SUCH was the supporters’ angry reaction to Darlington’s defeat last week, Tommy Wright feels he almost should not need to give a team-talk at Chester – the fans have already done it.

There were boos after the final whistle last Friday, when Quakers lost to AFC Telford United in the FA Trophy, a limp performance resulting in the team’s seventh defeat of the season.

It was Darlington’s first loss in seven matches, coming after four league draws in a row and two wins – but Wright knows his players should be doing better than they are.

He hopes for reaction when his team, minus Dave Syers who has joined Farsley Celtic, plays at Chester.

“There’s nothing worse than being booed as a footballer,” said Wright. “If I was playing and I’d been booed by the fans my manager would not need to speak to me all week, not even a team-talk, because I would want to prove a point in the next game.

“That’s how I want it to be, I want it to have hit them where it hurts and it should do.

“I’m not on social media, but the lads are and I imagine they’ve been getting a hammering and they’ll have seen it. I’m hoping they will react in a positive way and will say ‘I’ll show you I’m not a bad player’.”

Wright added: “I had plenty of games bad games, but I don’t think you could point the finger at me and say I didn’t try. I always tried and prided myself on that.

“Even if I wasn’t winning my headers or I couldn’t hit the back of the net I would always try, that’s what I want from the team, that’s the minimum I expect.

“I understand the fans. I know what the minimum is. I’ve seen players come and go here – I’ve played with some of them – who may not be the most talented in the world, but because they tried they’ll always have a place in the Darlington fans’ hearts.

“I think that’s what the fans want, a bit of passion to wear the shirt, and we fell short of that in the last game.

“We’ve said it a couple of times to the players. Every time we’ve had a defeat that has hit me and Whitey where it hurts we have brought that issue up with the players.

“We both played for the club and so we can relate to the players now – we were alike on the pitch, we gave it our all, and we were leaders on and off the pitch.

“I expect more from the players and I think we’ll get it, I think we’ll get a reaction.

“Ultimately, they cannot say to me it is a confidence thing because they haven’t actually lost in the league since September 29.

“But there’s losing and there’s losing the way that we have lost games this season. Every time we have lost I think we have sulked because we haven’t been getting our own way and we have gone through the motions. When that happens it comes across like we don’t care.”

Wright has been the subject of criticism among some supporters, who are disappointed with the team’s 15th position in the table having before the season expected to be involved in the play-off picture.

He addressed the concern of some that he is not animated enough on the sidelines during matches, saying: “We don’t make a public show of dissatisfaction. We are close-knit, we don’t hammer people to the extent where it would knock their confidence.

“Me and Whitey could be quite aggressive if we went toe-to-toe with people, I’ve done it before and that’s when you want a reaction, when you want a fight. I don’t want to fight the lads, I want them to fight for the club and the shirt.

“I don’t think shouting in their face would get the reaction I want. I want them to go out there and get the fans to love them, like they loved the teams I played in.”

Jonny Maddison returns to the starting XI today following the conclusion of Zach Hemming's loan from Middlesbrough, while Simon Ainge requires a fitness test on a knee injury.

Chester are sixth and have not won in five games, failing to score in their last four fixtures. On Tuesday they lost an FA Trophy replay 2-0 at home to Southport.