IT'S becoming a familiar story for Darlington fans these days - early goal, bad luck and poor finishing.

Maybe Darlington need a new scriptwriter, because matches are becoming too predictable.

For the third successive game, they conceded a goal within the first ten minutes, and then battled back well. They managed to equalise, but couldn't score again because of bad luck and more poor finishing. When they looked capable of winning, they conceded a late winner.

No wonder Darlington manager Gary Bennett wore a frown afterwards, the same one he's had for a couple of weeks now. His side has now slipped into the bottom half of the table for the first time this season, and they've picked up just one point from the last 12. They're now a mammoth 17 points behind leaders Chesterfield, and five behind the play-off spots.

Maybe he should try and put things right by setting the dressing room clock at ten past three, because that's when Quakers start to play. They put themselves under needless pressure by letting in an early goal, and when you're struggling to find somebody who can win matches, then it's always going to be an uphill task.

And it didn't help to discover that half the Brighton team played under the influence of flu, although keeper Michele Kuipers was as fresh as a daisy.

There was plenty of effort from Darlington, but they lack the cutting edge and extra quality around their opponents' box. Of their last five goals, two have been deflections and the other three from around six yards - a statistic which tells its own story of their struggle to score goals.

"Our luck in front of goal is costing us," said Bennett. "We had chance after chance, especially in the second half.

"I don't need reminding that we've only picked up one point from the last four games. It isn't a case of the lads not trying - at the end of the day, we created chances, but we didn't take them.

"There was plenty to encourage me in the game, but I've been saying that for a few weeks now. Not scoring is costing us, that's for sure.

"Brighton had one effort in the second half, and scored. We had at least half a dozen chances, and didn't hit the back of the net. That's the difference.

"Everybody knows that my main aim is a striker, and I might be able to bring one in this week."

The defence, which was solid at the start of the season, has now conceded nine goals in the first 15-minute period this season, and Bennett said: "We're trying to find the solution as to why we're conceding early goals.

"The preparation is right. Once the match kicks off, they should be mentally right. We conceded an early goal, and to give the lads credit, they got back into the game. I told them at half time that the match was there for the taking - but Brighton scored from their only chance in the second half."

And as usual when Uriah Rennie controls a Darlington game, there's always some controversy. Best known for the 12 minutes of stoppage time he added on at Solihull in the FA Cup three years ago, Mr Rennie waved away three penalty appeals for Quakers, one of which was a blatant handball by Matthew Wicks when he went for a Stuart Elliott free kick in the second half.

Bennett said: "I saw it and everybody else in the ground saw it, but if you say anything, you get into trouble."

Darlington found out why Brighton are second in the table after just four minutes.

Gary Hart got to the by-line and crossed to the far post where Nathan Jones controlled the ball and volleyed past Andy Collett.

Quakers responded by almost grabbing the equaliser, but Kuipers pulled off an excellent one-handed save from a powerful Adam Reed header.

But then Quakers seemed to run out of ideas, with Kuipers hardly threatened, although he couldn't do much about a Richard Hodgson corner which grazed the bar. There was also a penalty appeal when Craig Liddle appeared to be pushed by Richard Carpenter.

Brighton, who looked in control, were suddenly opened up. Richard Hodgson ran into the box and tried a left-foot shot which a defender blocked, but the ball ran for Glenn Naylor to poach his sixth goal of the season, his fourth on successive Saturdays.

It was all Darlington in the second half, with midfielder Thomas Butler behind a lot of their moves with his powerful running on the right side of midfield, and he was unlucky when after one such run, his shot was deflected over the top.

Elliott, playing his last game before his suspension, skimmed the bar from the right, then Reed was denied by a superb save by Kuipers from Elliott's free kick.

Just as it seemed Quakers were going on to win, Brighton got the decider. Liddle made his first mistake of the season - the clocks change more often than he makes mistakes - when he misjudged the flight of a long ball in the wind, and Paul Brooker ran free and crossed for fellow sub Lee Steele to sidefoot home.