MARTIN GRAY is hoping a summer heart-to-heart with Stephen Thompson will enable the midfielder to play a starring role in Darlington’s attempts to continue their rise through the leagues next season.

Thompson was the Quakers’ star performer in last night’s 4-2 friendly defeat to Sunderland, opening the scoring with a fantastic long-range strike and creating a series of other chances before seeing a second-half penalty saved by Vito Mannone.

Having starred in Darlington’s successful promotion from the Northern League, as well as the following season’s unsuccessful attempt to clamber out of the Evo-Stik First Division, Thompson’s form dipped somewhat last term.

Gray felt the midfielder’s body-building efforts had proved detrimental to his ability to perform on the field, but having instructed Thompson to shed some weight over the summer, the Darlington boss has been delighted with the 26-year-old’s response.

“Myself and Stephen had a really strong word out of the season, regarding what was expected this year,” said Gray. “He had to come back stronger and fitter, with less weight on his body.

“It’s not about looking great for the beach – there’s too many players that are big and bulky. You can’t play football that way, and I think he’s probably lost a stone in weight.

“He’s more dynamic now, and looks fitter. I thought his play tonight was great, and he got a goal which will give him great confidence. He should be playing at a higher level than we’re going into, and he proved that in his first season. He showed spells last year, and this year is going to be another big challenge for him.”

Thompson’s goal was followed by another first-half strike from Adam Mitchell, and while Sunderland hit back with four goals of their own, Gray was delighted with his players’ efforts in their second pre-season outing.

“I thought we looked reasonably fit, and that’s what it’s about,” he said. “We’ve only been back for a couple of weeks part-time, and Sunderland have been back a week full-time now.

“I thought we matched them up really well for a good 45 minutes, if not an hour. We wanted to make things as difficult as we could, to stop them dictating the game, and I thought we did that.

“I want to get us into good habits, and I thought it was a great exercise for both clubs. They go away with no injuries, scoring goals, and we got a couple of goals and took a lot out of the game ourselves.”

Gray fielded a number of trialists in last night’s game, and having already made four permanent signings this summer, the former Sunderland midfielder anticipates more additions before the season gets underway properly next month.

“We’re still looking to bring in players, as I’m sure every manager is looking to do at this stage,” he said. “We’ve done some business very quick, but there’s always one or two where you’re looking to see if something will appear.

“Hopefully, they’ll come around, but I’ll only bring in players who are going to improve us. Sometimes, that doesn’t always come quickly.”