Peterborough Sports went down fighting at Darlington

Quakers top scorer Mark Beck proved the difference between the sides as his two headed goals sealed a 2-0 win at Blackwell Meadows. Significantly Sports top scorer Jordan Nicholson, a former Darlington player, missed the game because of a broken leg that will keep him out until well into next year.

Sports started brightly, but fell behind to a seventh-minute Beck goal from a cross from Kaine Felix who had moved to the north-east after a strangely short spell at the Bee Arena in the summer.

Veteran striker Michael Gash saw a header saved by Tommy Taylor in the Darlington goal and Ky Marsh-Brown. Nicholson’s replacement, volleyed narrowly wide from a corner.

Felix wasted a great chance to score just before the break, but the home side effectively clinched the win with another neat header just before the hour mark.

Sports kept pressing and Ryan Fryatt twice came close with headers from corners, while substitute Josh McCammon struck the base of a post following a set-piece.

Beck was denied a headed hat-trick, but Darlington, a Football League club as recently as 2010, were soon able to celebrate a fifth straight win and fifth place in the table.

Sports are now 10th ahead of a trip to ninth-placed Alfreton on Tuesday (September 27).

Sports: Crook; Williams-Lowe, Fyatt, Johnson, Fox; Sembie-Ferris, Lawlor, Kennedy (sub McCammon 68 mins), Sherif, Marsh-Brown (sub, Sani 59 mins); Gash (sub M. Jones 78 mins). Subs not used: Hilliard, R Jones.