DARLINGTON hope to make a new signing in time for Wednesday night's game at Blackwell Meadows against with Bradford Park Avenue.

They were last night completing the formalities of a deal that would see an experienced player from a Football League club join the ranks.

He would likely go straight into the starting XI in time for the first of Quakers’ final eight games with a play-off place firmly in sight and doing the double over lowly Bradford is crucial.

Darlington defeated them 2-1 in September when the Yorkshire club were rock-bottom, but they have steadily climbed the table to 18th in recent months under new manager Mark Bower, who played for Quakers in 2009.

Quakers have also enjoyed some improved results of late, taking maximum points in four of their last six fixtures, to hoist themselves up to fifth before last night’s matches.

“It’s a psychological boost,” said manager Martin Gray, after his team move to fifth at the weekend. “At this stage of the season, eight games to go, it’s important to stay focused.

"Eight big games to go, Bradford Park Avenue first and it’ll be another tough game.

“They are somewhere nearer to being safe, but we don’t underestimate anybody.”

Darlington have overcome Stalybridge and Brackley with 1-0 wins in their last two matches, both deserved victories, and midfielder Phil Turnbull believes his team-mates will remain focused on the task at hand.

He said: “We have to continue Saturday’s form on Wednesday otherwise the Brackley result means nothing. You won’t get complacency here.

“The manager has the lads like that, there’s a maturity in the squad, the lads don’t get carried away with a win, they don’t take their foot off the pedal.

“Come Wednesday, Saturday will be gone. We’re in a great position and we don’t want to let it slip.

“There’s belief in the squad. Martin, the type of manager that he is, instils that into his players. The lads are a bunch of winners.”

Gary Brown is again missing this evening, completing his two-match ban, while Leon Scott serves the last of his four-game suspension.

Gray hopes Kevin Burgess can return from the minor injury that caused him to sit out Saturday’s fixture, but in his and Brown’s absence Terry Galbraith and Chris Hunter performed admirably as stand-in centre-backs to help Quakers keep their fourth clean sheet of the season.

“Since I’ve been here all of our success has been built on clean sheets because we know that we’ll always nick a goal at once stage in the game,” added Turnbull.

“This season hasn’t been good enough, but we kept a clean sheet on Saturday and credit to Chrissy and Tez.

“I don’t think Tez lost a header, his quality on the ball was good, and the back four was solid. I don’t think we ever really felt under threat.

“As long as it’s 1-0 it always feels a little bit edgy, but we fully deserved the win.”