Accrington Stanley's rise from football ashes may have been a fairytale but romance appears to be swiftly making way for reality for the conference champions. A goal apiece from summer signings Michael Cummins and Martin Smith before half time set Darlington up nicely for a controlled second-half. Whereas Quakers proved their attacking verve against Macclesfield a few days earlier they showed their work ethics here with a hard working performance.

David Hodgson named an unchanged starting eleven from the side which beat the Silkmen 4-0 at the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena over the previous weekend. The early play saw hosts Accrington get on top and cause problems for the visitors. Heavy rain as the game kicked off helped Accrington's cause and Ian Craney made problems for Darlington's defence twice.

The midfielder forced Sam Russell into a good stop before he was denied at the near post by a timely block from defender Joey Hutchinson inside the opening twenty and a few minutes later Gary Roberts curled a twenty yard effort wide. Quakers however quickly snapped up a few gears as Barry Conlon clipped a good ball over the top for Gaetano Giallanza to chase. Accrington keeper Ian Dunbavin was able to get to the ball first but it broke to Smith who picked up possession and forced the former Shrewsbury keeper into a good stop from his shot on the turn.

The flow of the game had quickly changed and Darlington demonstrated what is appearing to be their best ability this season - the ability to take chances when they come along. Kallisivako Ngoma's powerful shot after cutting inside caused a nightmare inside the Accrington penalty area before Smith managed to win a corner with some trickery on the by-line. The flag kick from Craig James found Cummins who volleyed home from inside the area to give Quakers a thirty-three minute lead.

With the advantage established Darlington quickly went to work attempting to double it. Minutes after the goal James crossed for Conlon but the Irishman could only head the ball over the bar. Accrington were indebt to goalkeeper Dunbavin when he somehow denied Cummins a second goal. Smith skipped around a couple of challenges down the left flank before crossing to the far post where Cummins saw a goalbound header somehow turned behind for a corner. Darlington's didn't have long to wait for their second.

Moments before half-time and with the visitors in the ascendancy Smith pounced on a mistake in the Accrington defence to essentially put the game beyond the hosts. Michael Welch made a hash of Patrick Collins' cross as he could only play the ball into Andrew Procter's chest and it let Smith clean through who marked his first goal in a Darlington shirt with a clinical finish.

Accrington asked less questions than they did in the opening stages during the second half and as the game wore on it became increasingly obvious there was little way back into the contest for the hosts. Darlington had more than a couple of chances to stretch their lead further as on fifty-six minutes Cummins drove a shot onto the crossbar. After the hour mark Dunbavin did well to stop the impressive Giallanza, the ball broke to Smith who saw his shot blocked by Robert Williams. Accrington and Procter's poor night were made worse when the defender was shown red for an alleged elbow on Darlington's Clark Keltie.

Accrington failed to really cause problems during the second half as they lacked at times the ability to turn decent moments into better openings and eventually ran out steam. Quakers however worked hard and showed an ability to click up a few gears in a short space of time which proved too much to handle for the hosts. Accrington could well fare better as the season presses on - particularly if they can get something during bright starts to matches like they managed against Darlington. For the visitors, they are proving their ability to take chances when they come along and put in the work as well when they have too.

Accrington Stanley: Dunbavin, Cavanagh, Williams, Welch, Richardson, Todd (Brown 77), Procter, Craney, Roberts, Mullin, Boco (Mangan 60). Subs: Harris, Edwards, N'da, Brown, Mangan.

Darlington: Russell, Collins, Hutchinson, Martis, James, Ngoma (Duke 75), Keltie, Cummins, Smith (Carlos Logan 87), Conlon, Giallanza (Johnson 87). Subs: Holloway, Wainwright, Duke, Carlos Logan, Johnson.

Accrington bookings: Welch, Richardson, Procter (red card)

Darlington booking: Giallanza, Smith, Duke.

Goals: Cummins 33rd min (1-0), Smith 43rd min (2-0).

Report by Kevin Luff.