Source: Northern_Echo
Cooper plotting Quakers’ promotion push already
Fresh from signing a new contract, Darlington manager Mark Cooper has one eye on next season when he intends to mount a serious promotion bid.[LNB] Quakers are likely to fall just short of the play-offs this time around as they are eight points adrift of fifth place with three league matches remaining including today's game with York City.[LNB] The campaign concludes with the FA Trophy final at Wembley in a fortnight's time, but already Cooper is planning for 2011-12.[LNB] On Thursday he and assistant Richard Dryden signed one-year contracts at The Northern Echo Arena and Cooper revealed he has already given some thought to next season's promotion rivals in the Blue Square Bet Premier.[LNB] "We're focused on the rest of this season, but next year we'll be focused on trying to get promotion out of this division," said the former Peterborough boss.[LNB] "I'm very ambitious. I've had a taste of League football and I want to get back there as quickly as possible. There's no reason why myself and Richard and the team can't get back up there.[LNB] "If we can attract the kind of players that I think we need to get towards the top of the league then I think we'll have a good chance.[LNB] "Crawley spent a lot of money but they are going out of the league, Luton are another money team and they have a chance in the play-offs. At the moment the bottom two in League Two are Barnet and Stockport and I would think we could compete with them financially.[LNB] "So that all makes it a very open league and if we can add the players that we want and they fit into our financial structure, I don't think we need to do lots and lots to the squad, maybe a little bit of tweaking here and there.[LNB] "I've been going on about it, but we need some leaders and winners and they are very difficult to find. In the next few weeks that's what I'll be trying to do."[LNB] York could yet join Crawley in League Two as they are only three points adrift of the play-offs, but Cooper wants a win today, if only to reduce the Minstermen's chances of promotion.[LNB] The manager concedes that he wishes to ensure that York, who will be backed by a large number of supporters today, remain on the fixture list next season.[LNB] Cooper said: "We want to stop York in their tracks and we want to keep them in this division because they are a derby team for us. We'd rather be playing York than travelling to the bottom of the country.[LNB] "We played them in the FA Cup when they brought a good number of fans here so it should be a good atmosphere."[LNB] Darlington helped York move up a place on Tuesday thanks to the 2-1 win at Kidderminster Harriers, a result that means Quakers have won three of their last four matches.[LNB] However, last week's 3-2 defeat at Hayes & Yeading effectively ended any lingering hopes of reaching the play-offs and Cooper admitted his frustration.[LNB] He said: "We want to be fair to the other teams in the division, like we were the other night when we beat a play-off challenger in Kidderminster. It's just frustrating that we're missing out on the party when we shouldn't be really.[LNB] "Some of the players in the team have given me food for thought in a negative way, and some of them that came into the team the other night gave me food for thought in a positive way.[LNB] "If we had played properly at Hayes and played in the first half as we did in the second half we would have won easily. On Tuesday, we were rubbish in the first half but better in the second half and deserved to win.[LNB] "We could look right back through the season and say if we'd won there and if we'd done that, but we are where we are for a reason.[LNB] "We want to finish the season as high as we can and in good form so that we're in good form for the final.[LNB] "There's still three games to go and the players have got a hell of a lot to play for."[LNB] Cooper has made at least three changes in each of Quakers' last three matches and is likely to make alterations today.[LNB] On Tuesday he rested keeper Sam Russell and he may return, as could striker Liam Hatch, who has missed two matches with an ear problem.[LNB]
