Homecoming Darlington defender Alan White does not expect to be under any excessive pressure to become a local hero as Quakers push for promotion next season.

Much was expected of Neil Maddison when he returned to his hometown club six years ago, and the same could be true of White, who returned this summer, ten years after being released by Middlesbrough.

While Maddison spent the bulk of his career in the top-flight, White has spent each of his 11 seasons since leaving Boro in the Football League's bottom two divisions with the likes of Leyton Orient and Boston United.

As a result, he knows the lower divisions more than most of his new team-mates at the Darlington Arena, but by simply being a local player, the focus could be on White from the beginning.

"I don't think there'll be more pressure," said White, who required four stitches in a shin wound after Wednesday's friendly with Sunderland.

"I always enjoyed coming up to play here, I got a good buzz and my mates would give me a bit of stick. You know what the Haughton lads are like, they give me all sorts of grief.

"I wouldn't say it's pressure, it's good, it helps you to be motivated. If you start to worry about three or four thousand people then you shouldn't be playing football. Pressure is 60,000 people, not your mates in the stand giving you a bit of stick.

"It's my hometown so I want to do well but you can't worry about it, you've just got to be confident that you are going to do a good job, that the team do well and the fans are going to be happy."

Because of Wednesday's injury, White may not feature when Quakers travel to Gretna today, a game switched from the Darlington Arena to protect the newly-laid pitch.

The £150,000 surface was put down last month and staged its first game on Wednesday, when Sunderland beat Darlington 2-0 in rain-sodden conditions.

Most of Quakers' first-team squad featured, while manager Dave Penney used the game to give several trialists a run-out and the same will happen at Raydale Park today.

As well as a venue change, today's kick-off has also changed from 3pm to 2pm.

Tickets already purchased can be exchanged for a ticket for the Middlesbrough match on Tuesday, July 24 (7.30pm), but they must be exchanged in advance of the game at the club's main ticket office, open today until 3pm and refunds are available.