across the face of the Exeter goal, Craig Liddle deflected Chris Curran's header wide at the other end and Atkinson spun to warm Bayes' hands. Tosh's 38th minute header after Gardner's excellent industry pressed Preece into his first save, but the effort lacked sufficient precision and power. Oliver was red-carded for an apparent off-the- ball hack at Flack, who was booked for his role in the 44th minute incident. And referee Peter Walton's treatment of the flashpoint prompted finger-jabbing protests from Quakers' boss David Hodgson as the players left the field at the interval.

The departure of Graeme Power, nursing a suspected fractured rib, necessitated an even more attacking approach from the hosts in the second period. But Exeter quickly appeared equipped to take advantage of their numerical superiority. 

• The outstanding Jon Gittens just failed to latch onto the 48th minute spadework of Shaun Gale and Flack.
• Rowbotham blazed wastefully over after scurrying clear when Gale's pass sprang the Darlington offside trap.
• Dazza twice failed to inject enough venom into long-range efforts.
• Substitute John Wilkinson was thwarted by Preece's smart save after good work by Gittens and Gale.
• Tosh benefited from the slick build-up of Gittens, Rowbotham and Wilkinson to crash a 20-yarder fractionally past Preece's right- hand post.
• The ex-Sunderland glovesman plunged to his left to clutch Rowbotham's diving header.
• And City remained frustrated when Preece gathered Lee Baddeley's 84th minute header under pressure from the ubiquitous Gittens.

They might have ended up with nothing: Bayes saving smartly at Carruthers' clean- through feet as Darlington broke purposefully.

EXETER:
Bayes, Gale, Power (Wilkinson 46), Baddeley, Curran, Gittens, Rowbotham, Rees, Flack (Breslan 71), Tosh (McConnell 87), Gardner.

DARLINGTON:
Preece, Liddle, Heckingbottom, Bennett, Tutill, Naylor (Brumwell 82), Himsworth, Oliver, Dorner (Barnard 59), Carruthers (Duffield 87), Atkinson.

MATCH FACTS

ATTENDANCE: 3,179

REFEREE: Peter Walton (Winwick)

BOOKINGS:
Flack (Exeter),
Bennett (Darlington)
SENT OFF:
Oliver (Darlington)
SHOTS ON TARGET:
Exeter 7, Darlington 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET:
Exeter 6, Darlington 2
CORNERS:
Exeter 5, Darlington 2
FOULS:
Exeter 11, Darlington 10
OFFSIDES:
Exeter 2, Darlington 8