Peterborough Sports beaten at in-form Darlington by a second-half goal

The Quakers have enjoyed a superb 2024 following the appointment of former Newcastle United midfielder Steve Watson as manager and this 1-0 win lifted them five points clear of the relegation zone.

Cameron Salkeld’s 74th-minute strike made it seven wins in nine games for his side and condemned Sports to a second successive league defeat. They remain 15th, seven places and seven points clear of the bottom four.

Former Darlington striker Kaine Felix went close to scoring for Sports with a seventh-minute header before Dan Jarvis shot just wide from 25 yards.

Sports were without goalkeeper Peter Crook who was celebrating the birth of a child, but his replacement, former Posh youth team player Lewis Elsom, made a smart smothering save midway through the first half.

It was a scrappy affair which didn’t improve after the break as Josh McCammon and Felix both missed the target when well placed before Mark Jones saw his close range header from a Jarvis corner blocked on the line.

And six minutes later Sakeld struck to send the vast majority of the 1,600+ crowd into raptures and the home side saw out the rest of the game fairly comfortably.

Sports had lost 3-1 at home to Buxton on Tuesday despite taking the lead with a Jarvis goal.

Sports are due at Kettering Town on Tuesday (March 19) for a Northants FA Hillier Cup semi-final.

Darlington: Young, Griffiths, Lees, Barrow, Hedley (sub Lawlor 61), Platt, Hatfield, Curry (sub Rivers 61), Cornish, Salkeld, Main.

Sports: Elsom, McCauley, Ahui, Fryatt, Fox, Lawlor, McCammon, Jarvis, Alban-Jones, Felix, Jones, Subs: Gash, Tootle, Miles, Pereira, Fowkes.

Attendance: 1,623