IF only James Talbot did not react as he did at Alfreton. If only Stephen Thompson had played the ball out wide against York City. If only Reece Styche had scored that penalty against Salford.

It’s been that sort of week for Darlington; matches won and lost on silly errors. Fine margins. Missed opportunities accumulating leaving Quakers counting the cost – how vital might those moments be by the season’s end?

Three games in eight days have seen them win one point, a harsh outcome for a team that probably deserved more for their efforts.

There have been promising signs in each of their recent results, they led in two of them, yet none have gone their way, leaving Darlington third bottom and anxiously checking the fixture list for winnable games.

A week ago they led York 1-0 at the break, yet a slack Thompson pass created defensive calamity and an equaliser, quickly followed by a second Minstermen goal as momentum shifted from one team to the other.

Last Wednesday they held their own for 50 minutes against leaders Salford, but Styche’s saved penalty gave the visitors impetus and the lead soon followed.

Salford still required a last-minute winner, however, after exploiting a gap in Darlington’s defence, and there was more late heartache on Saturday at Alfreton, who were heading for a 1-0 defeat until Talbot demonstrated a short fuse at precisely the wrong time.

He reacted to Tom Allan apparently kicking him in the 89th minute, striking the Alfreton player, a penalty the outcome and the consequence being a 1-1 draw and two dropped points against relegation rivals.

Having led for so long, however, since Styche’s early goal, it felt like a loss, another body blow to belief having won only three in 25 games.

The last 11 have been on Tommy Wright’s watch, the manager having won once in that time, as did Martin Gray in his final 11 games at the helm. Whatever problems require resolving, they’ve been present since well before Wright’s appointment.

He looked on course for win number two at the Impact Arena on Saturday, his team, lining up in a 4-4-2 formation, succeeding in being solid for the most part, putting in a good away performance, causing enough problems to merit leading for so long and defending well enough to deserve three valuable points.

But it’s just not going their way, and Wright, speaking to the National League website, said: “We are in something at the minute that I don’t think we necessarily deserve to be.

“The last three games we’ve deserved a lot more points than we’ve gained. I do think that luck will change over the course of the season.

“I’ve been in this situation before so I know how it feels. I learned a lot from that situation and I’m keen to not let it happen again.

“I keep banging the drum at the boys about confidence and belief and I think they’re buying into it. They don’t seem like a worried dressing room to me.

“They seem focused, determined, and if they keep turning performances like that then the results will come.”

Wright has brought six players to Darlington, with Styche clearly the pick of the bunch, and on Saturday he wasted little time in atoning for his penalty miss.

Just seven minutes had elapsed before he scored his seventh goal in as many games, arrowing a shot with precision from inside the penalty area after taking advantage of Alfreton’s James Baxendale slipping, and celebrated by running to the opposite end of the pitch, where the 257 Quakers fans were congregated.

That’s what relief looks like, and Wright added: “He made a big mistake on Wednesday and when you do that you’ve got to bounce back and he did that today.

“That’s his seventh goal already, he’s already repaid the transfer fee and the faith we have shown in him in bringing him to the club. He’ll continue to score goals, I’ve no doubt about that, but right now I would sacrifice those goals for points.”

The goal gave Darlington momentum without producing another goal, Styche seeing an overhead kick go over, and Scott and Gillies both having efforts blocked, and by the break Quakers had to soak up pressure as Alfreton ended strongly, firing in shots at Talbot as well as striker Chris Sharp being physical with the keeper.

Referee Dean Watson did little to discourage such conduct, despite Quakers assistant manager Alan White’s requests from the sideline.

The second half saw Darlington rarely venture forward, although Alfreton goalkeeper Chris Elliott did punch clear a Gillies corner from under his own crossbar, and a long Gary Brown throw was almost deflected in, but that was as close as Quakers got to extending their lead.

While they did not look in danger, given the team’s fragility – no clean sheets since September – few were banking on an away win until hearing the final whistle.

Talbot, on loan from Sunderland, had another solid game and did well to catch an overhead kick by Sharp as Alfreton piled forward, while Brown blocked from Andre Johnson at close range, but the decisive moment came two minutes from time.

Allan did enough to provoke Talbot by seemingly kicking the keeper, which was not spotted by the referee. Talbot took matters into his own hands by lashing out, earning a red card. Without a goalkeeper on the bench, Brown donned the gloves, but he was unable to stop Brendon Daniels’ penalty.

Talbot said: “Hold my hands up today. I was wrong for reacting like I did, although I strongly disagree with the decision and with the linesman. To have such a solid game and to do that at the end is my fault and I can only apologise for that.”

Wright added: “James Talbot is a young lad learning the game, I think he probably showed his naivety towards the end. The lad has gone in hard on him, he has probably reacted to something that has happened when the ball has been cleared.

“The linesman and the referee have come to the conclusion that he has done something untoward that deserves a sending-off and a penalty.

“My goalkeeper doesn’t think it merited that, but ultimately we have drawn a game 1-1 that we should’ve won.”

Darlington were denied points that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone, as well as prevented a first clean sheet in 17 matches.

In the dying moments Alfreton’s Pierce Bird was sent off after cleaning out Harvey Saunders, a second bookable earning a red card, though the hosts could easily have been reduced to ten men just four seconds into the game as from the kick-off Sharp clattered into Terry Galbraith.

He escaped with a yellow, setting the tone for another day that did not go Darlington’s way.