THE January transfer window cannot come soon enough for Dave Penney, who was again made to rue defensive mistakes as Darlington suffered their fifth defeat in a row at Wrexham.

Darren Holloway's 19th minute own goal was enough to hand the Welsh side all three points at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday.

Holloway put past his own keeper under pressure from former Hartlepool striker Chris Llewellyn as Quakers failed to deal with a long ball over the top.

Darlington's latest defensive blunder has further emphasised Penney's need to add to his squad when the transfer window re-opens next week.

"I am disappointed with the goal," admitted Penney. "At centre-half we are not winning headers like centre-halves should and that's the main area of the team we have got to address in January.

"I wouldn't be as upset if they had smashed one into the net from 35 yards into the top corner, but the goals we are conceding are down to mistakes.

"Apart from at Stockport, we are not getting bashed. That's three 1-0 defeats we have had now. We are not defending properly, we are not heading it out of our box."

Penney hopes to recall Mark Albrighton for the trip to Bury on January 1.

But before then he has games against Mansfield and Shrewsbury to negotiate with Holloway and Patrick Collins as his only recognised central defenders who are fit.

Albrighton has made just two appearances since joining Quakers on loan from Boston last month.

The 30-year-old is due to return to York Street after the Bury game, although Penney could explore the possibility of extending the commanding defender's stay.

"Defensively we are very light and if want to achieve anything in this division we have to build some foundations at the back," said Penney.

"We need a dominant centre-half who is going to come and head the ball away, kick it and organise.

"You've got to look around and you might need to pay a bit of money out because we are desperate for one. If we don't address the situation soon then we will struggle."

Penney's defensive troubles have not been helped by the news that Joey Hutchinson faces up to six weeks on the sidelines with a hip injury

"Joey is going to be out for four-six weeks after having a scan on his hip," revealed Penney. "We need an experienced defender in there who is going to attack the ball.

"It's hard for our strikers, there's a little bit of extra pressure on them to score because it always feels as though we are going to concede one at the moment. It feels as though we are going to have to score two or three the way we are defending."

Holloway should be fit for today's visit of Mansfield Town, despite suffering concussion on Saturday.

"He had two or three whacks on his head and he wasn't quite with us and perhaps that's the reason he didn't head the ball out in the build-up to their goal.

"He didn't want to come off but we brought him off because he wasn't quite right.

"He didn't get knocked out, but we felt it would be better if we brought him off because he was a little bit shaky."

Penney will assess the fitness of Julian Joachim and Alun Armstrong, who both took knocks.

Darlington face Mansfield for the second time in a month, having knocked the Stags out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.