NOVEMBER can't come quickly enough for frustrated Darlington manager Mick Tait and his players.

In September, Quakers were one of the teams everybody wanted to beat, taking 12 points from a possible 18, as Tait came within a whisker of earning his first Manager of the Month Award.

In October, Quakers are the team everyone can beat, as all five games - six if you include the LDV Vans Trophy - ended in defeat for Tait's men.

That culminated on Saturday with a 3-1 reverse to fellow strugglers Bury, amid angry scenes at the Reynolds Arena, as fans vented their anger towards chairman George Reynolds.

Where in recent weeks there have been whispers of discontent among fans in home games, their feelings were made known at the weekend as chants of 'We want Reynolds out' rang out loud and clear.

Once the fans regarded Reynolds as the saviour of Darlington Football Club, but now they feel his strict policy on players' wages appears to be backfiring.

The club now faces a real fight to preserve its League status.

Their current run is hardly the sign of a team going "flat out" for promotion, as Reynolds promised in the summer.

And after a Harpal Singh-inspired fightback for the visitors, Tait was left to bemoan the lack of quality in his makeshift side.

"We've had about four or five players who have earned their money, whereas the others haven't and that's not good enough," fumed Tait.

"We had to come here and prove to people that we have been playing well in our last couple of games but once things started going wrong it just got worse and worse.

"The players are paid to come in and do a job when they are required.

"I understand that it is hard to replace certain players but the players who come in have got to come in and do better - and some of them haven't done well enough."

It was Singh, signed on a season-long loan from Leeds, who was the difference as he made one goal and scored one in reply to skipper Craig Liddle's fourth-minute opener.

"We let the lad Singh on the left-hand side have far too much of the ball," said Tait.

"Singh is a quick lad and we needed someone quick up against him but the lad had a decent game and he hurt us a lot.

"It was through him that they got back into the game."

For the first 25 minutes Quakers looked well in control after Liddle headed in his third goal of the season from Ryan Valentine's cross.

But after Matt Clarke drilled in a low effort straight at Shakers' 'keeper Glyn Garner, Quakers' dominance turned into complacency.

After losing the ball cheaply in midfield, Quakers were fortunate not to concede after 23 minutes when striker David Nugent was denied by Michael Price's save.

However, there was little Price could do about Bury's 35th-minute leveller.

It was a strong run by Singh which eventually released Nugent down the left. He crossed for Gareth Seddon to head home bravely with Price charging out to fist the ball away.

There was a major let off for Quakers with half-time approaching when Price denied on-loan Middlesbrough youngster Phil Gulliver with a point blank stop and with the goal gaping, Danny Swailes headed wide.

As defender Swailes was ruing his miss, it was a moment of sublime skill - and a non-existent Quakers midfield - which put Bury in front.

Midfielder Lee Connell was allowed all the time in the world to carry the ball forward before spotting Price off his line with a delightful lob.

Singh and Gulliver both came close to making it three before Joey Hutchinson was spared his blushes when his attempted clearance was charged down by Nugent, who fired weakly at Price.

Matt Clarke - one of Quakers' better players on the day - was unlucky not to draw his side level with 20 minutes remaining when he scissor-kicked Alan Morgan's cross over the bar.

That effort was one of few openings for Quakers who were fortunate not to fall further behind when Seddon hit the side-netting with an angled drive.

And as Quakers pushed forward for an equaliser, it was against the run of play that Singh completed the scoring with a bursting run past Clark Keltie before confidently despatching the ball past Price.

Quakers were drawn away to Ryman League outfit Hornchurch in the first round of the FA Cup and Tait joked: "I'm glad it's not going to be in October! Maybe in November we can change our fortunes a little bit."

And with a trip to Third Division title contenders Oxford next up for Quakers, Tait will need all the fortune he can get.

Result: Darlington 1, Bury 3.

Read more about the Quakers here.