Two goals before half time gave Darlington another difficult task at home against Barnet. Both of the Bees goals came in the space of ten minutes. First David Livermoor lashes in a corner kick on twenty-three minutes before Albert Adomah notched a second. Quakers did better after the break and a Gary Breen goal own goal close to the hour mark gave Steve Staunton's outfit hope.

Darlington handed s surprise start to experienced front man Noel Whelan. The former Middlesbrough and Leeds United player has barely had time to figure since his arrival in October due to injury. Meanwhile Quakers recalled Ross Chisholm and Chris Moore made his first start for the club. Out of the side came Mor Diop and Curtis Main. Gary Dempsey also failed to figure due to illness.

Chisholm had Darlington first opening as he shot wildly off the mark inside the opening ten minutes of the game. Whelan was next to have a go on eighteen minutes as Tadhg Purcell lifted a nice ball over the top of the Barnet defence. Whelan fired a first time shot off target and perhaps could have done a little better. Barnet responded through Adomah who picked the ball up deep. He burst into the box and hit a low shot straight at Shane Redmond which the keeper got down to collect.

However the first corner kick of the game presented Barnet with their first goal of the game. Darlington failed to deal with the flag kick and Livermoor lashed home from close range. Quakers had a golden chance to level when Moore's cross was headed over the bar on the half hour mark. Shortly afterwards Purcell saw a shot blocked and Barnet broke down-field to score their second thanks to Adomah.

Darlington were struggling to make an impact in either box and it showed when they passed up a good chance to pull a goal back before the interval. Purcell managed to play in Gareth Waite who was rushing into the area but his shot lacked power and Jake Cole collected. Barnet though could have finished the first half three goals to the good. Alan White's backpass to Redmond was closed down by Jack O'Flynn. The clearance clattered off the Bees number nine and rolled just wide of the upright.

Darlington bought on Josh Gray at the break for Chisholm but it was Barnet who started brightly. Albert Jarrett did well down the left flank and hit the side netting. Quakers though picked up and turned in a better showing during the first half. Close to the hour Darlington hauled themselves back into the game. Moore's right wing cross was sent into the near post where Breen put the ball into the back of his own net. The goal signalled a good period for Quakers and they should have equalised through substitue Gray.

Moore was again the provider. The Whitley Bay winger had an impressive first start for the club and was close to helping Darlington pull level on sixty-one minutes. Purcell failed to connect properly with his right wing cross and it dropped to Gray. However from close range, with the goal at his mercy, the ball was somehow scrambled off the line. It was a brilliant chance for Quakers to pull themselves level.

By this point Quakers had bought on Diop. They continued to probe for an equaliser but ran out of steam following Gray's chance. But in front of 1,463 fans they couldn't find another way through to rescue a point.