Burscough 1 Darwen 0

TERRIBLE conditions contributed as much to Darwen's defeat as the opposition.

A swirling wind played havoc with both teams in the opening half but a change of wind direction in the second resulted in Darwen playing into a gale.

They battled with spirit though and it was not until the 80th minute that they conceded the only goal from a set piece.

Lyndon Haworth was outstanding at the heart of the Darwen defence and Adam Haworth, no relation, dealt competently with any danger that came his way.

Unfortunately, they could do little about the goal.

A corner came in from the left that caught up in the wind.

Mark Sharrock latched onto it and directed a powerful header beyond Haworth into the Darwen net.

"We produced some resolute defending throughout the game," said manager Ian McGarry.

"I thought the team showed a lot of character and bottle and I'm very pleased by that.

"Obviously, the result is not particularly pleasing, another defeat, but I thought the players performed as well as could have been expected of them."

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