ALMOST a year to the day since Tommy Wright took the points on his return to Darlington with Nuneaton Town, Saturday was Martin Gray’s turn to be the pantomime villain.

Jeered and heckled on his return to Blackwell Meadows with York City, Gray received a frosty reception but had the last laugh.

Pumping his fist at full-time towards the celebrating York fans as he made a dash for the changing rooms, this was clearly a satisfying 2-1 win for the former Quakers boss, one that made it three in a row for the play-off hopefuls.

He’d kept a low profile in the build-up by avoiding pre-match interviews, during the game did not respond to a number of uncomplimentary chants and barely showed emotion when York scored.

He cannot be begrudged celebrating victory, even though it sank his former club further into the relegation mire.

Now 19th and outside the relegation places on goal difference, Darlington are bang in trouble.

Wright badly needs to arrest a slide which is largely of the team’s own making, Saturday seeing two more cheap goals given away, much to the manager and supporters’ frustration.

Quakers have now conceded in 15 successive games, with 22 goals shipped in Wright’s nine matches.

He has won only one of them, losing seven, and next up is Salford City, though the leaders have faltered lately, with no wins in four games.

Darlington are not just faltering, however, they are in serious danger of stumbling back into the Evo-Stik Premier League.

There is a long time to go, still 18 games to play, but the rate at which Darlington give goals away is alarming, Saturday seeing Quakers concede twice soon after the second half started, just as they did at Harrogate Town on New Year’s Day.

Wright said: “We had a very similar team talk as we had at Harrogate, about not giving anything away in the first 15 minutes of the second half – two goals conceded on Monday, two goals today.

“We just keep conceding the same goals. The lads are as frustrated as me and the fans are probably even more frustrated than I am.

“We’re trying to do the right things and I think a lot of people can see that.”

There was not a great deal between the teams, particularly in the first half, which is perhaps something Quakers can take heart from, given York’s full-time status and position in the table, which is now eighth.

Darlington created a handful of chances in the first half – take them and the result could have been so different.

The recalled Greg Mills cut inside and drilled a shot just wide, Gary Brown headed on to the roof of the net after a Terry Galbraith delivery, then Harvey Saunders, also back in the team as one of three changes, made a nuisance of himself before shooting over.

Wright added: “We got a lot of compliments for how we defended in the first half against Harrogate. Today I thought we were an attacking threat from the first minute but when you don’t take your chances that’s what happens. I thought the performance was good today, we played some really good football, but we find ourselves losing 2-1.”

York had had their moments too. Brown twice took the ball off Amari Morgan-Smith’s toes in the penalty area, then Parkin was flagged offside when he had the ball in the net, much to the Tin Shed’s amusement, who chanted “your belly’s offside” at the heavyweight forward.

It was Darlington’s talisman who opening the scoring, Reece Styche underlining his value with a goal of his own making. After receiving Brown’s header, Styche ran at Dan Parslow, holding off the York substitute before unleashing a shot high into net behind former Quakers ’keeper Adam Bartlett.

Of the seven goals Darlington have scored since Styche signed, he has got six of them.

This is a striker in top form, one who has quickly become an essential part of the team and it is imperative he stays injury-free.

“I think he’s put himself into folklore already,” admitted Wright.

The second half started with Quakers a goal to the good, not a time for any risks.

Yet Stephen Thompson, who otherwise had another good game, put Galbraith under pressure with a needless pass, there then followed a period of scruffy play when Quakers could not clear, Joe Wheatley miscuing a clearance, the ball eventually falling to Sean Newton to score.

Wright said: “We had the ball, the first pass should’ve gone forward, the second it goes back it gets blocked, we then had another opportunity to clear the ball and didn’t and it ends up in the back of your net.”

It had taken less than 60 seconds for Gray’s men to level.

He had changed formation at the break to 4-4-2, Darlington did not respond, and seven minutes in were behind after being caught on the break after a Mills free-kick, a single pass by Morgan-Smith turning defence into attack.

Aiden Connolly chased the pass into the penalty area where he was felled by goalkeeper James Talbot “He rounded Tally, and Tally hasn’t said it wasn’t a penalty so I’m assuming the lads were happy enough that it was,” added Wright.

“The second goal was something we keep getting done on – a counter attack on our set-plays.

“I didn’t feel threatened by York until the point they were leading 2-1. And then we lost our shape and discipline a bit and as we started chasing the game we started getting hit on the break.”

Parkin put the ball over the top, wasting a good chance for 3-1, and the visitors had other opportunities too.

Gray’s No. 2 Dave Penney, one of a cavalcade of former Quakers who trooped into Blackwell on Saturday, admitted: “Sometimes, people were selfish and were trying to make a name for themselves instead of passing to someone in a better position.

“We shouldn’t have been hanging on at the end and it could have been 3-1 or 4-1 because, when there’s only one goal in it, anything can happen.

“But we wanted to make sure that we didn’t get beaten for the manager and it was great to come away with three points because of everything that was surrounding the game with Martin.”

Darlington’s only chances came at free-kicks, Wheatley and Galbraith both having a go before Thompson had a try, seeing a shot go wide of Bartlett’s near post.

Talbot saved a one-on-one from Alex Pattinson and in injury time, James Gray, who seemingly hasn’t improved since a brief and unconvincing spell with Darlington in 2011-12, volleyed over when unmarked after Pattinson’s right-wing cross.

It was not to matter, York took the points leaving Darlington deflated and demoralised.

They must now pick themselves up and try to take something when Salford visit Blackwell on Wednesday.