Internet Millers Programme Article- Bournemouth

The preparation for the game was far from ideal, Darlington had originally booked a pitch at a very impressive looking ground but on closer inspection the pitch was totally unplayable with large parts under 6 inches of water. The decision was made to use a council pitch nearby and the squad got changed at the original venue before heading to the new pitch. This suffered from similar problems to the original venue and the game should have been called off but we decided to play the game having travelled so far.

The game suffered as a result of the poor pitch but it was us who set the tempo for the opening 20 minutes with a number of attacks coming from wide areas. Darlington were facing similar problems to a lot of our opponents this season in coping with the 4-5-1 formation, especially in midfield and it wasn’t long until we took the lead. The goal came from an unusual source, the left back Duds was taking advantage of the space in midfield and supporting the winger. The ball was played to him on the left wing and after exchanging passes with Mike he cut inside and fired an unstoppable right foot shot past the keeper into the far corner. It was Duds’ first goal in over two years and it was a cracker!

The second goal managed to outclass the first, Mike the left winger received a pass fully 40 yards from goal and with the keeper slightly off his line he smashed a shot over the keeper, he got a bit of luck with the ball bouncing down off the bar and the backtracking keeper seemed to help the ball in but Mike deserved the credit for a wonderfully executed shot. We went in 2-0 up at the break and continued to dominate in the second half.

We got a further two goals mid way into the second half, both goals scored by Burnsy. Well it wouldn’t be an IMFC game if he didn’t score!! The first came after good work from Gaz with a well-worked short corner leaving the striker unmarked to put his header past the Darlington keeper from six yards. The second goal came from a sloppy back pass Burnsy was in the right place rounding the keeper to slot home. This was another well deserved victory for us and our challenge for the league continues to take good shape.

Our biggest game of the season took place on Saturday. It was both a league and cup game against Hearts played away in Edinburgh. It’s our third consecutive trip to the Scottish capital, with both previous games ending in defeat so we are hoping that it’s third time lucky and a league and cup double remains very much on the agenda. Hopefully we’ll be telling you of a win next time out.