Source: Northern_Echo
Gateshead v Darlington: Part one
The first of three Darlington games inside 17 days against Gateshead takes place this evening, with the outcome of Quakers' season at stake.[LNB] They travel up the A1 to the International Stadium knowing that another win is needed to maintain the momentum created by a run of eight games without defeat.[LNB] The sequence, which features six victories, has pushed Quakers' into the play-off reckoning while following tonight's match they also take on Gateshead in the semi-finals of the FA Trophy.[LNB] The first leg is at The Northern Echo Arena on Saturday, but first up is a league encounter which will see Darlington aiming to close the gap on fifth-place.[LNB] Quakers are eighth, eight points off the last play-off place. They won 2-0 at the Arena in August, but face a sterner test now against a much-improved Gateshead side.[LNB] The Heed have brought in a raft of players including former Darlington winger Adam Rundle and striker Richard Offiong who had a short-lived loan spell at the Arena at the beginning of the season.[LNB] They have won eight of their last nine, including every match in February.[LNB] The run saw Ian Bogie named manager of the month. Striker Jon Shaw won the player of the month award after scoring six in five league matches including a hat-trick in the stunning 7-2 win at Wrexham.[LNB] Cooper is well aware of the threat that 13th placed Gateshead pose to his league and cup hopes, though he insisted after Saturday's 1-0 win over Cambridge United: "I won't even think about the Trophy until after Tuesday's game."[LNB] That said, he will hope his key players, especially Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, comes through this evening's game unscathed.[LNB] Adam Quinn, Greg Taylor, John McReady and Michael Smith are all cup-tied at the weekend and Cooper may gave Quinn a game tonight ahead of Dan Burn who had a knee injury recently.[LNB] Although Cooper has midfield reinforcements, Bridge-Wilkinson has become crucial to the side in his position at the head of the midfield diamond.[LNB] He was again pulling the strings on Saturday as Darlington overcame stubborn opposition.[LNB] Quakers had to wait the 67th minute until scoring and Cooper was pleased the home fans showed patience as they watched Darlington break down a defensive-minded Cambridge.[LNB] "I think most of the fans realise how we're trying to play," he said. "Sometimes you've got to go backwards with the ball, to the keeper or centre-backs, to end up getting it forward, to stretch the pitch.[LNB] "You can't keep hammering at the door all the time. When teams come here you've got to stretch them and make the pitch big.[LNB] "I think they appreciate that we are trying to play real attacking, total football, but to do that we have to be patient so credit to the fans because they were again."[LNB] The 2,080 attendance, including 182 from Cambridge, represented a rise of around 600 on the previous home game, and Cooper added: "It'll have put a smile on the chairman's face.[LNB] "He was hoping for 2,000 which is what he got and there's a hell of a lot better atmosphere inside the stadium when it's like that.[LNB] "It was fantastic support and long may it continue."[LNB]
