Match Report

Darwen picked up their first victory of pre-season in a 4-3 win against Irlam, thanks to another goal from Ryan Talbot and a Josh Abbott hat-trick at the Multevo Anchor Ground.

The Salmoners came out on top, however it was a game of two halves, as the hosts took a 4-0 lead into the break before the Manchester-based side nearly completed a shock turnaround.

NWCFL Premier Division side Irlam were the second of five higher-tier oppositions Darwen will face in pre-season, and got off the mark on Saturday afternoon at some pace.

A new back-three set up for the home side saw a lot of action to deal with early on, Nathan Emery and Charlie Lloyd winning a number of 50-50 challenges in the opening five minutes.

Both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances despite an end-to-end start, with Bradley Sixsmith coming closest to an opener, heading wide from Joshua Abbott’s corner 18 minutes in.

Just over five minutes later Darwen did take the lead through Abbott.

Irlam’s restart from a goal kick went astray when a weak clearance found the head of Bruno Severino, intercepting and playing in the forward who slotted the ball into a half-empty net for the lead.

The hosts continued the pressure after the opener, with Abdullah Zaffar featuring as a major threat down the left hand side as he did in the midweek game.

It didn’t take much longer for Darwen to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, tripling their lead in the space of three minutes.

Abbott’s in swinging corner ended up straight in the Irlam net after a mix-up on the goal line allowed the ball to slip through and make it a brace for the set-piece taker.

He was involved again in the 36th minute when he found Zaffar with a pass in behind the defence, before the wing-back unselfishly squared the ball to Ryan Talbot for the new man’s second goal in two games for the club.

Darwen’s first-half goal fest wasn’t finished yet though, after Yacin Amarzou was knocked over off the ball in the Irlam box with only a minute left in the half, leaving the referee little choice but to point to the spot.

Joshua Abbott made no mistake from 12 yards, smashing the ball into the bottom right corner to seal his hat-trick and a fine first half display for The Salmoners.

The changes at half-time were strikingly different, with Irlam replacing nearly the entire starting 11, whereas only Charlie Lloyd was replaced at the break for a trialist at centre-half.

Darwen’s first half lead was nearly cut down immediately, after a mistouch from the substitute gave the visitor’s striker a free run at goal, but Louis Hood rushed out spread himself well to keep the shot out with his leg.

Jefferson De Abreu and Severino were involved in the minimal second half entertainment the home side had going forward, as they struggled against the fresh outfit Irlam had put out.

Mitchell Henry eventually pulled a goal back after 63 minutes, catching Louis Hood out in his own 6-yard box to pick up what initially looked like it would be a consolation goal.

For the next 25 minutes Darwen were faced with constant pressure from the Premier Division side, conceding two goals and a number of other good chances in the process.

Irlam found the net for the second time with 15 minutes left on the clock, their striker making up for his earlier miss by thumping a close range shot into the top right corner.

They struck again seven minutes later through an incredibly well-taken Millen Brown free-kick, the midfielder leaving Hood with no chance after his effort found the top left corner to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Irlam’s wing-backs began causing as much damage as Zaffar and De Abreu had in the first 45 minutes, but it was Darwen again who ended the game strong as they did in the Cheadle Town fixture.

Substitutes Jack Foster and Akim Samms helped to finally see the game out in added time, keeping the ball off the feet of the visiting side following a stressful second half performance.

Despite the first win of the new season and a dominant first 45 minutes, the Darwen coaching staff were visibly frustrated by the near slip-up.

With manager Leighton Mills absent, it was the injured Connor Hughes who voiced his concerns as he left the pitch, having spent the game on the touchline with Hensley Mills.

Their narrow win maintains the unbeaten start to the set of friendlies, adding to the draw with Cheadle Town three days prior.

The Salmoners now travel to the home of Premier Division side Stockport Town on Saturday 12 July for their third test of pre-season.