Salford City 2 Darlington 0

Darlington saw their unbeaten run come crashing to an end in an encounter they would rather forget as Salford City reclaimed first position on an afternoon when Quakers suffered four dismissals.

Both Alan White and Adam Mitchell were sent off, while manager Martin Gray and assistant were sent to the stands on a highly-charged afternoon beteen the two promotion-chasers.

While there remains plenty of games to play – Quakers have 18, Salford 13 – Darlington had been hoping to land a psychological blow on their rivals by leapfrogging their hosts.

Instead, they remain third, now six points off Salford with five games in hand after a poor afternoon in which they never got into their stride.

Nathan Cartman had the two best chances, the first coming midway through the half when played in by Terry Galbraith, but the striker saw his shot blocked by keeper Jay Lynch.

White also missed a close-range header, while Lynch almost suffered a calamity when a clearance cannoned off a team-mate’s backside and rolled toward his own goal, but a defender was able to scamper back and clear before it crossed the goal-line.

However, Lynch was lucky to still be on the pitch by that point. He escaped with a caution after fouling Cartman outside the penalty area, the keeper having lost his footing and attempted to make up for his error by pulling back the Darlington forward, though referee Barry Cropp must not have viewed the moment as a goalscoring opportunity.

There was little between the teams and the scoreline level, Salford having had equal amounts of possession but not giving Peter Jameson a save to make until just after the half-hour mark when the hosts broke the deadlock with Darlington contributing toward a sloppy goal to concede.

Gary Brown was drawn into the centre, where he failed to win a challenge and the ball broke kindly to left-winger Phil Dean and, with Brown out of position, the former Ramsbottom attacker had the time and space required to deliver a cross-shot for Danny Webber to slot home.

It was the second time Webber had scored against Quakers, the first time being back in September when they inflicted Darlington’s second defeat of the season.

Darlington had yet to lose since then, putting together a 16-game unbeaten run in which they had scored in every game, while Salford had failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last nine matches.

So the statistics suggested Quakers would likely pull a goal back after the break.

However, they continued to play directly, but with Amar Purewal absent through injury Darlington did not have a player in the final third able to hold the ball up. Graeme Armstrong is not as effective in the air, while Cartman was one of the smallest players on the pitch.

While there continued to be little between the teams other than the scoreline, Darlington just never got going and it was almost 2-0, Jordan Hulme denied when Brown made a goal-line clearance Lynch fumbled a Terry Galbraith shot, the ball cleared for corner which came to nothing, and there was another Quakers escape, Hulme putting the ball wide of an empty net after Jameson dropped a catch when climbing above bodies to claim ball.

Darlington’s task was made all the great when they went down to ten men, White sent off by referee Cropp for a second booking on 62 minutes.

Both were for dissent, the defender’s usual choice of offence, and it left Quakers with an uphill task.

Brown moved to the centre, Mitchell dropping to right-back, but Cropp continued to be an unwelcome influence as far as Darlington were concerned, the whistle-happy referee sending Gray to the stands.

The manager later explained it was sarcastically applauding the official, and within two minutes Atkinson was also sent from the technical area.

It was all going very wrong for Darlington, and the occasion became a reminder of their play-off semi-final last May when they lost to Ramsbottom on an evening when two players were sent off and Gray was sent from the dug-out.

Webber could’ve made it worse for Quakers, he missed good scoring opportunities. The first was a header straight into Jameson’s hands, the second after rounding the keeper but putting the ball into the side-netting after being played in by sub Matthew Chadwick.

Given the balance of play was in Salford’s favour and the visitors were at a numerical disadvantage, it was easy to forget Darlington were only a goal behind.

The next goal was looking increasing likely to go to Salford, although when left-back Lee Neville and sub David Dowson went into the penalty area shoulder-to-shoulder, the striker went down, but Cropp said no penalty and Gray was enraged.

Striker Gareth Seddon had a ‘goal’ ruled out for offside, moments before Cartman had his second good chance of the game, this time putting a free header straight at the keeper after Mitchell’s cross from deep. It was a big chance wasted.

When Dean went into the book he became one of nine cautions (including both of White’s), but in the five minutes of injury time the winger contributed to Salford’s second.

They attacked on the counter, Darlington having thrown men forward, and Dean crossed for sub Sam Madeley to score.

As they celebrated, Cropp showed Mitchell a red card for foul and abusive language, capping off a thoroughly miserable day for Darlington.

Goals: Webber (32, 1-0), Madeley (90, 2-0)

Bookings: Thompson (16, foul); J Lynch (22, foul); Portas (22, dissent), White (23, dissent); Seddon (45, foul); Brown (50, foul), Hulme (74, time wasting), Jameson (84, foul), Dean (89, foul); Hatch (90, foul)

Sendings off: White (62, second booking), A Mitchell (90, foul and abusive language)

Referee: Barry Cropp

Attendance: 902

Salford City: Lynch, Coo (Chadwick 75), Neville, Burton, Howson, Linwood, Dean, Jarrett, Webber (Spencer 89), Seddon (Madeley 89), Hulme. Subs (not used): Dunn, Morning

Darlington: Jameson; Brown, White, Hunter, Watson; Thompson (Hatch 71), Scott (A Mitchell 51), Portas, Galbraith; Cartman, Armstrong (Dowson 64). Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Mota