Source: Northern_Echo
Quakers out to have their say on the play-off chase
Darlington may be out of the play-off picture but they will attempt to have an impact on the promotion race at Kidderminster Harriers.[LNB] Having lost four of their last seven matches, a remarkable slump given that they lost only one of their previous 14 league fixtures, Quakers are 11 points adrift of fifth place.[LNB] There won't be as much at stake in their last four matches as had been hoped, but Kidderminster are desperate for victory in what represents a game in hand.[LNB] The Harriers are sixth, four points behind fifth-placed Fleetwood Town who they meet on Friday.[LNB] Darlington manager Mark Cooper had not given up all hope of finishing in the top five until Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Hayes & Yeading.[LNB] He said: "If you look at Saturday's results, York lost and Kidderminster drew so had we won our games in hand that would've given us an outside chance if the play-offs.[LNB] "But it's being going on for too long now. Whatever system we've used and whatever players we've used we've not been able to consistently get the right results."[LNB] Cooper wants to see a big improvement on Saturday's showing and is likely to tinker with his line-up at Aggborough.[LNB] At Hayes he was pleased with the performances of teenage substitutes Michael Smith and Phil Gray and they come into the reckoning.[LNB] The manager said: "Plus points on Saturday were Phil Gray and Michael Smith. That's what Michael has got to play like every week because he has too many off days.[LNB] "If he plays like that more often he'll have a chance of making it, but it says something when it took two young lads to give us a spark. People can make mistakes in a game but you've still got be a handful. You can run about even when you're not playing well."[LNB] Smith's chances will be greatly increased if Liam Hatch is unable to play due to the ear problem which kept him out of Saturday's game, while Chris Senior is out with a calf problem.[LNB] Gray, who replaced the out-of-sorts Aaron Brown at Hayes, has become regular in the matchday squad of late and Cooper admits the youth team product could play in the FA Trophy final.[LNB] He said: "Phil has every chance of playing at Wembley. Why not He's strong and he's quick so he might be another one off the production line.[LNB] "I had to him on to give us a spark. He came on after an hour and Hayes' best player for 60 minutes, their right-winger Bradley Pritchard, didn't get a kick for the last half an hour."[LNB] Jamie Chandler is likely to make his return from a broken hand in Saturday's home match with York City.[LNB]
