Shrewsbury 1 Darlington 0

Three days after one of the most famous performances in the club's history, Quakers produced a display which needs to be quickly forgotten.

Bennett made six changes to the team which won at the City Ground, but there were only two changes from the team which drew with York last Saturday.

Quakers have developed a bad habit, in that they are becoming slow starters in away games. They were caught cold by Shrewsbury, who hadn't won at home this season until Quakers came along, and they didn't show any signs of gathering their forces until the second half. Their first half display was similar to those at Forest, Southend and Rochdale when they were lack-lustre and uninventive, and Bennett is having to work hard at half time to lift his players for the second half.

Dutch keeper Frank van der Geest proved again why Bennett highly rates him, and should Bennett launch any rockets before Tuesday's game at Cheltenham, then he should be excluded from them. The tall keeper pulled off some good saves, especially in the first half.

It was disappointing to see the seven game unbeaten run come to an end in such a fashion, and few players came out of the game with much credit.

Maybe it was tiredness, complacency, or maybe that Shrewsbury battled more than them in the first half -- after all, it would have been an easy team talk for Shrewsbury manager Kevin Ratcliffe after Quakers' exploits in midweek. Whatever the reason, Bennett warned his players about those possibilities before the game started.

And now the new boss faces another early test to his management skills -- how to raise the players after a defeat. The signs are that he has a good chance of doing just that -- after all, he's managed to get some good performances out of them after the upheaval of the summer.

"I knew my first defeat was going to come sooner or later," said Bennett.

"But I'm disappointed in the way it came, because we expected to go there and win.

"If we'd held out for a 0-0 draw at half time, we'd have gone on and won.

"I made changes to the team from Wednesday, but the players I brought back should have been firing on all cylinders, but they weren't in the first half. We were slow, and our ball control and our passing were poor, and we didn't get back into the game until the last fifteen minutes of the half.

"The second half was too late, even though it was encouraging and much better. If we'd played in the first half like we did in the second half, we wouldn't have had any problems.

"We can't keep giving teams a goal start, and for me to go in the dressing room at half time and organising them.

"To some teams, maybe that would be a good performance, but for us, that wasn't up to the standards we've set ourselves. But if we keep going the way we have from the start of the season, then we won't have a problem."

Bennett resisted the temptation to criticise match referee Scott Mathieson about the penalty award, but there is a general feeling in the Quakers' camp that decisions are generally going against them this season.

"From where I was sitting, I couldn't tell. According to the referee, Adam Reed took off Sam Aiston's shirt and then pushed him."

The warning signs were there after just four minutes, when Shrewsbury gained a boost to their confidence. Nigel Jemson sliced open the Darlington defence with a diagonal pass, for Michael Brown to pull wide.

And then Glenn Naylor left a backpass short for Leon Drysdale to latch on to and poke past the post.

Former Sunderland winger Sam Aiston caused Adam Reed problems in the early stages, and it was a clash between the two which brought about a controversial penalty award -- the fourth against Quakers already this season -- after 20 minutes.

Aiston dribbled past Reed from the left wing, and after Reed appeared to tug at his jersey, went down inside the area, even though Quakers claimed the offence was outside. After consulting his linesman, referee Scott Mathieson pointed o the spot, from where Nigel Jemson scored for the second successive Saturday.

There was another chance for Shrewsbury, a flick by Brown from a long throw by Drysdale, but van der Geest palmed the ball away for a corner.

Aiston twice made good runs down the left but produced a poor finish, before Quakers almost equalised before the break, Gray finding Stuart Elliott, playing in a right midfield role, who forced a good save out of Ian Dunbavin.

Within five minutes of the restart, Jesper Hjorth came on for Gary Himsworth, a move which seemed to inject some purpose and tempo into the performance. And the Dane nearly levelled with a right foot shot from the edge of the box, but the ball went over the top.

Then Quakers had further cause to question the men in black, when Glenn Naylor was adjudged to be marginally offside when he scored with a left foot shot from the edge of the box.

However, by this stage they had more of the possession, without looking really threatening. Lee Nogan headed wide, and then was denied by a great tackle from Iain Jenkins as he was breaking into the box.

And after 75 minutes, Nogan came the closest yet when he flicked a cross-cum-shot from third sub Lenit Zezu against the bar.

After van der Geest made a good save at the feet of Ryan Lowe, Reed thought he should have had a penalty when he claimed he was shoved in the box in the last minute of stoppage time. But it was that sort of day, one which Darlington fans won't want to see again in too much of a hurry.

Matchfile;

Shrewsbury 1 Darlington 0 (HT 1-0)

Goal; Jemson (penalty, 20 mins)

Bookings; Reed, Zezu, Elliott, Peer (all fouls), Aiston (dissent)

Referee; Scott Mathieson (Stockport)

Shrewsbury (4-4-2); Dunbavin 6, Drysdale 7, Davidson 6, Hughes 7, Jenkins 6, Peer 7, Murray 6, AISTON 8 (sub Wilding 87) Brown 7 (sub Jagielka 75 mins), Freestone 6 (sub Lowe 62 mins, 6), Jemson 6. Subs not used; Edwards (g/k), Thomas Darlington (4-4-2); VAN DER GEEST 8, Heckingbottom 7, Liddle 7, Aspin 7, Reed 6; Himsworth 6 (sub Hjorth 50 mins, 6), Gray 6 (sub Campbell 75 mins), Elliott 6, Naylor 7, Nogan 6, Kaak 6 (sub Zezu 62 mins, 6). Subs not used; Walklate, Collett (g/k) Man of the match; Frank Van Der Geest; Showed why he is highly rated by Gary Bennett with some good saves.