AFTER seeing Darlington slump to another defeat on Saturday, Tommy Wright admitted his team do not look like scoring.

Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Stockport County was Quakers’ sixth in 12 games this season, and their third match in a row in without scoring.

It could have been different, however, had Reece Styche not wasted an early opportunity when through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, but instead chipped the ball tamely to a relieved Ben Hinchliffe.

“We’ve only got ourselves to blame,” said the manager, who also bemoaned his team’s sometimes direct style of play.

“When you carve open good opportunities in the first half and people make bad decisions…and Stychey knows what I’m talking about. You can’t do that.

“I said it to him at half-time and full-time... Games are defined by moments and that was a big moment for us.”

Joe Wheatley returned to the side, but too often the midfield was bypassed, and Wright, speaking to the club's offficial website, said: “We don’t look like we’ve got a goal in us, we genuinely don’t.

“We’re too keen to get the ball forward. The minute Simon Ainge goes onto the pitch we make a decision – and it’s not mine or Alan White’s decision, by the way – to start shelling it all over the place.

“I think our decision making is really bad at times, from one to 11, but that’s ultimately why we’re at this level of football.”

Wright also appeared to suggest he has had enough of defending his team, which is now 19th in the National League North table, fourth-bottom with 11 league games played.

“The time for excuses is done,” said Wright, who appeared deflated after a game which saw some fans boo at full-time.

“There’s nothing I can say, the injuries have cleared up, there’s one or two that not quite there, but the reality is that it’s a good group of players down there and I can’t keep protecting them forever.

“I can’t keep saying they’re good players, because good players win games of football. Good players don’t sit one place above the relegation zone in the league and two points off the drop zone.

“The gap is getting too big now for us to make the season a success.

“The excuses have got to stop and people have got to start putting action into place because at the minute, as a lot of people are telling me, it’s not good enough.”

Darlington do not have a game next weekend, their next fixture being at bottom-of-the-table FC United of Manchester in a fortnight.