Source: Northern_Echo
The standards have been set for Quakers
By Dan List[LNB] Darlington manager Mark Cooper has called for his team to maintain their high standards when they travel to Tamworth tomorrow.[LNB] Quakers impressed in their draw with Fleetwood on Tuesday and Cooper is setting that performance as the benchmark for his players.[LNB] "They were all a different class on Tuesday and I told them so, just as I told that they were rubbish last Saturday. Tuesday's performance means nothing if we go to and don't see the same level of commitment," Cooper said.[LNB] "Anyone who plays for me has got to play at that level now. You've got Aaron Brown, Adam Rundle, Paul Arnison and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson who didn't play on Tuesday, whoever plays has got to play with that level of commitment to stay in the team.[LNB] "If we can keep performing to that level then the results will come."[LNB] It took Quakers nine attempts to register an away victory at the start of the last campaign in what turned out to be a costly run.[LNB] Cooper, whose team laboured to a win last Saturday at home to Braintree, knows the importance of hitting the ground running this time around.[LNB] "On Saturday night I'd have said the team hasn't gelled, but on Tuesday night I'd have said they had," he admitted.[LNB] "Fleetwood were expecting to roll us over, but after 15 or 20 minutes they were having to change things.[LNB] "So I'm pleased with our start, but it only becomes a good start if we get good results in our next two games."[LNB] Darlington are next at home when Alfreton visit The Northern Echo Arena on Tuesday, but tomorrow's game at The Lamb will come too soon for a couple of injured players.[LNB] "We're not any further forward to getting Rundle or Brown back, we won't see them for another few games," Cooper explained.[LNB] "Bridge-Wilkinson missed three weeks of pre-season so it would have been a lot to ask of him to play two games inside four days so that's why he didn't play on Tuesday."[LNB] Michael Smith missed Tuesday game as he played a trial game for Watford's reserves against Reading and Cooper says there is a chance that the striker could be heading to the Hornets.[LNB] He said: "Watford like him and the two clubs are speaking at the moment.[LNB] "He played for their reserves on Tuesday and apparently did very well."[LNB] He has already been on trial at Stoke and it is understood several others keen to run the rule over him.[LNB]
