AFTER falling to defeat against MK Dons' route one tactics, Darlington manager Dave Penney is not keen on the rudimentary approach to football Paul Ince's team displayed.

Penney saw his Quakers side suffer their first league loss this season thanks to a 89th-minute header on Saturday that came via a long throw by Jude Stirling into Darlington's penalty area - a tactic used throughout Saturday's game.

In contrast the Quakers boss says he prefers to keep the ball on the floor, although Ince said he was disappointed with top-ofthe- table Darlington's tactics.

"In a strange way I think Darlington came for a draw," said Ince. "They didn't have a shot on target and didn't even look like scoring.

"They'll be up there at the end of the season but, looking at the reports, I was looking forward to the game and they came here and stifled us.

"Ricky Ravenhill did a man-toman job on Keith Andrews, which kind of said it all, but it shows the respect they had for us."

Penney, though, is not a fan of the Dons' tactics, which were reminiscent of the style of football synonymous with Wimbledon, the club that has transformed into MK Dons.

"I certainly don't think they had any better footballers in their team that us, we had the better footballers, but that long throw is a weapon and they used it on numerous occasions," said Penney.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd like somebody who could throw it into the box like that.

"It's not for me, not my kind of football, I like to get the ball down and pass it. But it can be effective and they got the three points by chucking everything in the box.

"We're better than that, we can play better than that."

Darlington now aim to return to winning ways with consecutive home games - Peterborough United on Saturday and Rochdale a week tonight - and Penney stressed the need to get back on track.

He said: "What is important, I have told the players, is how we react on Saturday, how we react after losing our unbeaten record.

"The sign of a good side is that you come back from a defeat and win your next couple of games.

"Peterborough will get the ball down and pass the ball and it will be a completely different.

"Hopefully it will be a better game because that (MK Dons defeat) was not a game of football."