Darlington are 11th after 14 games in Blue Square Bet Premier

Darlington manager Mark Cooper has blasted his players' "lack of guts" after slipping to a 2-1 defeat by Rushden & Diamonds on Tuesday.

The Quakers led at half-time through Daniel Powell's strike but goals from Rene Howe and Aaron O'Connor turned the game in Diamonds' favour.

"There was a lack of leadership, and a lack of guts," Cooper told BBC Tees.

"There was a lack of courage, there's a malaise running through the club and things have got to change."

Tuesday's loss was the club's second on the bounce, having slipped to defeat at home by Wrexham on Saturday.

One continuing factor in the club's stuttering start to the season has been a number of dropped leads - with Luton, Bath, Eastbourne and Barrow, as well as Rushden, clawing back to take points from the Quakers.

"One nil up, we were very comfortable, but we just capitulated again," Cooper said.

"I had a team last year [at Kettering] that would have been on half the money some of these players are on, and the team I had last year would have beaten these any day of the week.

"They had a desire and a will not to be beaten, and they would have died for each other, and I'm not our boys have got that.

"You can only keep saying the same things, look at Eastbourne, look at Bath, keep throwing things away, can you keep blaming the staff?

"Somewhere along the line you have to ask questions of the players.

"I brought some of them in, but those I brought in have predominately the better players."

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