Source: Northern_Echo
Quakers ready for the Staines massive
Darlington's pre-season continues this evening and they are expecting a less demanding work-out, both on and off the pitch, at Staines Town compared with Friday's contest with Newcastle United.[LNB] Two pitch invasions meant the game came close to being abandoned, with players from both sides twice withdrawn from the field.[LNB] Referee Colin Webster eventually allowed the match to resume and the Premier League side ended as deserved 2-0 winners, but two low-key affairs this week should provide less testing affairs for Mark Cooper's squad.[LNB] Darlington travelled yesterday and will use Watford's training facilities during a mini-break in the south, which is aimed to be something of a team bonding exercise, and are at Staines tonight (7.30pm) before facing Brackley Town on Wednesday.[LNB] The matches will be somewhat of a contrast to Friday's game, played in front of 9,721, over 3,500 of which were Quakers supporters, which made it one of The Northern Echo Arena's largest ever attendances.[LNB] Tonight's game will be played at Staines' 3,000-capacity Wheatsheaf Park, while this week's opposition means Cooper's team, who will again include trialists, should see more of the ball than they did on Friday.[LNB] It's not ideal from a manager's point of view, to play a Premier League team in the first friendly, but I understood it from a financial point of view, said Cooper. It's a game that brought a little bit more money into the club as there was a big crowd.[LNB] I like to start against a team where you get a bit more possession of the ball, which then means you're able to work on your game.[LNB] When you play the likes of Newcastle it's about ensuring that you don't embarrass yourself and that you're a solid unit. It becomes a fitness exercise which, in another respect, is also a good thing.[LNB] For us, it was another training session, running about and chasing the ball. I'll learn more about the trialists, as will the supporters, when we play the likes of Staines, Brackley and Sheffield. That's when we'll learn how good they are.[LNB] Five trialists saw action against Newcastle Deale Chamberlain, Jake Simpson, Nick Wood, Ryan Bowman and Curtis Samgbarini though not all will be involved this week.[LNB] Cooper said: It was difficult for the trialists because it was stop-start and hard to see them properly. But I know what I'm looking for and I'll make a decision on some of those trialists before Monday.[LNB] We've got to take a squad to London and we can't take everyone.[LNB] One player unable to take part this week is right-back Paul Arnison, who suffered a groin strain against Newcastle.[LNB] He travelled yesterday, but faces two to three weeks on the sidelines, while left-back Aaron Brown is also out of action with a thigh strain sustained last week in training. The pair join Adam Quinn and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson on the sick list.[LNB] Quinn and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson underwent hernia operations in late June so are not quite ready to return.[LNB] Also unavailable is teenage striker Michael Smith, who is continuing his trial with Stoke City. He scored in their youth team's 2-1 win at Tiverton Town on Saturday.[LNB] But Darlington's numbers could be supplemented this week if Northampton Town's Tadhg Purcell trains with the squad.[LNB] The Cobblers' Irish striker, who scored nine goals in 22 appearances for Darlington in 2009-10, is being allowed to leave Sixfields on loan and Cooper hopes to run the rule over him this week in training.[LNB] Cooper said: He's one of a number of players we are looking at in the hope of strengthening what is already a strong group.[LNB] If Purcell joins up with Quakers he could face Brackley for the second time in a week as he played against them for Northampton on Saturday.[LNB] Although he left Darlington only a year ago, Purcell would know few of the squad as there have been so many changes in the last 12 months, but forging a sense of togetherness among the players is a factor in Cooper arranging the pre-season trip south.[LNB] A year ago the squad spent a few days at an outward bounds centre in the Lake District, and Cooper said: It's important to get away. It didn't matter where we went and we got the opportunity play a couple of games down there.[LNB] It gives us a chance to get the new boys integrated into the group with a bit of training and a couple of games. The new signings will become part of the group, you'll get a togetherness and team spirit.[LNB] Last year we went to the Lake District, that was already set up when we came in. It's great to get players away from their natural environment so that they've got to mix and get on with each other so it's definitely something I like to do.[LNB] Darlington's next North-East friendly is on Saturday at the Arena against Middlesbrough.[LNB]
