Darlington suffered a 5-2 defeat away to Chesterfield on Saturday however Steve Staunton`s side did look much better in the 2nd half when they switched to a 4-4-2 formation and James Collins and Jonathan Hogg netted for the Quakers.
Staunton decided to employ a 4-5-1 system at the start of this encounter which was a viable option given Chesterfield`s superb home form however it did surprise me that the lightweight teenage striker Curtis Main was selected as Darlo`s sole presence up top. Burly front man Simon Thomas was selected out wide in midfield and for me it would have been more beneficial to have the Crystal Palace loanee up front and Main patrolling the flank.
In defence Quakers named the same back 4 that kept a clean sheet against Burton Albion last week. Youngster Corey Barnes kept his place at right full back after a few encouraging performances in defence. New signing Stuart Giddings made his 2nd start for Darlo on the left hand side of defence and he looks to be a whole hearted competitor who could well make the left back slot his own over the course of this campaign.
In midfield Jamie Chandler was suspended so once the decision had been made to go with 5 in midfield it was always likely that Gary Smith, David Davis and new boy Jonathan Hogg would be selected in the middle of the park. However I was shocked to see Jeff Smith named in the first eleven as he was one of the players who I felt could have played his last game for the Quakers.
Darlington started the game quite positively and Quakers were able to limit the home sides attacking opportunities for the first half hour or so the game. Dijilali looked a threat for the home side and the Spireites got the ball out to the young left winger as much as possible in the opening stages of the contest.
Darlington fell behind on 37 minutes though when Chesterfield centre half Rob Page volleyed home from a corner. Quakers were a little unlucky to concede given that many referees would have disallowed the goal given how much pushing and shoving there was in the box however referee Moss allowed the goal which gave the home side the lead.
It appeared that Darlington were going to go into the break only a goal behind and still very much in the game however deep into first half stoppage time Mark Allott found the corner of the net from outside of the box. This was only his second goal of the season but if the midfielder continues to strike the ball as sweetly as this he will get his name on the score sheet many more times this term.
Quakers had worked hard for the majority of the opening half however Darlington created very little offensively and for me the formation had to be changed at the interval to give Darlo a realistic chance of getting back into the game in the 2nd half as Main alone up front just wasn`t working out.
No changes to personnel or tactics were made at the break as Darlo persisted with their 4-5-1 strategy. The Spireites had a couple of chances to increase their lead early in the second half which appeared to stir Steve Staunton into action as he threw on Josh Gray and James Collins for Main and surprisingly Gary Smith. Quakers switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Thomas and Collins as the striker pairing, with Gray playing down the right flank.
The change in system saw Quakers immediately get more involved in the game and after a mistake from the Spireites keeper Lee who failed to clear the ball after racing out of his area Collins fired home from around 30 yards to the delight of the travelling fans. Darlo were visibly lifted by the goal and it now appeared that Quakers thought that they could really get something out of this game.
Josh Gray showed some nice touches on the wing and had the beating of his man when in possession. However the impressive Dijilali restored Chesterfield`s 2 goal lead when he fired home from the corner of the area, it was a superb finish by the young Crystal Palace loanee though the home side were lucky that a perfectly executed tackle from Quakers captain Steve Foster at the edge of the area fell into the path of Dijilali who then fire home.
However Darlo did not give up the fight and Hogg netted on his football league debut on 87 minutes when he prodded home from a couple of yards out after Lee had kept an effort from Simon Thomas out. Hogg didn`t give the best all round midfield display on his debut however Quakers are in dire need of a goal scoring midfielder and it is hoped that the young Aston Villa man may just be that sort of player.
Unsurprisingly Darlo threw everyone forward and Chesterfield netted two late goals through substitute Scott Boden when Quakers were trying to find a late goal or 2 to change the course of this game.
Darlington looked a decent side in the second half when Staunton switched his side into a 4-4-2 formation and I feel Quakers could have matched Chesterfield if Darlo had started the game with 2 up front. If Steve Staunton`s side can show the spirit and ability they did during the second half at Saltergate on Tuesday night at home to Morecambe then I feel Darlo could well rack up their 3rd home win on the bounce at the Northern Echo Arena.
