Calvin Zola grabbed his fourth goal in three matches to give Crewe a dramatic late 1-0 victory at Darlington.
Crewe snatch points at Darlington
Calvin Zola grabbed his fourth goal in three matches to give Crewe a dramatic late 1-0 victory at Darlington.
Crewe put four past Grimsby at the weekend, but there was to be no repeat against resilient Darlington who held out bravely until a low angled drive from Zola three minutes from the end gave the Railwaymen the points.
The first half was a tight affair but Lee Thorpe came close to giving Darlington the lead just after the break when his 20-yard drive brought a superb save out of Crewe keeper David Button.
Minutes later Thorpe sent a volley inches over the bar as the Quakers looked to break through.
Zola came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 59th minute when he fired a left-foot shot against the woodwork with Darlington keeper David Knight beaten.
The game looked to be heading for a draw until Zola's late strike left Darlington without a single point from their first three league matches.