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We are looking to extend our unbeaten run to five matches when we travel to playoff hopefuls Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday (writes Simon Hahn).

We produced one of our best displays of the season when we beat Blyth Spartans 3-0 last Saturday. Goals from Stephen Thompson, Reece Styche and David Syers made it back-to-back wins for ourselves for the first time since August. It also took our run to four games unbeaten, the joint longest run of the season.

Victory took us up to 15^th place in the league and results in midweek ensured we remained three points above the bottom three.

Bradford beat Gainsborough Trinity 5-0 on Monday night, a result which leaves them seventh in the table, the final playoff place ahead of Blyth Spartans on goal difference.

Our meeting earlier on in the season at Blackwell Meadows saw us win 2-1 on the day after Tommy Wright had been announced as manager, an own goal and a Josh Gillies free kick gave us the victory.

Our meeting away to Bradford last season also saw us win 2-1 thanks to Liam Hardy and Terry Galbraith.

You can watch the action from that game here

http://darlingtonfc.co.uk/watch-goals-bradford-park-avenue-v-darlington/

Elsewhere in the league the bottom two meet as Telford host North Ferriby while 20^th place Curzon Ashton travel to Boston United.

Kick off on Saturday is 3:00pm, updates on the game will be made from the club’s Facebook, Twitter and Website. Live Commentary will be broadcast from Darlo Fans Radio at 2:50pm.

Statistics:

Quakers last five matches:

3^rd February Blyth (home) won 3-0 Thompson pen, Styche, Syers

Pears, Trotman, O'Hanlon, Turnbull, Heaton, Galbraith, Caton (sub Gillies 78), Wheatley, Styche (sub Saunders 82), Syers, Thompson (sub Scott 88)

Subs: Bancroft, Brown

27^th January Leamington (away) won 3-2 Thompson 3

Pears, Brown (sub Syers 24), Heaton, Galbraith, O’Hanlon, Trotman, Wheatley, Scott (sub Turnbull 62), Thompson, Styche, Mills (sub Caton 62)

Subs not used, Bancroft, Gillies

20^th January Chorley (home) drew 2-2 Styche, Thompson pen

Pears, Trotman, Galbraith, Turnbull, Heaton, Brown, Mills (sub Saunders 62), Scott, Styche, Wheatley (sub Gillies 81), Thompson (sub Syers 81)

Subs: Marrs, Bancroft,

13^th January Alfreton (away) drew 1-1 Styche

Talbot, Portas, Galbraith, Scott, Heaton, Brown, Mills (sub Saunders 72), Turnbull, Styche, Gillies (sub Wheatley 76), Thompson

Subs: Marrs, Caton, Syers,

10^th January Salford (home) lost 1-2 Mills

Talbot, Collins (sub Portas 24), Galbraith, Scott, Heaton, Brown, Mills (sub Wheatley 82), Turnbull, Styche, Gillies, Thompson (Sub Saunders 82)

Subs: Caton, Syers,

Leading scorer:  Reece Styche  9 (inc 2 in Trophy) Stephen Thompson 7

Team news:  Dominic Collins is out because of a hamstring injury – maybe three weeks away from a return

James Caton is out with a pulled hamstring.

Tom Portas is out with a thigh injury

Aynsley Pears continues in goal, even though James Talbot has completed his suspension.

Greg Mills is added to the squad after recovering from injury

Current league position: 15^th (three points above bottom three)

Position in form table of last six games: 13th

Away form: played 14, won 2, drawn 5, lost 7, scored 15, conceded 24.

Bradford Park Avenue

Last five matches:

5^th February v Gainsborough (home) won 5-0 Brooksby 2, Boyes 2, Johnson (Gainsborough sacked their manager after the game)

Bradford Park Avenue: Drench, Toulson, Clee, Wroe (c), Killock, Havern, Brooksby (Smith 68’), Pybus (Vidal 73’), Boyes (Mulhern 71’), Johnson, Spencer.

Unused substitutes: Hill, Nowakowski.

27^th January v Nuneaton (away) drew 0-0

13^th January v York (away) lost 1-2 Boyes

6^th January v Spennymoor (home) lost 1-2 Clee

1^st January v Curzon Ashton (away) drew 1-1 Johnson

League position:  7^th (went above Blyth in midweek) 43 pts from 28 games

Position in form tables of last six games: 12th

Home form: Played 14 won 6, drawn 3, lost 5, scored 27, conceded 20

Leading scorer: Adam Boyes 15

Admission prices (as per BPA website) Adults £10, concessions £7, Students £5, Under 18s £2.

Last time we met:

21^st October 2017. Darlington 2 (Kelly og, Gillies) Bradford PA 1 (Johnson)

Darlington: Bartlett, Marrs, Scott, Turnbull, Collins, Galbraith, Gillies, Portas (sub Wheatley 69), Syers, Cartman (sub Saunders 76), Thompson (sub Caton 83)

Subs: Burgess, Wilczynski

Hall, Ross, Kelly, Wroe, Havern Toulson, Vidal, D Boshell, Boyes, Johnson, Clee (sub N Boshell 64).

Subs: Knowles, Hill, Spencer, Nowakowski,

Meetings in last two seasons:

This season: Darlington 2 BPA 1

Last season: BPA 1 Darlo 2 (Hardy, Galbraith), Darlo 1 (Saunders) BPA 0

Playing Friday

FC United v Chorley

Saturday’s games:

AFC Telford United v North Ferriby, Alfreton v Tamworth, Blyth Spartans v Brackley, Boston United v Curzon Ashton, Bradford PA v Darlington, Gainsborough v Southport, Leamington v Harrogate Town, Spennymoor Town v Kidderminster, Stockport County v Nuneaton, York City v Salford City