Darlington boss Colin Todd says he will not let heads drop after the latest defeat. However he has admitted that there is no magic formula to ending the club's disappointing start to the season. Quakers are without a win in their opening four Coca-Cola League Two games and have only scored once.

Port Vale secured victory at the expense of Darlington in their latest game at the weekend. The situation could have been very different however as Darlington have missed two late penalties in their last two games. Quakers will try to get their season started when they take on Cheltenham Town at the Northern Echo Darlington Arena this coming Saturday.

"Football can change quickly though, and we have to change it quickly," he said after the game on Saturday. "There's no magic formula, it's up to me to make sure we can turn it around. We are not going to feel sorry for ourselves. Gary Smith might feel a bit down after missing the penalty but I can't afford to let people feel sorry for themselves. We need to get ready for the next game."

"I've got to pick them up again but I can't fault them for their desire and passion. I thought for long periods of the game we controlled it without getting the break. We don't anticipate enough sometimes when we get the little half chances. We are just going to have to keep applying ourselves and working together."

"We had to push forward and there was always going to be times when the opposition might catch us on the break. I did ask for a response in the second half and I got it. There are lads out there like Jamie Chandler who worked his socks off. We have to make sure we still have that resolve and spirit out there. We will keep going."