Report: Darlington 1 Rushall Olympic 0
Rushall Olympic's Evo-Stik Northern Premier League play-off hopes took a blow at Darlington 1883 as they fell to an unfortunate 1-0 defeat.
Josh McKenzie got in behind early on for the visitors, but could only fire wide from a promising position.
The Pics had the better of the first half with Alex Reid at the centre of the action as he saw three shots saved by Peter Jameson in the home goal.
The Quakers seemed to spring into life after their early scares and fashioned a chance of their own – hitting the bar from close range.
Nathan Fox flashed a ball across the box, with Zak Martin sliding in looking destined to score until Jameson intercepted the ball last minute to ensure it remained goalless at half-time.
Nine minutes into the second-half, Darlington got the winner in scruffy fashion as captain Kev Burgess managed to scramble the ball in from close range.
Jake Heath almost levelled affairs with a rasping shot from the edge of the box but his effort went over the bar.
Seconds later, Nathan Fox almost grabbed a goal in spectacular fashion as his 30-yard drive was saved again by Jameson.
The last chance for Rushall came as Fox crossed in for Michael Townsend to attack, but the centre-half could only glance wide.
