Braintree Town 3 Darlington 1

"We're just a pub team from Essex", is the ironic refrain Braintree supporters chant about their overachieving club. On Saturday it was Darlington who looked like a Sunday league outfit as a dismal season continues to limp from one embarrassment to the next.

They struggled to put three passes together and their long punts up the pitch were easily dealt with by opposition who did enough to record their first win in six matches.

Braintree may occupy a top-half position, but the part-time club had conceded 18 goals during their winless five-game run, yet Quakers did not force a shot on target until the closing stages.

It was a pathetic return during a lame display bereft of spirit or determination that did precisely nothing to encourage any thoughts that the play-offs remain within reach.

Such hopes are already optimistic as Darlington are 11 points off fifth while so poor has their form been - five defeats in eight - it would be foolish to dismiss the chances of a relegation fight.

They are 14th after suffering eight defeats already - it took until March to suffer so many losses last season.

The situation may be bleak, but a change of manager now would make a mockery of the strongly-worded statement that chairman Raj Singh made a fortnight ago when backing Mark Cooper.

That came following defeat at Bath, after which a revival appeared imminent thanks to wins over Stockport and Kidderminster.

But back-to-back defeats to Barrow and Braintree leave Darlington in despair and Cooper is clear who he believes is at fault: the squad's senior pros.

He said: "We looked frightened to death. The experienced players were nowhere near good enough, they looked like they didn't want to play.

"We need to change it because there are players out there who don't want to play for the club. Nobody has said that, but they're happy to sit on their contracts until the end of the season.

"Some of the players will be thinking 'nobody is going to take me so I'd better make some money while I can'. Players don't want to risk getting hurt.

"The only positive was in the second half, the two young lads that we sent on - James Gray and John McReady - and they gave us our only bright spark. Gray will play next week, definitely.

"That may be the way to go now, getting rid of all the old fogies and putting some spirit into the team - players who really want to play for the club because I honestly feel that right now we've got four or five who are not that bothered."

Cooper's father Terry, the ex-Leeds and England defender, sat alongside his son in the dug-out and he must have been shocked by the rapid decline in the team that he had last watched at Wembley.

Of Saturday's XI only two also started the FA Trophy final - Aaron Brown and Jamie Chandler - with Liam Hatch on the bench as one of three changes, while James Walshaw was axed from the squad for the first time.

Ryan Bowman completed 90 minutes for only the third occasion, but the best first half chance fell to debutant striker Nialle Rodney who blazed over from the corner of the six-yard box after Braintree keeper Nathan McDonald spilled an Exodus Geohagon throw-in.

The centre-back's incredible throws were Quakers' only attacking threat during a drab first half that ended with the Essex side scoring the first of two soft goals from set-pieces.

Ben Wright's free-kick to the far post found centre-back Dave Stevens who prodded over the line, and soon after the restart a completely unmarked Kenny Davis headed in from a Wright corner.

Cooper said: "Graeme Lee was at fault for the first goal and Aaron Brown for the second one - their men scored. It was on the board in the changing room before the game and we knew what they were going to do, peel around to the back stick, so stay with your man.

"We haven't scored from many set-pieces because people don't want to get on the end of anything and we can't keep them out of our net. But it's down to me, I'm the manager and I set the set-pieces up."

It was game over just before the hour-mark when it became 3-0. Braintree attacked the space created by right-back Greg Taylor losing possession in the opposition's half, Wright and Jai Reason teed up Brad Quintons whose shot was partially stopped by Ole Soderberg, leaving Sean Marks to tap home.

Substitutes McReady and debutant Gray provided some badly-needed spark as Darlington steadily improved, finally pulling a goal back on 80 minutes with their first effort on target.

After a Chris Atkinson corner was partially cleared, Chandler returned the ball for Taylor to head across goal for Lee to plant home.

But a comeback was unlikely as Darlington deserved to lose, one that will be followed by defeat at home to Hinckley in the FA Cup this weekend if they do not improve on Saturday's shambles.

MATCHFACTS

Goals:

1-0: Stevens (44, scrambled home at the far post after evading Lee at a free-kick)

2-0: Davis (51, escaped Brown's marking to score with a free header that went in off the underside of the bar)

3-0: Marks (58, close-range finish after Soderberg had been unable to deal with Quinton's effort);

3-1: Lee (80, an unmarked header after G Taylor headed the ball across goal following an Atkinson corner)

Bookings: Lee (41, foul); Yiadom (72, handball)

Referee Andy Davies (Hampshire): Darlington have suffered from some poor refereeing this season, but they could not blame Saturday's official for their own dire display 8

Attendance: 864

Entertainment: 2/5

Braintree Town (4-4-2): McDonald 6; Peters 6, Stevens 7, Paine 6, Thomas 6; Yiadom 7 (Vose 84), Quinton 7 (Symons 90), Davis 7, Reason 6; Marks 7, WRIGHT 8 (McCammon 90). Subs (not used): Jones (gk), Bailey-Dennis

Darlington (4-4-2):

4 Soderberg: Beaten three times for the second successive away game and should have done more to deal with the

third goal;

4 G Taylor: Lost possession in the build-up to the third goal as he attempted to get forward

5 Lee: Scored his first goal for the club which partially atoned for slack marking that cost Quakers half-time parity

6 GEOHAGON: His long throws caused Braintree moments of concern and he could not be faulted for the goals

4 Brown: Returned to his usual left-back role, but distribution was awful and lost his man for the second strike;

4 Rundle: Did not get at the opposing full-back so posed no threat at all to Braintree and no surprise when replaced

4 Atkinson: Unable to get his foot on the ball so the game passed him by for lengthy spells

5 Chandler: Stuck to the task of hounding opponents, but could not get close enough to the opposition

3 K Taylor: Started at left-midfield, but hardly got a kick and was substituted soon after the restart;

3 Rodney: Only meaningful touch on his first senior start was to blast the ball over from an angle

4 Bowman: Won the occasional header, but suffered from poor service, which meant he had few chances to shine

Subs:

Hatch (for Rodney 46): Provided aerial threat, which is why he should have started, but found it difficult to get involved 5

J Gray (for K Taylor 52): Clearly determined to make an impression and managed to get a shot in that was saved by the keeper 6

McReady (for Rundle 72)

(not used): Russell (gk), Brough

Man of the match

BEN Wright - the lanky forward was involved in all three of Braintree's goals