Chesterfield put out an unchanged starting line-up from the side held to a draw at Morecambe last Saturday, although there was a place on the bench for the returning Jack Lester.

Darlo, as expected, opted to keep things tight and defy the home side to score, while looking to pick up scraps. It was the approach of a side who needed only a point to cement a play-off place, but it was an approach that has confounded the Spireites on their own patch all season. It should be of little surprise, then, that the game followed a now well-established pattern.

Darlo had the game's first corner on 3, when a Downes back-pass went so wide of Roche that he could only hack it behind. Nothing came of the flag kick and the home side were the next to show; Picken played in Ward on 5, but the forward dragged his shot across the goal and out for a goal kick.

The game quickly became a close midfield battle where each side cancelled the other out, but was at least played at a fast pace. Jamie Lowry was having a good game and he tried Chesterfield's next effort, fully sixteen minutes after Ward's, but his shot went over.

As the half drifted on, a frustration crept into Chesterfield's efforts, and it became increasingly likely that the visitors might be the game's first scorers, if they could but muster a shot. Leven required lengthy treatment after being brought down by the referee as the pair followed a quick break; Peter might ask himself how he was caught by someone who manifestly lacked the necessary fitness to keep up with play.

Leven was booked on 27 for his second foul of the game. He pointed to where he had been brought down with a "What about that one?" look, but the joke flew over the referee's head. Having body-checked the pacy Purdie to prevent him getting away on 28, Picken did the same a few minutes later and saw his name added to Leven's.

Jamie Winter replaced the struggling Leven on 32 and the home midfield reorganised and tightened up to lessen the threat of Darlington taking the lead. Niven went into the book for a foul on Ravenhill on 39.

Prompted by Winter, Chesterfield pressed a little harder as the half closed; Ward went after Winter's through ball on 42 and forced Stockdale to concede a corner. Lowry tried to get forward but was clumsily fouled by Foster, who became the fourth name into the referee's notebook. Dowson had been well shackled but broke free of his minders to attack the home defence on 41; his cross put Ward in a fine position but Parker timed his tackle impeccably. From the resulting corner a goalmouth scramble saw the ball eventually cleared.

Halftime - goalless.

Chesterfield applied the early pressure in the second half and took the lead on 51. Winter's long pass found the head of Fletcher, who flicked it on to WARD; he advanced and shot across a badly-positioned Stockdale to find the opposite corner of the net. Darlo immediately went up a couple of gears but Chesterfield had the next half-chance when Ward latched on to another long kick; he was dragged to the ground by White on the edge of the box but managed to get a shot in that Stockdale was forced to save.

Darlington fashioned their first clear chance on the hour, when Keltie knocked the ball back for Kennedy, whose snap shot was clutched to his chest by the well-placed Roche. Dave Penney made a double-substitution on 66, replacing Purdie and Kennedy with Nelthorpe and Cummins. A minute later, they were level. The ball was pumped forward and Downes failed to clear it; it fell to Wright, who fired under the advancing Roche.