Darlington manager Martin Gray said that he was amazed at the turnout of fans for Saturday’s friendly against Guisborough.

Quakers arranged to play the Northern League team on the 3G surface at Longfield following the postponement of the Matlock home game, and around 250 fans – some estimates put the number at more than that – turned up for the 1-1 draw.

“You have to hand it to Darlington fans,” said MG. “It shows how much they love their football. To turn out in such numbers on a cold and wet day for a friendly, and then to make donations, is astonishing.” The fans contributed a terrific £600 from a bucket collection and raffle.

MG fielded a strong side for the game, with only Nathan Cartman, Chris Hunter and Lee Gaskell missing, and they drew 1-1 with the Northern League outfit.

“I thought it was a very good workout” said MG. “I wanted to keep the players sharp and focussed with us not having a league game, and they took it very seriously. It’s important to keep them in top condition for the games ahead.”

The Matlock postponement means that Quakers have 25 league games, plus one League Cup tie, to play before the scheduled end of the season on 23^rd April – a 15 week period. That means Quakers will play two league games a week in ten of those weeks.