Farsley 3 Darlington 2

A week ago Darlington topped of the table having lost only three games and were on course for automatic promotion. Today their situation suddenly appears much less optimistic as they are three points off the top having suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

Last night’s 3-2 loss at Farsley came hot on the heels of Saturday’s defeat at Kendal Town and leaves them three points behind Salford City, who must now be considered title favourites.

Kyle Hancock’s expert second-half free-kick curled over the wall to give the hosts the lead again having been 2-0 up after a first half in which Darlington could easily have fallen further behind.

Aiden Savory hit the bar and Quakers keeper Peter Jameson was fortunate not to concede a penalty when he tripped Savory not long after Adam Priestly had given Farsley an early lead.

Manager Martin Gray, however, was generally satisfied with his players and believed the second half, which saw Alan White sent off again, was his team’s best display in some time, as goals from Nathan Cartman and Terry Galbraith pulled Darlington level.

He said: “There was nothing in the game in the first half. You go in at half-time thinking how has that happened. We didn’t really hurt them in the first half, but they didn’t create anything either.

“The first goal bounced off the keeper and went in off Gary Brown’s chest, so it wasn’t great play from them, we were unlucky. The second goal was a worldy, a once-a-season goal.”

For the second game in succession Darlington fell behind early on, Farsley scoring in the eighth minute.

Priestley cut inside from the right and fired left-footed beyond Jameson, Brown unable to stop it crossing the line.

Brown reverted to right-back with Andrew Cartwright dropped, Chris Hunter returning to centre-back, but it was soon 2-0 thanks to Savory’s sweet finish from the edge of the penalty area.

Scored on the counter-attack, as was the first goal on Saturday, Quakers had been caught out.

It was, however, a cracking finish, Savory gently floating the ball over Jameson with an adroit touch which brings one to wonder why he is not playing higher up the pyramid.

There was little sign of recovery from Darlington against the play-off hopefuls, who came into the contest having lost four of their previous eight games, and they had another escape when Savory put a free header against the bar.

While Darlington offered little going forward before the break, at the beginning of the second half they were a team transformed, Cartman particularly effective and he instigated a comeback with his second goal for the club.

On 50 minutes the diminutive striker headed home Terry Galbraith’s first corner of the game, breathing new life into the team.

And just before the hour mark Galbraith had levelled the scores with a penalty, warded after Cartman had been tripped by James Riley after being played in by Armstrong.

Gray added: “Cartman was great and the player who fouled him should’ve been sent off in my opinion. Nathan was through on goal, the referee had a massive decision to make there, it was a game changer.”

Nelson Mota was sent on for the subdued Stephen Thompson and during a spell in which Darlington looked much better having upped the tempo.

Cartman was central to most attacks, but Darlington were unable to maintain the standard and midway through the half Farsley retook the lead.

Saturday was the first time Darlington had conceded more than twice in a league game, but it happened again last night with Hancock netting direct from a free-kick after he had been tripped by Galbraith.

Liam Hatch was sent on and Darlington switched to three at the back, but were reduced to ten men when White saw red for the second time in six matches.

As at Salford it was for a second bookable offence, though this time both were for fouls rather than dissent, his usual favoured method of earning a caution.

In injury time Jameson saw a header saved in injury time after the keeper went forward at a corner, leaving Gray to lament his team’s loss.

“Our second half performance was our best for a long time,” he concluded. “We looked more like we should be about.

“I was really encouraged by the second half and at 2-2 it looked like there was only team that was going to win and that was us. They’ve won the game with two world class goals.”

While Salford have played twice more, their run-in looks simple with nine very winnable games plus fixtures with promotion hopefuls Scarborough and Spennymoor, while Quakers have some tough encounters to come in their remaining 13 matches starting with Bamber Bridge at Heritage Park on Saturday.

MATCH FACTS

Goals: Priestly (8, 1-0), Savory (22, 2-0); Cartman (50, 2-1), Galbraith pen (59, 2-2); Hancock (74, 3-2)
Bookings: Galbraith (33, foul); O’Brien (35, foul); Brown (45, unsporting behaviour), White (68, foul)
Sending-off: White (81, second bookable offence)
Referee: Tom Parsons 7
Attendance: 372
Farsley (3-5-2): Taylor 6; Riley 7, McQuade 6, Harris 7; Aspin 6, O’Brien 6, Hancock 7 (Tonkinson 88), Daly 6, Grant 7; Priestly 7, SAVORY 8. Subs (not used): Lofthouse (gk), Nightingale, Welsh, Serrant
Darlington (4-4-2): Jameson 6; Brown 6, White 5, Hunter 6, Watson 6 (Hatch 77); Mitchell 7, Galbraith 7, Portas 6, Thompson 5 (Mota 60); CARTMAN 7, Armstrong 6 (Dowson 80). Subs (not used): Bell (gk), Cartwright
Man of the match
Aiden Savory – Scorer of a magnificent goal