"Down? Depressed? Feel life has left you on the bench?"

The slogan adorns an advertising hoarding at Moss Lane for a local "self development" class aimed at those feeling down in the dumps.

After Saturday's mind-numbing performance the unfortunate 244 travelling Darlington fans may have made a note of the accompanying phone number.

Like the fans, David Hodgson was less than pleased and he even said that, at 45, he would have done a better job than some of his players.

Not such problems for Macclesfield's Clyde Wijnhard though who bounced off the pitch at the final whistle, fists clenched and with a huge smile across his face after a hugely satisfying win.

He may not have scored but putting one over the club that sacked him last month was sweet enough, and the never shy striker was typically ebullient after the game - the first thing he did on leaving the ground was ask where the Darlington team bus was.

Not that anyone is suggesting he was looking to gloat, but it would be difficult to imagine him being so keen to meet up with his former team-mates had Macclesfield just lost.

Despite the friendly handshakes and backslaps with Hodgson before the game, the pair seemingly all too aware that all eyes were on them, the Dutchman was desperate for victory in a game for which he was made captain.

Seconds after the final whistle Wijnhard and Hodgson shook hands again although this time there was no eye contact, perhaps tellingly.

The handshakes between the pair were emblematic of Wijnhard's relationship with Darlington.

At the beginning there were smiles all round when the pair met pitch-side, then followed plenty of ups and downs but it ended disastrously with Darlington ultimately the losers.

Because, for all Wijnhard's faults, when he wants to be he is a more potent striker than anybody at Quakers - who right now drastically need a goalscorer.

Excluding an own goal, Darlington have failed to score from open play in eight of their last nine games.

It is still too early to make a worthwhile assessment of Tresor Kandol - fans can only hope he is a slow starter - but Akpo Sodje and Simon Johnson have proved they are not the answer; while Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu's woeful attempt at an injury-time equaliser ended up in the car park. In all honesty he should have passed but demonstrated a lack of composure.

Their profligacy makes Wijnhard's departure all the more disappointing for Darlington and the player himself, whose profile and ego does not sit well at a club who are non-league in everything but name.

Their tin-pot ground, shoe boxed sized dressing rooms and shoddy facilities stink of amateurism; something Wijnhard did not experience at Darlington.

Even the monotone PA announcer sounded as though he didn't want to be there.

Wijnhard hardly sounds committed to Macclesfield either. When asked on his future he said: "I don't know, for the time being I am here and I want to play my best and score more goals and we will see what happens at Christmas.

"I would enjoy myself at any club because I love to play football so it does not matter where I play."

The Silkmen may have begun Saturday's match in the relegation zone but, given the nature of football, with Wijnhard playing against the club that sacked him perhaps a Macclesfield win was inevitable.

It's an unwritten rule in football that a newly-transferred player must always come up against his old team within weeks of leaving.

These occasions, like former lovers meeting up once again, are always tense.

That Wijnhard was made captain added spice to the occasion, as did the away fans' booing of the Dutchman when he shot across Darlington's goal after only three minutes.

Unlike Hodgson, Brian Close skipped the formalities of a handshake, instead making do with an early full-blooded challenge. Wijnhard, ego-dented, made amends with a high kick on Close, resulting in a free-kick.

But he did not enjoy a great game, in fact, the first half saw him pass directly to Simon Johnson - for the first time this season, some might say - but all the usual characteristics were there, including his strength in holding the ball up and berating team-mates for misplaced passes.

The only goal came six minutes before the break, Kevin McIntyre turning in Jon Parkin's blast across goal from close range. Wijnhard faced the Darlington fans and punched the air, the supporters were just relieved that it was not him that got the final touch.

In a dreadful performance, Darlington did not have a shot at goal until midway through the second half after which Wijnhard had two good opportunities - the first a stooping header that went wide and the second a one-on-one with Sam Russell who saved well to deny the Dutchman.

He may not have scored the goal he badly wanted but he did manage to get housemate Shelton Martis booked, luring the defender into a foul from behind while late on Matt Clarke pulled Wijnhard back near halfway when he would have been through on goal.

In the dying seconds Ndumbu-Nsungu blasted out of the ground instead of shooting across the goal - he can't have been watching Parkin tee up McIntyre.

Ndumbu-Nsungu began the season as a reserve to Wijnhard and the Dutchman was not surprised by his former team-mate's miss. He said: "For me, it was pointless to shoot, I knew he would shoot instead of thinking about it hitting the ball across goal.

"If he had shot across goal it could have been an own goal or it could have got a deflection off a Darlington player and gone in.

"If things had been different that could have been me but I was on the other team and I won!"

Most players who leave Darlington head for non-league so at least fans can console themselves with the fact these games against former players do not come around all that often.

Next week's opponents? Rushden and Diamonds - featuring former Darlington striker, Alun Armstrong.