Integro Doodson League Cup
Ossett Town 3-1 Darlington 1883
Cameron Lyn scored the goal of the game during Ossett Town’s win over Darlington. Picture: Mark Gledhill
Grant Black must have been pleased with what he saw from his new Ossett Town charges after watching on from the stands as they reached the fourth round.
The Integro Doodson Cup continued to provide some relief for relegation-threatened Ossett, who are currently on a nine-game losing streak in the league. Ossett also last won in the Division One North on September 19th, but they have now won three League Cup games since.
Former Buxton defender Black, appointed on Sunday evening, is set to bring several new faces in later this week, but those taking part against Darlington will have given him food for thought.
Caretaker boss John Francis, the former Burnley striker who took charge of the 2-1 defeat to Radcliffe on Saturday, remained at the helm. Black watched the first half from the sponsors’ lounge before taking his place on the terraces for the second half, offering many words of encouragement to his inherited players.
Ossett, like Saturday, were much-improved. Town were organised defensively and dangerous going forward against a Darlington than that was almost unrecognisable from their normal starting eleven.
The signs were good for Ossett after they got in some areas early-on. Max Phillis made Darlington goalkeeper Robert Provett work minutes before the opener. Joseph Ojo claimed it after forcing the ball home from Josh Moore’s header.
Moore got himself on the score-sheet on the stroke of half-time with a header.
Ossett rode out Darlington’s inevitable attempted fight-back at the beginning of the second half.
Cameron Lyn eventually put the visitors out of their misery with the goal of the game. The winger strode forward freely and unleashed a tremendous strike into the top corner from distance.
The only blot on Ossett’s copybook was Darlington’s last minute goal which denied them the clean sheet. Lewis Walton was credited with it after goalkeeper Ben Hunter spilled a straightforward corner.
Ossett Town caretaker manager John Francis:
Ossett Town: Hunter, Hepworth, Fishley, Monfredi (Shelton 66), Ojo, Rogers (captain) (Kilner 36), Mangham (Lyn HT), Phillis, Moore, Farnhill, Fogarty. Subs unused: Rupere, Hawksworth.
Darlington 1883: Provett, Morley, Walton, Hacker (Padariau 68), Nowakowski, White (captain), Evans (Milburn 56), Wheeler-Andrews, Purewal (Stephenson 56), Saunders, Smith. Subs unused: Gray, Nelson.
Referee: Peter Sporne
Ref Rating: 9/10
Attendance: 119
Pleased that Osset have progressed in the cup but very disappointed that Darlington played virtually a youth team, I was looking forward to most if not all watching the team that just beat Salford City away on saturday. if your not going to take a competition seriously then don’t enter it, disrespectful to all the other teams.