Barnton 3 AFC Darwen 3

BARNTON led three times at home to AFC Darwen on Saturday but were unable to take all three points.

The Villagers, beaten 5-0 in the reverse fixture, led through a Shaun Tuck double and goal for Colin Quirk at Townfield, but were pegged back by the visitors late on.

Tuck was restored to Barnton’s attack alongside James McShane, with skipper Quirk tucked in behind the front two and Ryan Jackson unlucky to be named among the substitutes.

It would be Tuck who broke the deadlock seven minutes in, smashing home the rebound after McShane’s shot was saved. He had the ball in the net again moments later, only to be ruled offside.

Keeper Danny Lever clawed an effort away on 21 minutes to keep Barnton’s lead intact, but eight minutes later the visitors were level.

They nearly took the lead one minute later, but it was Barnton who entered the break ahead when Tuck beat his man to find Joe Fielding and the debutant crossed for Quirk.

The captain turned in the box before unleashing an effort into the roof of the net a minute before half time.

Darwen hit back to level for the second time shortly after the interval, and looked like controlling the second half.

Jackson entered the fray for Kev Durcan with 18 minutes remaining, and almost immediately Chris Lawton played in Tuck to put the Villagers ahead again.

But with 10 minutes left Darwen were awarded a penalty and Lever was sent the wrong way from the spot.

The visitors were then reduced to 10 men after a defender kicked out at McShane, but Barnton’s hopes of a winner were in vain despite the arrival of Leon Knight and Charlie Jones.

Barnton: Lever (GK), Stafford, Fielding, Durcan, Lawton, Rothwell, James McShane, Jason McShane, Tuck, Quirk, Reed. Subs: Alston, Knight, Jackson, Jones, Robinson. Attendance: 34.