ACCRINGTON Stanley are still looking for their first points and first goal of the League Two campaign but they were desperately unlucky against pre-season promotion favourites Darlington on Tuesday.
The Reds ran the show for the first 30 minutes but they couldn't take their chances in front of goal with Darlo keeper Sam Russell denying Ian Craney and Gary Roberts in the early stages.
Then they again conceded from a set-piece - as they did against Chester on Saturday - when a Craig James corner was volleyed into the net by Michael Cummins on 33 minutes.
Cummins could have had another but for the heroics of Ian Dunbavin but number two soon followed.
Michael Welch's clearance out of midfield hit his team mate Andy Procter on the chest and the ball fell into the path of Martin Smith whose crisp finish gave Dunbavin no chance on 43 minutes.
Stanley pressed in the second half and sub Andy Mangan missed their best chance with a free header which was over the bar.
Robbie Williams had to clear a Smith effort off the line in an entertaining clash - but for the result.
"We showed a good appetite for the game and good work rate and we played and matched a team at the upper end of the table," said Coleman. "Some people are going to look and start writing us off and say that it is too big a step for us and we are going to be fighting relegation but we have only played two games and there are 44 to go.
"We lost our first two games in the UniBond and went on to win the league."
To add to Stanley's misery, in injury time, Procter was sent off for raising his arm after a tackle in midfield by Quakers captain Clark Keltie and could now miss three games.
