Darlington made it five games unbeaten with a point at Macclesfield Town. The Silkmen were considered dead and buried by many. The revival undergone since the introduction of former England star Paul Ince has been nothing short of remarkable and judging by this performance it is little surprise Macclesfield have given themselves a fighting chance. The hosts forced Quakers onto the back foot for much of the game but had to wait until the closing stages for their equaliser which could have been followed by an even late winner.

Darlington manager Dave Penney adjusted his system. The capture of Gregg Blundell before the close of the transfer window saw Quakers shift from their usual system to a 4-3-3. Skipper Clark Keltie returned to midfield alongside Michael Cummins and Ricky Ravenhill. There was however no place for defender Tim Ryan - the former Boston United player has proved a popular addition to the Darlington side with his work ethics but his hamstring woes prevented his return suspension at Moss Rose.

The home side, having lost their last two games against high flying opposition, started brightly and within five minutes should have taken the lead. Matty McNeil played a slick one two with John Miles but the giant forward's attempted chip of Lee Jones in the Darlington goal was weak at best and the chance went untaken. A few minutes later Martin Bullock was bought down by Brian Close on the edge of the box but the free kick from Kevin McIntyre was wasted.

Alan Navarro, important in much of what was good about Macclesfield, burst through the middle after quarter of an hour but only a superb challenge by Ravenhill prevented him from testing Jones. Ravenhill then showed his prowess at the other end on thirty-four minutes. Some neat passing opened up the Macclesfield rearguard allowing Blundell to cross low into the path of Ravenhill who finished with a tidy shot to put the visitors ahead.

Before Quakers' goal Craig James fizzed a freekick narrowly wide from distance and a minute shy of half an hour a poor back pass from Rob Scott allowed Tommy Wright in but he could only scoop his shot wide of the mark. The goal knocked the wind out of the home side's sails for the remainder of the first period but Ince and his managerial team clearly rallied their troops and they were deserving of their point based on their second half showing. The hosts enjoyed enough possession but found it difficult to break down a Darlington defence which packed the area.

One of their best chances came five minutes into the second period when, from a half cleared corner, Navarro's shot was diverted towards goal by substitute Matthew Tipton, on in place of McNeil after half an hour, his header was superbly saved and Adam Murphy failed to turn in the rebound as he headed into the side netting from what appeared to be an easy chance for the visitors to draw level. Macclesfield continued to see a lot of the ball, but were largely limited to long range efforts.

Darlington introduced Neil Wainwright for Wright on sixty-five minutes - the forward picking up a groin injury which ended his participation in the afternoon's proceedings. The winger went close to extending Darlington's lead in a brief foray up the other end of the pitch but his near post shot was pushed wide for a corner kick. The final ten minutes of the game however saw Macclesfield push on for a much needed equaliser. Tipton - guilty of missing some guilt edged chances - chipped over the bar but a corner kick shortly afterwards led to the equaliser. With four minutes left Navarro rescued a point for the relegation-haunted Cheshire side when he neatly controlled a McIntyre long throw before drilling home a low left-foot shot.

The Silkmen however almost conceded again on the break with a minute to go when Wainwright was sent clear after linking up well with Ravenhill. However Navarro, much like Ravenhill did in the first period proved his worth at the opposite end as he got back to put him off and Tommy Lee recovered to dive at his feet to collect the ball. It was the home side though who had the better chances to win it in the closing moments. A miscued Patrick Collins clearance allowed Miles to volley narrowly wide of the far post from twenty-yards with Jones rooted to the spot.

Darlington were forced onto the back foot for long spells in this encounter but defended their eighteen yard box in numbers and battled hard. Macclesfield's neat passing failed at times to open up any real clear cut chances and it was only when the hosts went a bit more direct that they started to see results. The hosts may well have won it late on but a point will be satisfactory for both sides with Quakers showing an improvement upon the previous week and the result keeping the Silkmen out of the dropzone.

Macclesfield: Lee, Regan, Scott, Swailes, McIntyre, Bullock (Heath 76), Navarro, Murray (Hadfield 71), Miles, Murphy, McNeil (Tipton 30). Subs: Legzdins, D'Laryea, Tipton, Hadfield, Heath.

Darlington: Jones, Close, Collins, Wheater, James, Tommy Wright (Wainwright 65), Cummins, Keltie, Ravenhill, Joachim (Holloway 89), Blundell. Subs: Russell, Armstrong, Rowson, Wainwright, Holloway.

Macclesfield bookings: Scott.

Darlington bookings: James.

Goals: Ravenhill 34th min (1-0), Navarro 86th min (1-1).

Report by Kevin Luff.