Source: Northern_Echo
Staunton insists on positive thinking
REJUVENATED Darlington head for Lancashire today aiming to atone for Tuesday's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Lincoln City.[LNB] Quakers are 11 points adrift of third-bottom Cheltenham, and would have cut that gap down to nine were it not for City's heartbreaking 97thminute equaliser in midweek.[LNB] Despite the disappointment, upbeat manager Steve Staunton has offered his players an optimistic message: look how far you have come.[LNB] A month ago his side were 17 points from safety, but Quakers have given themselves a fighting chance recently with two wins and a draw.[LNB] Staunton said: The players were disappointed after the game, but I told them that we've now almost doubled our points total in the space of two weeks and the table looks a little more pleasing from our point of view.[LNB] We're doing things right and making progress. I think if I was at one of those teams down there at the bottom and having a bad run I'd be a looking at us a bit differently now.[LNB] You saw Lincoln's reaction when they scored on Tuesday, you'd think they'd won the cup final.[LNB] Also, we've got three games in hand on Torquay United and we have them to play at home. That's four games that could help us go level on points with them.[LNB] Beating Rotherham United last Saturday and drawing with Lincoln means Quakers have collected points in backto- back games for the first time this season, a small but notable achievement for a side that was in freefall until Staunton's January recruitment drive.[LNB] The Irishman last month brought in eight players and he says their characters have been key in providing Darlington with winning mentality.[LNB] There's a desire to put right what went wrong in the last 40 seconds on Tuesday because the players believe they should have won, said Staunton.[LNB] That's the beauty of having so many games to play, you can put things right quickly. There are stronger characters in the dressing room now. There has been more belief there since we won at Rotherham in our first game back after the break due to the snow. They now know they can win games.[LNB] All the players have made a difference for different reasons.[LNB] There are talkers and people who show their leadership through their playing ability.[LNB] I'm not going to name names but there's one of them who never shuts up, he tells everybody as it is but backs it up by working his socks off.[LNB] We've got another who will go about his business quietly but effectively. That's just two different types of characters.[LNB] With no new injury concerns, Staunton is likely to stick with the same XI for the fourth consecutive fixture.[LNB] The free midweek coming up has come at a good time as the manager is aware some of his players, such as 17-yearold Curtis Main and his signings from the League of Ireland, could require a rest.[LNB] Tadhg Purcell, Gary Dempsey and Simon Madden finished their season in Ireland during November but have been pitched straight into a relegation fight without the benefit of a pre-season.[LNB] However, being in a position to pick the same team again is an indication of the stabilising work Staunton has done since being appointed in October.[LNB] I knew when I took over that it was never going to be easy, he said. The pleasing thing is I can see us making progress, both behind the scenes and on the pitch.[LNB] We're building from ground level at the moment.[LNB] We've a long way to go, but no matter what happens we're going to be a in lot stronger position next season.[LNB] I've said since day one that you've got half a chance when you get your own players in who belong to Darlington Football Club. I'm not saying the loanees don't care, but they've always got the get-out clause at the end of the month and can go back to their club.[LNB] We've got some lads in now who want to prove things, not only to themselves but to people in Ireland and Scotland.[LNB] They want to make a career for themselves.[LNB] I'm not promising we're going to achieve anything this season but we've shown what we can do, home and away, against Rotherham, who are one of the best sides in the division.[LNB] Maybe we're a hoodoo team for Rotherham; let's hope we become a hoodoo team for lots of teams.[LNB]
