After Saturday's morale-sapping defeat at Barrow, Darlington assistant manager Mick Tait has admitted Quakers' mental approach to the match gave cause for concern.

Darlington deservedly lost 3-1 at UniBond League Barrow, and with the League opener versus Southend on Saturday fast-approaching, manager Gary Bennett and Tait have some work to do.

"My philosophy is that you never want to lose, no matter what. I know it's only pre-season but I'm very, very disappointed with Saturday," said Tait.

"I'm not so disappointed with the methods they were trying to use, I thought they were one of the good things. But we lost to a team who wanted to win the headers and win the tackles more than we did and that shouldn't happen.

"Pre-season tells you a lot about where you need to improve and what you need to do and that's what it's all about. You work on patterns of play, on Saturday it showed that we possibly haven't got as much fight as we should have within the team."

Barrow featured several players with League experience, including ex-Quakers Steve Gaughen and Simon Shaw.

"They Barrow are all players that have just come out of the League and they want to show to everybody that they should still be in the League and that's what they've gone and done.

"I think our lads got a shock, I don't think they expected it to be as difficult as that."

Darlington play their last pre-season friendly tomorrow night at Prudhoe (7pm) where Dutch trialists, midfielder Mohammed Mahoote and defender Maurice Rayer, may get run-out.

* PR Director Luke Raine, Gary Bennett, Brian Atkinson and Danny Mellanby will attend a supporters' meeting at the Oak Tree pub, Neville Parade, Newton Aycliffe (7.30) tonight. For more details phone (01325) 240240

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