BRIAN Horton gave his side the silent treatment after describing Macclesfield’s woeful performance as the worst in his time at the club.
The Silkmen dropped into the bottom three following their fifth away League defeat of the season - and have now not won on the road in the league in seven months.
The last time Macc took three points away from Moss Rose was against Shrewsbury on March 12, when John Miles came off the bench to seal a 1-0 victory at Gay Meadow.
But Town rarely threatened to halt their alarming away form on Friday night and the fact that only Simon Johnson’s 27th-minute penalty separated the two sides owed much to the Quakers’ profligacy in front of goal.
“It was totally unacceptable and the players know that,” said Horton. “I didn’t say anything to them after the game because I didn’t have to. Collectively it was the worst display since I’ve been here.
“It was a poor goal to give away and there was no need for Dave Morley to go diving in as Danny Swailes was covering - it was ridiculous. There was no service to the front players and the contribution from the midfield players was nil.”
Indeed, it was symptomatic of Macc’s calamitous evening that they should gift the hosts the only goal when Morley lunged at Johnson inside the penalty area. The Darlington striker impudently chipped home the spot-kick - the hosts first goal in 362 minutes.
Morley had already been relieved to see his sliced clearance flash over his own crossbar from David Duke’s sixth-minute cross on a night the captain will want to forget. The Quakers continued their bright start and Ryan Valentine’s angled drive came back off the upright on the quarter of an hour.
Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu’s and Johnson, twice, spurned glorious opportunities to increase the home team’s advantage in a one-sided first half. After the break, the Silkmen improved slightly but it still took a brilliant save from goalkeeper Alan Fettis to deny Congo-born Ndumbu-Nsungu after Morley had inexplicably given the ball away on the edge of his own box.
Full-back Smart produced Macc’s first effort of note when he cut inside and forced Sam Russell to make a smart stop low to his left on 72 minutes.
But that was as good as it got for the Silkmen, who will need to improve rapidly if they are to harbour realistic play-off ambitions.
DARLINGTON: Russell, Valentine, Appleby (Thomas 73), Clarke, Hutchinson, Webster, Johnson (Jameson 85), Martis, Duke, Peacock (Wainwright 83), Ndumbu-Nsungu. Subs (not used): Kendrick, Maddison.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN: Fettis, Morley, Swailes, Bullock, Harsley, Beresford (MacKenzie 45), Whitaker (Miles 60), McIntyre, Briscoe (Townson 82), Smart, Russell. Subs (not used): Sandwith, Barras. Star man: Alan Fettis.
Referee: Eddie Ilderton.
Attendance: 3,831.
