So entertaining was Darlington's previous home game that on Saturday players from both sides halted their pre-match warm-up to watch the new giant television screen showing highlights of the draw with Notts County.

There is no danger of the same happening when Boston United visit next week because Saturday's best bits were non-existent.

The now tediously irritating inconsistency, which dogged Darlington all last season, is still there; play well one week and poor the next.

Quakers may not have been great at Mansfield a week ago but at least they held an attacking threat, unlike on Saturday when neither team deserved a point, let alone a win.

The game was drab, especially the first half which was played at same walking pace as the Last of the Summer Wine theme tune which was played over the PA system before kick-off.

But against a team that a promotion-chasing side should easily be capable of turning over, there was rarely anything for the club to salvage for the next highlights package.

Carlos Logan had a few brief moments in which he threatened to liven the game up, Anthony Peacock made two strong challenges to set-up Akpo Sodje and then, maybe in an attempt to keep the crowd interested, Chris Hackett knocked Logan to the deck with an outstretched arm.

That was about as good as it got as there was no urgency about the play and little entertainment.

There were many occasions last year when the television screen would have been a welcome alternative to watching the game itself and Saturday's was the first match this season when Grandstand would have made a welcome distraction.

Darlington have made admirable use of their new screen, showing interviews with the manager, goals from previous games, line-ups, half-time scores and even birthday announcements.

But now it seems the team want in on the act and are compiling their own gaffes section.

Goalkeeper Bert Bossu amassed his own series of mishaps during an error-strewn five games. On Saturday, Matt Clarke joined in by filing two entries of his own.

First he managed to mis-kick a harmless Oxford long ball into the path of Craig Davies who promptly set-up the first goal on 67 minutes, and nine minutes later the captain gave away possession on the halfway line with an air-kick that allowed Davies to race away for the second.

Game over, the points heading to the worst team to play Darlington this season.

"Diabolical," was how David Hodgson summed up Clarke's errors. True, but Shelton Martis could have done more to prevent the second goal but he did not tackle Davies when he had the chance.

Though clearly not intentional, unforced errors are costing Quakers right now and have been the main cause for throwing away much-needed points.

Bossu's blunders at Hartlepool, Chester and Mansfield were costly but it's Clarke's clangers that are more worrying because it had appeared his slips in concentration were a thing of the past.

Following a shaky first year in 2002/03, Clarke had redeemed himself, being player of the year in 2003/04, but now it is as if the last two seasons never happened.

In making him captain, Hodgson showed a lot of faith in Clarke but the manager has not yet been repaid. He started the season well but since the League Cup game at Victoria Park silly mistakes have been creeping back into his game.

Following Clarke's double disaster on Saturday fans were booing the captain during the game and in the Corner Bar afterwards.

Perhaps supporters would not be so frustrated if they there was not a direct replacement, but there is - and he's already in the team.

Martis is a centre-back currently doing the best he can at right-back but to many - with his aerial strength, pace and better distribution - he is the obvious choice to play alongside Joey Hutchinson.

At the moment he is in the team ahead of natural right-back David Duke. So where's the logic in that?

Hodgson explains Martis did well at full-back in a behind closed doors friendly at Bradford which gave the manager the confidence to use him instead of the then suspended Duke on the opening day at Rushden.

Martis did reasonably well but he's since been swimming against the tide in that position however, he impressed alongside Hutchinson against Notts County when Clarke was banned.

But the individual errors of Bossu and Clarke should not be used to hide the fact Darlington have now won just one five. It is not time to press the panic button just yet, but at the start of the season Hodgson did say a team should only be judged after seven or eight games.

Nine games on he finds himself at a crossroads, Hodgson has some decisions to make in all areas of the team.

If he insists on accommodating Clarke, is playing three at the back an option? Is Simon Johnson's best position striker or would he be better used on the right of midfield? Is it time Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu was given a start? Do Logan and Peacock need a rest?

These are all decisions that Hodgson is facing - maybe he could do with a highlights package after all.

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