Full-time: Darlington 3 Lancaster City 0

HAVING enduring misery on the road recently, Darlington returned to the sanctuary of Heritage Park and marked the occasion by returning to the top of the table.

A comfortable 3-0 win over Lancaster City featured fantastic goals by Tom Portas and Leon Scott and put Quakers level on points with Salford City though ahead on goal difference.

Darlington retain a game in hand, so the table looks better today from a Quakers point of view and their next two matches are on home soil, which suits them having now won 12 out of 16 games there.

Saturday’s defeat at Clitheroe, their third away loss on the bounce, damaged confidence as well as promotion chances.

So responding in the right manner last night was essential and Darlington did so by turning over a team who at the weekend beat Salford 2-0.

“We didn’t get what we deserved on Saturday, so this was a great reaction,” enthused manager Martin Gray.

“I told the players to be better in both boxes and we were magnificent tonight overall. We defended as a team from the front, the only disappointment is that it could’ve been four or 5-0 because of the chances we missed.

“They’re a strong team, so we had to be on top of our game tonight and everybody put in a strong performance.”

David Dowson scored an early goal for the second game running.

He netted at close-range after a corner, half-cleared by Lancaster with only four minutes gone won by Adam Mitchell. The corner was not cleared sufficiently and it led to Scott playing the ball back in for Dowson.

It gave Quakers the perfect platform, though on Saturday they did not make the most of Dowson’s goal and last night could have soon conceded an equaliser, Matty Poole hooking the ball over the bar on 12 minutes from their first corner.

It was only a half-chance for the visitors, with the fit-again Gary Brown having returned at centre-back as Quakers went on to record their first clean sheet in seven matches, their 15th of the campaign.

But it was at the other end of the pitch that came the talking point when Portas scored a fantastic goal.

Having dribbled deep into opposition territory, he received the ball back off Stephen Thompson before casually curling the ball home with the outside of his right foot from the corner of the penalty area.

It was fantastic technique, very little back-lift, though the midfielder later claimed his goal against Bamber Bridge recently, when he dribbled from halfway, was a better goal.

Having made it 2-0 after 16 minutes, Darlington appeared in little danger for the remainder of the half, and indeed the match, though Lancaster striker Tom Kilifin had time to take a touch on the edge of Darlington’s penalty area, but the shot was too high to trouble keeper Peter Jameson, while Lancaster keeper Michael Hale was more involved.

He needed two attempts to save from Dowson, the second seeing him scramble across the goal-line to push away the ball.

Dowson put a simple chance over the bar from 12 yards and there was another wasted opportunity at the start of the second half when Nathan Cartman fired over at close-range after good work along the byline Mitchell.

The visitors made a go of it for a period early in the second half, Jameson was not troubled, though for a period it was hardly stellar stuff from Quakers.

They played within themselves, but as the half progressed they looked increasingly comfortable and more chances were spurned.

Brown had a header saved by Hale and then right-back Ben Hudson cleared from the captain on the goal-line.

By the end Quakers were cruising, most of the game being played in Lancaster’s half, and Scott capped the night with another terrific goal.

The ball sat up nicely 20 yards from goal and he leathered it with his weaker right foot, the ball arrowing into the top corner with venom.

Just as the goalkeeper stood no chance of saving Portas’ shot, Hale could do nothing about Scott’s effort which sealed a fifth successive win at Heritage Park.

Making it six in a row against third-placed Northwich Victoria on Saturday would further invigorate Darlington’s promotion hopes.

“It was an outstanding performance from us. We’ve got ten games to go now, it’s in our hands,” added Gray.

“It’s nice to go back to the top of the league with a game in hand, it’s all to play for.”