Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Senior Football Correspondent – Elliot Steadman
Luke Brennan’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Buxton secured all three points against Darlington in County Durham.
The visitors started brightly, with Johnny Johnston breaking through on goal early on, only for Peter Jameson to react quickly and clear his lines.
Buxton’s fast start paid off just 10 minutes in when Ben Sault threaded a precise pass through to Johnston once again. This time, as he rounded the onrushing keeper, he was brought down, earning a penalty. Brennan stepped up and, despite Jameson diving the right way, calmly slotted home to make it 1-0.
Darlington’s first real opening came from the right wing, where Sunderland loanee Caden Kelly whipped in a low cross. Jack Maskell was first to react, but his shot was comfortably gathered by True Grant.
The home side continued to target the right flank, with Kelly’s delivery into the box flicked on by Jack Lambert, only for the ball to evade everyone in the area.
They piled on the pressure after the restart, winning a series of early corners, but Kieran Burton and Bobby Faulkner stood firm at the heart of Buxton’s defence, clearing the danger.
Buxton nearly doubled their lead on the counter when a well-worked passing move released Sault, who drove forward before firing at goal. However, Jameson was equal to it, gathering the effort comfortably.
The Quakers appealed for a penalty in the 55th minute when Maskell went down under pressure, but the referee waved away the protests, deeming there was no foul.
As Darlington continued to dominate possession, Will Hatfield latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box, stretching to direct a shot towards goal, but Grant was once again alert to make a routine save.
The hosts continued to threaten, forcing a number of blocks and clearances as Buxton defended resolutely.
In bizarre circumstances, Josh Popoola, who had already been substituted, was shown a second yellow card in the 86th minute for an incident on the bench.
Despite sustained pressure from the hosts, Buxton stood firm, grinding out a hard-fought victory to make it back-to-back wins on the road.
