IN an attempt to engage with the community and encourage more fans to attend matches at Blackwell Meadows, Darlington are using a slogan on social media this season. Complete with hashtag, it is: #WhereYouBelong

It could also be an instruction used when coaching Quakers how to defend, something they failed to do for most of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat.

It was easy for Altrincham, so at Ashton United on Monday they need a vast improvement otherwise they will suffer another drubbing.

Darlington have now conceded 15 times in six matches, are yet to keep a clean sheet and some of the goals scored against them have been due to worryingly weak defending.

The only positive on Saturday was that Altrincham scored ‘only’ three times, though that was due to the opposition’s wastefulness – Quakers were unable to stop themselves being carved open time after time.

There were boos at half-time and full-time from supporters who have now not seen their team win any of their last six home games – the final three of last season, the first three of this.

It’s only a fortnight since Quakers beat Brackley, and they’ve also put in good performances against Spennymoor and Blyth, but this was the team’s worst performance since losing 3-0 at home to South Shields a year ago in the final throes of the Martin Gray era.

His successor, Tommy Wright, pulled no punches.

He said: “The lads are hurting and they should be hurting because they’ve just been booed by their own supporters after six games of the season.

“They should be ashamed as well as being upset.

“To get booed by your own fans, something’s bad for that to happen, they’re not happy.

“I’ve said to the lads they need to go and have a look in the mirror and work out what you’re going to do on Monday to be better than today.

“Everybody can do better and maybe 70 or 80 per cent of the players who played today need to give me more work ethic because today wasn’t good enough.”

A blow to Darlington was, after just 14 minutes, losing Terry Galbraith to a calf injury, and Wright was already without Joe Wheatley (suspended) and Alex Henshall (injured).

Galbraith’s exit meant a return for Dom Collins, who’d been dropped for his showing seven days earlier at Kidderminster Harriers, so this was his opportunity to prove Wright wrong.

But he came off again at half-time and Wright explained: “He came on and then he told me he wasn’t fit to continue, he said he was struggling and couldn’t run.

“He trained Tuesday, he trained Thursday and hasn’t mentioned being injured before he went on the pitch and then you have to withdraw someone at half-time.

“So you can imagine my frustration with that and I think a lot of people with sympathise with me for that one.”

Altrincham wasted numerous chances before eventually scoring a 30th minute penalty, already the third spot-kick Quakers have conceded this season.

Awarded when Stephen Thompson handled, John Johnston scored from the spot and was immediately booked for provoking Darlington fans with his celebrations.

Darlington fans would be angered further as the game continued without their team laying a glove on the opposition.

Altrincham found it easy, particularly in the first half, while Darlington looked like a team of strangers. There was no cohesion, they stood off and allowed the visitors to play.

It was 2-0 soon after the restart. Luke Trotman lost the ball cheaply, Jordan Hulme was sent racing away and under no pressure at all against a back-peddling defence he stroked home.

Hulme added his sixth goal of the season on the hour, this time after Simon Ainge’s error.

By now at centre-back after Collins’ exit, on halfway Ainge gave the ball to Josh Hancock who released Hulme and, with Jonny Burn backing off and not making a challenge, the striker made it 3-0 with a cool finish.

It was not long before Darlington fans began to leave early. They’d seen enough thank you, though they’d seen little fight from their team.

Though Wright’s never a demonstrative presence on the sidelines, his demeanour on Saturday spoke of a manager stunned by what he was seeing.

He said: “The mistakes we’re making in games and the way we defend doesn’t happen in training. What happens on a match day I can’t affect - I can’t step in and pause it like I do in training, and tell them what the shape should be when the ball is wide.

“The lads have to remember what they’ve worked on in the week and put that into practice.

“Today I saw a team that had nothing defensively. Whitey takes it personally because he prides himself on stuff like this, doing the basics, and we’re not doing the basics.

“I hear it being said in the changing room, but I don’t see it. I’ve challenged the lads and asked them what it means because for me basics is work ethic, togetherness and body language.

“The basics of defending is to head the ball and tackle. I don’t see it, I don’t see it enough.”