DARLINGTON’S season cannot end soon enough.

It has been a challenging year for all concerned, most of it spent in the bottom half of the table, and they are limping to its conclusion, last night suffering a 3-1 defeat at AFC Telford United.

It is a result, hardly a shock given the respective position of each team in the table, that keeps Quakers in trouble, with only one win in their last eight league games and five goals scored in that time.

They are seventh-bottom and the latent threat of relegation lingers; seven points above the drop zone with nine games to go.

One thing for sure is that this Saturday’s game at Hereford, a point below with a game in hand, is a must-not-lose match.

On Saturday there was plenty of encouragement to be taken from a 1-1 draw with promotion candidates Chorley and manager Tommy Wright hoped for more of the same last night, duly naming the same starting XI and 3-4-3 formation.

The outcome, however, against another promotion hopeful was very different, Wright’s team trailing 2-0 after 16 minutes and 3-0 by half-time.

“We gave yourselves a mountain to climb at half-time,” said Wright. “We asked for a marked improvement on the first half, but the damage had been done and the lads were playing for pride.

“I didn’t think they were necessarily 3-0 better than us, I thought they were clinical.

“Their manager was speaking to me before the game saying they needed to be more clinical and tonight they have put us to the sword and they took their chances.

“I’m disappointed with the three goals but the second half was an improvement.”

To their credit the Quakers supporters were vocal all night, but the early signs for their team were ominous.

Quakers conceded in the dying seconds on Saturday, and inside the first minute last night Daniel Udoh had a shot deflected wide.

The hosts would not have to wait long before scoring, though there wasn’t much between the sides in the opening stages, Darlington even threatening a couple of times.

Wilson Kneeshaw and Stephen Thompson combined well to score in Saturday’s draw with Chorley, but the duo were not quite in tandem early on last night when a promising break ended when they accidentally collided on the corner of Telford’s 18-yard area.

And Joe Wheatley fired over a free-kick that had been won by Tom Elliott.

But two goals inside four minutes did for Darlington. Telford scored their first lead in the 13th minute goalkeeper Jake Turner saving a powerful shot on the turn from around 14 yards by Udoh, but Ryan Barnett was on hand to ram home the loose ball.

And then Barnett teed up the second. He crossed from the right, and ex-York striker Amari Morgan-Smith had all the space he needed to rise and head home unchallenged.

“Up until the first goal we looked settled, there was nothing in the game, it was two half-decent teams on a tough pitch.

“But you find yourselves 2-0 down in the space of a few minutes, a bit of a sucker-punch.”

Telford came into the contest having conceded only 14 league goals at home, the second best record in the division, and for most of last night Darlington did not come close to taking that tally to 15.

Thompson skimmed the side-netting in the first half from around 20 yards, but inside the first 45 minutes goalkeeper Josf Bursik did not have a shot to save against a Quakers side unable to match the standards set against Chorley.

At 2-0 Darlington had slim hopes of a fightback, but any optimism was extinguished in first-half stoppage time when Udo made it 3-0.

Simon Ainge failed to control the ball, the ball broke to Udoh and his from around 25 yards rolled into the corner of the net after taking a deflection off Terry Galbraith.

Jordan Nicholson came on for Darlington at half-time, replacing a tired Kneeshaw, with the brief being to pull Quakers out of the mire.

Saving a point was always highly unlikely, but Nicholson looked lively and Darlington had their moments, admittedly with Telford in cruise control.

Will Smith carried the ball out of defence and sent Harvey Saunders away, but the striker’s pace was matched by Ross White and he was shielded out of play, danger averted.

It was almost 4-0. A good one-handed save by Turner, low to his left, kept out Darryl Knights after a pass by Udoh, and Turner also saved from Knights after a Telford counter.

Darlington did have a flurry of goalmouth activity in the final 15 minutes, having their first shot on target when Elliott saw an effort saved comfortably, a moment that drew cheers from the Darlington fans.

They had another glimpse of goal to cheer when Saunders was on target with a shot on the turn after a Thompson cross, Wright’s side at least giving it a go, not giving up the fight.

And they got on the scoresheet with two minutes to go from a free-kick.

White was penalised for bringing down Saunders on the edge of the penalty area, Thompson’s free-kick was spilled by Bursik and Saunders was on hand to tap in the loose ball.

There was even time for Thompson to have a shot tipped over by Bursik, but it was too little, too late.

Telford have enjoyed their meetings with North-East clubs this season, beating Spennymoor Town home and away as well as both Hartlepool and Quakers in the FA Trophy.

Darlington did beat them 3-0 in the league in September, but Telford atoned for that last night.