Source: Northern_Echo
Quakers keep up training
Darlington should at least be able to maintain some level of training, even if the weather fails to improve this week.[LNB] Having had five consecutive games postponed they are keeping their fingers crossed that they can return to action at home to Aldershot weekend.[LNB] If the match goes ahead it will be Quakers' first since December 12 following the club's longest run since 1963.[LNB] That was when Darlington went without a match for almost two months, although they twice endured lengthy spells without a home fixture in the mid-1980s.[LNB] Regardless of the likelihood of postponements, manager Steve Staunton says he has been preparing the squad as best he can, and is grateful to Middlesbrough for their assistance.[LNB] He said: All you can do is do the right things during the week and we've been fortunate enough to be able to get some training done, unlike other clubs.[LNB] Middlesbrough have been very kind in letting us use their indoor centre, so we've had plenty of training, which is needed because it's been a long time since we've had an 11-a-side game.[LNB] At least we've been able to train because I know of other clubs that are in a worse position than ourselves, even at levels higher than us.[LNB] I was speaking to Steve Bruce and he was saying Sunderland are struggling to train. So if a Premier League club is struggling to train, what chance does everybody else have[LNB] All last week we prepared to play on Saturday and that's what we've done in each of the last few weeks. There's no point getting the players into a frame of mind where they're thinking the game might be on or might be off.[LNB] Once we've known the game is off we have trained them harder, as hard as we could.[LNB] Quakers were due to travel to Bury on Saturday. A new date has yet to be announced, but the Port Vale home game has been set for Tuesday, March 2 (7.45pm).[LNB] The fixture will represent Darlington's sixth Tuesday evening game out of seven, a run of midweek matches that commences with next week's trip to Rotherham.[LNB] By then Staunton hopes to have strengthened his squad, with an experienced goalkeeper and a central defender high among his priorities.[LNB] Clark Keltie is due to return to The Northern Echo Arena today, having impressed Staunton in training.[LNB] Another former Quakers player, Darlington-born Alan White, has been linked with a return to the club as he has been left out of the Luton team in recent weeks by new manager Richard Money.[LNB]
