DARLINGTON'S six-goal draw with Shrewsbury on Saturday may have ranked high on the entertainment scale, but Quakers' defending rated way below an acceptable level and it was simple mistakes which cost Tommy Taylor's side dear.

Saturday's six goal show may have proved value for money, but that is of little consolation to Darlington because being held to a draw at home is hardly the ideal way to get a promotion bid up and running.

Taylor singled-out Mark Kilty for criticism, blaming the defender for Shrewsbury's opener, while slack marking in the second half cost Darlington dear.

He said: "We've been caught cold on a couple of occasions today, we started comfortably and had a couple of good chances but we didn't take them.

"We defended poorly down the right-hand side three quarters into the game. All we needed to do was stay goal-side of people instead of being on the wrong side. Some of my defenders were closer to people in the crowd than they were to their forwards.

"If Betsy (Betts) was out there, he'd have been on the right-side and we'd have been fine then.

"Rodgers tries to lose you with his pace and get in behind you, and our defenders knew what was going to happen. I don't know what our right-back thought he was doing during their first goal."

What made conceding the three goals so frustrating for Darlington was that they attacked for sustained periods, especially in the last 15 minutes, when Quakers mounted a non-top barrage on the Shrewsbury goal.

Furthermore, Shrewsbury were a one-dimensional outfit. Luke Rodgers demonstrated exactly why he's so highly-rated as he used his pace and strength to score one and set-up another goal.

But his teammates combined to make up a very ordinary side whose sole tactic was to play passes into the path of the extremely quick forward.

Shrewsbury, who sit in seventh position, were stretched to their limits during spells of Saturday's match, and it will be interesting to see how the Shrews fare when the diminutive striker begins a suspension next week.

As well as the late onslaught, Taylor's side also created chances to score in the opening period, with Ian Clark wasting a handful of opportunities.

"In the first half we created loads and looked positive," said Taylor.

"I was full of praise for them. I told them in the dressing room that they can beat anybody in this division, but if they keep defending like that, they can lose to anybody."

Shrewsbury took the lead through Ian Woan on 13 minutes when he reacted quickest to a diagonal pass, and ran through to score, despite protestations of offside.

The goal came against the run of play as Darlington had forced chances, but Clark was denied by keeper Ian Dunbavin whose teammates certainly weren't shy when tackling.

James Tolley threw himself into several challenges, Neil Wainwright was on the receiving end of an elbow while Matt Redmile was lucky not to be booked when he slid in on Mark Ford.

Just before half-time Darlington notched the equalisr they deserved when Wainwright raced away down the right and delivered a perfect, low cross for Conlon to tap home.

Just two minutes into the second period, Darlington took the lead as Clark atoned for his earlier misses when he ran though on-one-on against Dunbavin and gave the keeper no chance.

At 2-1 up Darlington looked set for another victory, but the lead lasted just three minutes.

Having received the ball from a throw-in, he used his strength to shrug off the attentions of the Darlington defence and was allowed to dribble into the penalty area and score past Keith Finch.

Rodgers was involved again when the visitors took the lead for the second time. On this occasion he beat Kilty for pace, saw his first shot saved, and his second effort was cleared off the line straight into the path of Steve Jagielka who fired home.

From this point on Darlington mounted several dangerous attacks, and they looked capable of scoring at every one of them, but chances went begging, the pick of which being Brian Atkinson's blast from outside the area.

The day's final goal came via substitute Richard Hodgson who was played through and slotted past Dunbavin who got a hand to the shot, but couldn't prevent it going in the net.

With five minutes remaining, Mark Ford wasted a golden opportunity to claim all three points.

He surged into the penalty area, and standing just six yards from goal he met an excellent Wainwright cross but somehow glanced his free header wide of goal.

Read more about Darlington FC here.