Torquay United 5 Darlington 0

DARLINGTON’S nightmare season plumbed new depths with their worst ever defeat at Plainmoor.

The dreadful performance was similar to others away from home this campaign at Dagenham and Notts County, and Quakers have collected just one point on their travels, at Grimsby in late September.

Unless there’s a drastic improvement, it appears unlikely Quakers will collect another point away from The Northern Echo Arena for the rest of the season.

Quakers needed something from the game to keep fourth bottom Torquay within range, but once the home side went 2-0 up, the handful of despairing Darlington fans who’d made the 700-mile round trip accepted the inevitable defeat.

And together with the lucky ones who didn’t travel to the English Riviera, they believe relegation to the Blue Square is inevitable.

Quakers are still 11 points from safety, meaning they need to win four games just to catch up.

And where are the four wins going to come from?

Once again, Quakers’ defending was woeful.

They have now conceded 19 goals in their last five matches.

The daunting thing is, opposing teams don’t need to work too hard to score goals, because Quakers tend to hand them on a plate.

It’s difficult to find any positives from the performance.

There were a few chances created – but there was no real cutting edge – and only one player could escape criticism, 17-year-old Dan Burn, who was thrown in at the deep end in the middle of defence after skipper Mark Bower went off injured in trying to stop the first goal.

Manager Steve Staunton was stunned, embarrassed and almost lost for words in his brief chat with the waiting press after Torquay had scored five goals at home for the first time in nearly a decade, and inflicted Quakers’ worst defeat there in 39 visits.

“Last week against Bradford we looked solid, but this week we were all over the place again,” said Staunton.

“All the goals we conceded were bad goals, but it’s been bad goals all season. We’re not scoring goals at one end, and we’re conceding bad ones at the other end.

“I don’t know what I can do, but we’ll be working hard in training again this week to try and put things right. There is a lack of confidence amongst the players.

“But they can’t keep doing things right in training, and not doing them properly on Saturdays.”

Staunton exempted the enthusiastic Burn from criticism.

“Dan was a big plus. He was chucked in at the deep end and did well, and he was unfortunate to come into this.”

Burn is the 41st player to wear the first team shirt this season.

And when asked where the club goes from here, Staunton shrugged his shoulders, muttered and walked dejectedly back into the dressing rooms.

Some fans are questioning whether Staunton has a future at the club because of the recent run, but he is operating to some extent with his hands tied behind his back because of events at the start of the season.

It’s obvious that some of the summer arrivals aren’t up to League Two standard, but his predecessor Colin Todd would argue that he was shackled by the restrictions of administration.

Quakers’ cause wasn’t helped by injuries to Bower and full back Andrew Milne, who was stretchered off just before half-time, but their absence didn’t contribute to some dreadful goals.

The pace of Chris Zebroski and Jake Thomson clearly troubled the defence in the opening stages, and Zebroski showed the quality that Quakers lack when he controlled a long ball, cleverly turned Bower, and fired past Nick Liversedge.

He then turned provider when he raced down the left, held off two challenges and squared for Wayne Carlisle to turn the ball past the helpless keeper.

After Milne was stretchered off with a bad ankle injury after challenging Thomson, the Gulls scored their third.

Quakers couldn’t get an inswinging corner out of their six yard box, and Scott Rendell headed in.

There was a brief, spirited revival at the start of the second half, but no real punch, and when the fourth goal went in, embarrassingly it was time to wonder how many more Torquay would score.

Again, Liversedge flapped at a corner, and after Carlisle headed against the bar, Zebroski headed the rebound in.

Fortunately, Torquay only scored one more. Substitute Elliot Benyon controlled a deep cross from Thomson on the penalty spot and volleyed past Liversedge.

In the closing stages, Danny Hall cleared off the line for the second time in the game, Liversedge twice saved well, and the blameless Burn got in a couple of goal-saving tackles.

Match facts

Goals: 1-0: Zebroski (17, quick turn and strike from edge of area), 2-0: Carlisle (31, tap in from Zebroski pull back), 3-0: Rendell (45, header from close range), 4-0: Zebroski (68, follow up after Carlisle hit the bar), 5-0: Benyon (76, volleyed in from right wing cross)
Bookings: Collins (44, dissent), Harsley (48, foul), G Smith (79, foul)
Attendance: 2,434
Referee: Kevin Wright (Leicester): Let the game flow, and didn’t have many big decisions to make 7
Entertainment: ✰✰✰✰

TORQUAY (4-4-2): Poke 6, Mansell 7 (Nicholson 78), Robertson 7, Charnock 7, A Smith 6; Carlisle 8 (Sills 71), Wroe 7, Hargreaves 7, Thomson 8; Rendell 7 (Benyon 71), ZEBROSKI 9.
Subs (not used): Bevan, Thompson, Stevens, Ellis.

DARLINGTON (4-4-2):

4 Liversedge: At fault for two goals, but pulled off some good saves.

4 Milne: Given the run around by Thomson before being stretchered off

4 Bower: Injured himself while trying to stop Zebroski scoring the first

5 Hall: Two clearances off the line, but Bower’s exit left him isolated

4 Giddings: Given the run around by Carlisle and then Thomson.

5 Hogg: Adapted well as an emergency right back after starting in midfield 4Harsley: Steadily over ran in midfield as Torquay took control

4 G Smith: Just like Harsley, could hardly get into the game

4 J Smith: His steady improvement in recent games came to a halt

4 Thorpe: Didn’t receive much good service on return to a former club

4 Collins: A frustrating afternoon for the youngster

Subs: BURN (for Bower 17) The 17- year-old shouldn’t take any of the blame. He worked very hard and got in some good tackles 6 Gray (for Milne 45) Never really got into the game 4 Diop (for Thorpe 63): One chance, one miss 4 (not used): Riley, Convery, Mulligan, Jones

MAN OF THE MATCH
CHRIS Zebroski - Quakers couldn’t handle his pace, and he could have scored at least two more.

Have Your Say

Quakers 11 points from safety.
Eight points taken from a possible 63.
10 away defeats from 11.
10 goals scored in 21 games and 45 conceded.
19 goals conceded in five successive defeats.
Goal difference of -35.
41 players used this season.

So where do Darlington go from here?