Darlington had the first chance of the game after only three minutes. Rob Purdie's free-kick was swung in from the right. The Morecambe defence only half cleared the danger and home defender Ian Miller sent a weak header from ten yards straight at Barry Roche.
In the sixth minute Morecambe went close when Wayne Curtis headed narrowly wide from midway inside the Darlo penalty area. The open start to the game continued as the Quakers forced a number of early corners, but the visitors' defence held firm.
Stewart Drummond fired wide from the edge of the area after ten minutes and Darlington strikers Pawel Abbott and Liam Hatch combined to test Roche in the 18th minute. Purdie saw his low drive saved by Roche's legs two minutes later as the home side continued to probe.
Rene Howe struck the crossbar with a 12-yard bicycle kick in the 25th minute as Morecambe almost took the lead against the run of play.
Two minutes later Rene Howe went down under a challenge from Darlington keeper Przemyslaw Kazimierczak inside the area. The referee waved play on, unimpressed that an offence had been committed.
Howe brought a good save from the Darlington keeper in the 38th minute when the strikers rasping drive from 15 yards was pushed away by Kazimierczak.
Seconds before the interval, Darlo striker Danny Carlton fired across the face of Roche's goal from a narrow angle.
Morecambe almost snatched the lead in the 55th minute when Alan White deflected Howe's shot inches wide of Kazimierczak's left-hand post.
Roche pushed away Abbott's volley in the 71st minute as Darlington carved open the Morecambe defence again and then, in time added on at the end, Abbott was left unmarked at the far post, but fired low and wide with Roche beaten.