Source: Northern_Echo
Quakers leave Cooper seething
When Darlington played at Tamworth last season, Mark Cooper left the ground seething, unable to comprehend the sub-standard performance, in his view, that he had witnessed.[LNB] His mood was much the same on Saturday, but whereas focus following last January's game at The Lamb was on the referee after Tommy Wright was controversially sent off and Tamworth scored a late equaliser, this time his ire was reserved only for his players.[LNB] Cooper was furious and frustrated - how could the team that played so well at Fleetwood disappoint so greatly at Tamworth[LNB] Last Tuesday, his team drew 0-0 and were unfortunate not to win at the promotion favourites so, encouraged by the display, Cooper stuck with the same XI and asked for more of the same.[LNB] He didn't get it though, as Darlington suffered a fully-deserved 1-0 defeat, a result reminiscent of last season, when a good result would be followed by an awful one.[LNB] "It's frustrating and I'm struggling to understand how a team that can play like they did on Tuesday can also play like they have done today," said Cooper[LNB] "It's very strange and something we've got to sort out. Some of our so-called bigger players let us down today.[LNB] "We did everything possible to make sure the players were up for it, but unfortunately our big players let us down and I can only apologise to the supporters that we let down.[LNB] "I'm Liam Hatch's biggest fan but he wasn't at the races today. If he spent as much time on his game as he does arguing with referees he'd be in the Championship by now."[LNB] Hatch was hauled off midway through the second half, though he was not the only one on the periphery of the action. Only four players escaped Cooper's wrath: Sam Russell, Ian Miller, Graeme Lee and James Walshaw.[LNB] Russell made a magnificent save in the first half, pushing wide Kyle Patterson's powerful effort from an angle, but winger Danny Mills, who'd evaded Ben Purkiss, should have done better than to head off target when he met Nabil Shariff's right-wing cross.[LNB] Quakers were second best in midfield, while for the Lambs' defence the game was nothing more than afternoon stroll in the sunshine as they dealt with Darlington's punts down the wing.[LNB] Yet, had Ryan Bowman not missed an early chance, the game could have been very different.[LNB] After a good build-up involving Walshaw and Hatch, Kris Taylor's shot towards the far post was turned goalwards from six yards, but Bowman's effort was straight at the keeper, who knew very little about it.[LNB] "Bowman had an early chance and should've scored," added Cooper, "but apart from that I don't think we'd have scored all night. We didn't deserve to win, although you could argue we deserved a draw.[LNB] "When you're not playing well you have to grind out a result, but there was a terrible mistake and we ended up with nothing."[LNB] So successful were Tamworth in stifling Darlington that Cooper resorted to making a substitution before the break and changing formation, sending on Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in place of Ryan Bowman and changing from 4-3-3 to 4-3-1-2.[LNB] It made minimal impact though, and Cooper said: "We could have changes to any system you like today and it wouldn't have worked because if players don't want to put a shift in it doesn't matter what formation you play.[LNB] "Supporters have their opinions on systems and which players should play, I have mine, but if you don't run about none of it matters.[LNB] "I tried to fire them up and get into them at half-time, but it got nothing out of them. Some of them are too busy moaning about the food that they get served after training than they are concentrating on their jobs on a Saturday."[LNB] The contest lost some spark at the beginning of the second half, during which Walshaw believed he had been tripped by Paul Green in the Tamworth penalty area after a delightful Bridge-Wilkinson through-ball.[LNB] The hosts regained control. Patterson scuffed a shot towards Russell after turning past Lee, then Patterson accidentally cleared an Iyseden Christie shot off the goal-line, but the goal the hosts had been threatening came with seven minutes to play.[LNB] Ben Purkiss, the right-back on loan from Oxford, attempted to chest down the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and in trying to regain possession bundled Patterson over in the box.[LNB] There were no protests as referee Jeremy Simpson pointed to the spot, just as there was no debate who had done more to deserve all three points after Christie scored the penalty.[LNB] Darlington may have yet to concede from open play in three games, but that will be of little consolation to Cooper, who wants an improvement when Alfreton Town visit The Northern Echo Arena tomorrow.[LNB] He said "I'll consider changes for Tuesday. Some people will find themselves out of the team after that probably.[LNB] "Now is not the time to make those decisions, I'll watch the dvd and I'll make decisions on how best to try to win Tuesday's game."[LNB]
