Darlington's interest in the Durham County Challenge Cup ended last night with a 2-0 defeat at Spennymoor United. Adam Johnston scored an early brace as the home side enjoyed the better of the first half.
Darlington, whose most experienced players were Kevin Burgess and Scott Wiseman, improved after the break but were unable to find a way back into the tie. Speaking after the game assistant manager Martin Gray admitted the match had its positives and negatives.
"It was a disappointing start to the game. It was a mixed team of really young professionals and really young scholars. We were 2-0 down very quickly and it was always going to be difficult getting back into it with such a young side. The first goal was disappointing from our point of view. There should have been a tackle made. We didn't do that and the keeper has been done unexpectedly," said Gray.
"We changed a few things around at half time and they responded well in the second half. It was a different game after the break. You want to win games because you want a winning mentality throughout the club. There were certain bits which were disappointing and certain bits where we found out a bit more about players. It had its pluses, some players came through it really well and they reacted and responded the way we wanted them to."
Spennymore United will now face Northern League side Durham City at the Archibold's Stadium in the Quarter Finals.
FT: Spennymoor 2-0 Darlington reserves
