If you listened to some of those viewing, then we gave the watching public the worst display that we've ever turned out. Awful, disgrace, pathetic and a thousand other insults which usually end up being misspelt in the process, as we were steamrollered by Darlington.

Frustration is understandable, as we had hoped (not expected) that we'd be able to go one better than the Play Offs last season The thing is, we didn't play that badly. Of course the reaction, taking into account the feeling as we walked out the ground, was one that made you feel that this really was the worst performance that you've ever seen from a Dale side.

I'd go as far as saying that this was a better performance than the one which beat Port Vale in our last home game. Furthermore, looking back on 2009, this was a better performance than many of our games this year. I'm not gonna start playing the "we were unlucky" card or that the referee in league with Satan conspired against us or even that we battered Darlo and this was a complete smash and grab act by our North East guests.

But looking back on the game, we probably created more clear cut chances in the game than we have done in a long while. Certainly up until the second goal, we must have had seven or eight chances where you'd have put money on us scoring, but through a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping, we couldn't do so.

Of course, when the second goal went in, D'Urso may as well have blown the final whistle there and then, because it allowed Darlo to sit back with a confidence that wasn't there before, double team our sole winger and see out the rest of the game in relative comfort knowing that both on and off the field we had accepted defeat.

The first half saw us off to a flyer, and a bit like in the recent Port Vale game, we looked set to try and win the game in the opening two minutes of the game. Again, against a side with nothing left to play for, the thinking was probably that the first goal would be the all important goal, and an undermotivated and underpaid Darlington side wouldn't have the fight within them to comeback from such a deficit.

And it so nearly came off. TK came up with one of the best passes from his time with Dale, and with his right foot too. He curled the ball into the box for Alfie, who beating his man had a shot which narrowly went across the goal line. The sort of ball that Alfie would be just the predator himself to knock in. Solution? We need to clone Alfie so he can form a partnership with himself.

But....... and I hate writing match reports where I have to stick a but in...... the importance of that first goal of the was proved as many fans were still filtering into the ground. A nothing long ball from the Darlo backline was prodded in the direction of Jason Kennedy, who reacted better than Clark Keltie to win the ball.

Kennedy's last touch at Spotland was the one which saw Tommy Lee kick the ball out, but unfortunately Jason Kennedy proved once again that he's more dangerous from thirty yards than he is from twelve, and from out of absolutely nothing, he fired in one of the best goals you'll see at any level all season into the top corner. No chance whatsoever for Fielding. 1-0 to the visitors.

The goal deflated everyone, which was perhaps more evidence if you needed any that there nerves were a jangling. It took us a further ten minutes to properly get ourselves together and back into the game and in that time we'd had a small scare from a bouncing ball in the box that required tipping over to be on the safe side. prompting words between TK and Fielding.

And then came the chances. Buckley had the first when he broke clear of the Darlo backline, and perhaps he didn't realise quite how much time he had by going for the spectacular finish rather than continuing his run.

Dagnall set up the next chance, when he successfully twisted in the box before laying it off to Alfie. Le Fondre span round and fired on the turn, but saw his shot tipped over by the keeper. Had his shot been anywhere else other than at head height, then it would have been impossible to save it.

There was further proof of link ups between Le Fondre and Dagnall when Alfie fed a great ball over to Daggers in the middle, and after some great work by Dagnall to free himself into a fantastic position to shoot, his shooting let him down as he fired over.

We had shades of last year's Play Off game between the two sides, after Keltie produced one of his "tackles". You can count on one hand the number of his tackles which haven't earned him a yellow card this season. Anyway, as the challenge came in, Ravenhill was straight in at the referee in the same way that Foster was last season which provoked Perkins' red card.

But it was Keltie who was the architect for our last great chance of the half. Midway inside his own half, he turned to shrug off his opponent, stumbling in the process before launching a superb ball to Dagnall who's run was timed to perfection. It took a great save from the keeper who's name I'm not even going to attempt to type out.

After a half time which had the most number of people on the pitch at any one time since last year's post penalties pitch invasion what with lady footballers, cheerleaders, schoolboy games and Bradford fans still wandering about trying to find a spare seat, the chances continued.

Our two early chances went to Will Buckley in almost identical cases. Crosses from the left where he freed himself at the back post. The first saw him chest it down before he could only direct the ball towards the post, whilst the second saw him misjudge the ball as the cross came over..

And then came the killer blow.

A corner was cleared with ease before being hooked back in. A totally unchallenged Abbott header bounced off the woodwork, in the desperation to clear it, a combination of McArdle and Fielding saw the ball over the line for an own goal. And from this point on, it was game over, and whilst there was no let up in effort, you have to give praise to Darlington for doing what was required to see the game out.

We had lots more possession but couldn't find a way past the dominant Darlington defence to even force a further chance out of the game. Lot of play in the right areas without actually penetrating to force a save out of he who shall not be spelled.

If you want positives (and I'll happily face any accusations of scraping the barrel with this), then at least we'll hopefully go into the Play Offs having shaken off the disappointment of having missed out on automatic promotion. Think back to the post-match feeling from Saturday afternoon, and imagine that being the mentality we headed into the Play Offs with.

At least now, we can regroup, shake off this disappointment, nurse back our injured and much missed players, pick up the necessary points to ensure that Play Off spot and put all of our focus on these games.

Clutching at straws that might be, but better to clutch at straws than create a pit of doom to wallow around in conducting post mortems on a season which is just as alive as it was this time last season.