It was on Boxing Day 1997 when Mario Dorner delivered a knockout blow, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Macclesfield Town.

Michael Oliver contributed to one of Quakers’ best performances of the season, and he helped put Darlington ahead when he found Glenn Naylor with an incisive diagonal pass, Naylor lifting the ball over Ryan Price for 1-0.

After a Steve Gaughan own goal, Darlington regained the lead when Oliver dribbled past two defenders and hit a low shot into the bottom corner.

Then Dorner took control. Signed two months earlier, he capped his return from injury with two goals in seven second half minutes.

First, he pounced on a mistake by full back Cec Edey to slot past Price, and then volleyed home for 4-1 when Simon Shaw ran through four defenders on the right.

Macclesfield’s John Askey pulled one back in the final minute, after Dorner had left the field to loud cheers when substituted.

Thanks to Craig Stoddart