Quakers get no hospitality from family club of year

3:02am Monday 10th March 2008

Wycombe Wanderers 2 Darlington 0

Last week Wycombe Wanderers were named as the Football League's family club of the year, but were anything but accommodating to Darlington who left Adams Park counting the cost of a poor performance.

This season standards have been set high and they are usually met which is why Quakers are in the thick of the promotion race, but Saturday's 90 minutes fell well below expectancy levels.

After arguably the most disappointing performance of the season, aside from the freak 5-1 defeat at Hereford, manager Dave Penney described Darlington as being 'not at the races' and the statistics tell the story.

Wycombe had 12 shots and 12 corners, but Quakers had just two shots (both off target) and only one corner. Not at the races indeed.

All three promotion rivals - Peterborough, MK Dons and Hereford - won so Penney's side are now six points off the top.

But it should not be forgotten that the promotion-chasing Chairboys have one of the best home records in the division and are now up to fifth, just two places behind Quakers.

There is an eight-point gap and this is due to Darlington's good work in their previous 34 games, which means they remain third and enjoy an 11-point cushion between themselves and eighth.

But Penney's side need only to look back to the disastrous finish to 1999/2000 season, when Darlington won only two of their last 12 games, for a lesson in what complacency can do.

That miserable run started with a defeat at Leyton Orient that was the 35th game of the league campaign. Saturday's defeat was also Quakers' 35 match, but this time there was nothing unfortunate about it.

"We looked tired and jaded. Wycombe were stronger than us and there's no doubt that they deserved the victory," admitted Penney who made three changes to the team which beat Chester last Tuesday.

"There was nothing wrong with the 4-3-3 formation, we just weren't at the races from start to finish. And it was not one or two, it was the vast majority.

"With the games coming thick and fast, and because we'd played in midweek and they hadn't, we freshened things up but Wycombe looked brighter and sharper. They were better than us all over the pitch so maybe them seven free days stood them in good stead. We looked tired and jaded."

Considering the way Darlington have responded to their rare defeats this season, only losing back-to-back games once, there is no reason to suggest a possible repeat of the 99/00 disaster.

The manager pointed out: "It ain't all doom and gloom. We lost so we start again at Shrewsbury on Tuesday. There's a long way to go yet, a lot of games and a lot of points to play for.

"The end of the season is going to be bitty and nervy. Believe me, it will go all the way to the wire but I'd rather it was this way than not being involved at all."

A draw, which would have kept Wycombe 11 points away, would have suited Darlington and for the first 24 minutes that was the way it was heading.

But then a lifeless affair sprung into life with striker Leon Knight firing an overhead kick from near the penalty spot past David Stockdale.

The keeper underwent treatment for a back problem before the game and, although he was able to start at Adams Park, there was no way he could stop the shot which came after Ian Miller failed to sufficiently head clear Russell Martin's cross.

The goal sparked Wycombe into life but not Darlington, and by half-time the hosts had spurned numerous chances while Stockdale made two good saves. Once with his feet from Matt Bloomfield and then a finger-tip save to deny Scott McGleish.

Darlington had been entirely lacking in creativity, leaving home keeper Frank Fielding very little to do, so at the break Penney ditched 4-3-3 in favour of 4-4-2 and sent on Rob Purdie and he brought a much-needed injection of energy to proceedings as Quakers marginally improved.

But they were unable to test Fielding, and then Stockdale made two terrific saves from Knight within 60 seconds, tipping over a powerful shot and then pushing an effort wide of the post.

Darlington's first attack of note came after an hour which ended with Julian Joachim sliding wide under pressure, and then Purdie was narrowly wide with a powerful 20-yard volley but that was as good as it got.

Performances as bad Saturday's have this season been as a rare as a Steve Foster mistake, so it was fitting that the captain capped a miserable day by being at fault for the match-clinching second goal.

While trying to play the ball out of defence he lost possession and that allowed in McGleish to round Stockdale and shoot into the empty net for his sixth goal in 16 career appearances versus Quakers.

"Fozzie very rarely makes a mistake like that," said Penney. "He's very disappointed because he prides himself on being a good defender and he is, that was just a one-off mistake."

Supporters will hope the performance was a one-off too.

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