Match report by Sean Wozencroft
Every successful team needs players capable of producing match changing moments - that little bit of magic that can so often be the difference between victory and defeat.
Fortunately Shrewsbury have at least three.
Paul Murray produced one of those match-defining strikes to take all three points at Exeter at the beginning of the season while Grant Holt is a constant threat.
On Saturday it was loan ranger Sean Thornton who pulled the rabbit out of the hat, the midfielder’s wondrous 30-yard strike illuminating an otherwise dull fixture to give Town a point at the Darlington Arena.
Town were behind and seemingly heading towards a first defeat in four when Thornton, borrowed from Leyton Orient, unleashed an unstoppable shot over goalkeeper Simon Brown’s head from well outside the penalty area.
That was the highlight of a fine personal performance by the Republic of Ireland man, clearly enjoying his time back in the North East where he spent three happy years with Sunderland.
While it was Thornton who ultimately wrote the headlines, referee Chris Sarginson pushed him all the way.
The young official, in his debut season in the Football League, was named as the man in the middle after first choice Jon Moss fell ill on Friday.
Sarginson managed six yellow cards in Shrewsbury’s 7-0 win over Gllingham three weeks ago - and he went two better on Saturday with eight mostly needless cautions and a performance that failed to let the game flow.
Not that Sarginson was to blame for the tepid start that the small crowd had to endure.
Thornton hooked away Billy Carke’s cut back before visiting keeper Luke Daniels easily gathered Franz Burgmeier’s freekick in the only incidents of a truly mind numbing opening 20 minutes.
The game did steadily open up, though, and Holt woke any dozers with a 20-yard thunderbolt out of the nothing that Brown did well to tip over the bar.
Shrewsbury came close again from the resulting corner, Kevin McIntyre’s excellent inswinger flashing right across the goal line and Holt just failing to connect at the back stick.
Darlington then had a decent period and nearly went ahead on 27 minutes.
Rob Purdie’s corner was weakly punched clear by Daniels, but the Shrewsbury keeper did rather better with Clarke’s follow-up, getting down well to block his firm shot.
Paul Simpson’s side were lucky not to be down to ten men on 35 minutes when Michael Jackson suffered a momentary lapse of intelligence.
Slack marking
The centreback was ushered over by Sarginson for squaring up with Tim Ryan and then pushed the Quakers striker to the deck directly in front of the referee.
With the red card grasped in one hand there appeared only one outcome, but Jackson escaped with yellow.
Darlington right back Neil Austin fired a shot inches wide of the post and the home side did have the ball in the net before half time, but captain Steve Foster’s header was ruled out for a foul on Daniels.
Shrewsbury fell behind ten minutes after the restart following some slack marking.
Ben Herd and Ben Davies both appeared to be marking Alan White, yet somehow the centre-back was able to glance his header home from Liechtenstein international Burgmeier’s freekick.
Darlington changed up a gear with Liam Hatch winning too much in the air - his looping header from a freekick bounced agonisingly wide.
For all their work and grit Shrewsbury looked unlikely to equalise before Thornton’s screamer on 70 minutes.
Simpson said afterwards that he had instructed his team to shoot on sight as he had noticed Brown straying from his line, but even he could not have expected such a strike.
Darlington had a shout for a penalty soon after when Jackson appeared to palm the ball over the crossbar as tensions threatened to spill over.
Chances were few and far between as the final minutes passed, both sides quietly satisfied with a share of the spoils.
It was far from a vintage performance by Town, but the draw maintains their two points per game average which is enough for promotion - usually.
Match facts:
Darlington: Brown, Austin, White, Foster, Kennedy, Ravenhill, Burgmeier, Purdie, Ryan, Clarke (Blundell 87), Hatch.
Subs not used: Kazimierczak, Poole, Hulbert, Proudlock,
Shrewsbury: Daniels, Jackson, Coughlan, Hibbert (Walker 67), Herd, Davies, Holt, Tierney, Cansdell-Sherriff (Ashton, 67), Thornton, McIntyre.
Subs not used: Garner, Langmead, Hindmarch.
Bookings: Darlington - Hatch, Kennedy, Ravenhill; Town - Coughlan, Herd, Holt, Jackson, Thornton.
Attendance: 2,899 (318 from Shrewsbury).
Referee: Chris Sarginson (Staffordshire).
Goal Log:
1-0 White (55) - evaded the marking of two Shrewsbury defenders to head powerfully home from Burgmeier’s free-kick.
1-1 Thornton (71) - magnificent shot into the roof of the net from 30 yards.
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