Darlaston yesterday travelled to Long Eaton United for the first of four key league fixtures against four of the top five teams in the league.

Going into the fixture on the back of two impressive performances against Bedworth and Chasetown, Darlaston were hopeful of an upset. Manager Dean Gill made three changes to the team that qualified for the Walsall Senior Cup Final on Wednesday evening, Bod Podmore was suspended, Ewan Edwards was unavailable Gill brought in James Rowland and Kieran Cook from the bench and Alexander Foreshaw who missed the Semi-Final serving the last of his three game suspension.

Darlaston started well, soaking up the opening attaches from the home side, Kieran Cook had a chance just inside the opening 10 minutes, a clever ball from James Rowland in and behind the Long Eaton defence was pulled back by Bishop, Cook’s effort was difficult because ethe ball was behind him, buy his effort was blocked by a Blues defender and goal keeper who closed the space down well.

Long Eaton started to get into their stride, passing through the thirds at pace, but could not get through a resolute Darlaston defence, the home sides first effort was a thunderbolt drive from 25 yards by
Long Eaton’s first chance of the game came from a thunderbolt of a shot that smashed into Darlaston’s crossbar from Blues right back Owen Betts. Long Eaton continued to push and probe, down the flanks and through the middle, but were halted by Darlaston’s diligent and hard working defence and midfield. When the home side managed to create a chance, they could not hit the target Loughlan’s looping header a prime example on 28 minutes.

Loughlan was starting to have a greater influence on the game, dropping of the Darlaston back line to space, playing in Betts once again whose second pile driver hit the crossbar and post junction.

The visitors were continuing to work hard, pressing Long Eaton and closing down space, the home side were struggling to create any chance of note and were restricted to long range efforts effective and as close as they were, but neither keeper had been called into action.

The game was turned on its head three minutes before half time when Aaron Bishop was shown a straight red card for what the referee considered to be a dangerous tackle on the Blues centra half Cotterill. At least Darlaston had on three minutes to survive before Dean Gill and his management team could reorganise in the half time interval.

It was not the visitors who made a change for the start of the second half but the home side who brought on forward Evan Garnett who gave Long Eaton more attacking options by holding the ball up and becoming a thorn in Darlaston’s defence.

The deadlock and all of the visitor’s hard work was broken in the 55th minute. A throw in on Darlaston’s right found its was to Long Eaton’s top scorer James Shaw who cut into the Darlaston penalty on their right side, his curling shot evaded the best efforts of keeper Stan Amos and went in via the bottom of the post to send the home players and supporters into raptures.

Despite Darlaston’s best endeavours and continual hard work they could not get back into the game as an attacking force, the home side doubled their lead on 73 minutes substitute Evan Garnett scoring with a header after a mazy run from the hardworking Loughlan who fed the overlapping impressive Campbell-Gordon.
Despite Darlaston making substitution’s their introduction of new legs didn’t influence the game including recent signing Theo Rowe from Boldmere St Michaels.

To compound Darlaston’s frustrations with the match officials who were clearly inexperienced and greatly affected the game by their decisions, to the shock of everyone in the 94th minute Darlaston received a second red card of the afternoon when one of the Assistant Referees claimed to have seen something no one else had in the ground, forcing the referee to send Darlaston’s skipper Foreshaw off.

The game ended in a deserved 2-0 win to Long Eaton United who were much the better team on the day, despite Darlaston’s best endeavours, work rate and work ethic they could not breach the home defence, and as a club we wish them every success in the play-offs.