DARLINGTON and Ramsbottom United renew rivalries this evening, though the circumstances are differ greatly from their previous meeting in April last year.

Ramsbottom make their first return to Heritage Park since a controversial play-off semi-final, which saw the Greater Manchester club triumph 2-0 en route to winning promotion.

Quakers followed them up at the end of last season, also in the play-offs, but the two clubs have had contrasting starts to this campaign. Darlington will go top with a win should leaders Blyth Spartans fail to take three points at third-placed Salford City, whereas Ramsbottom are rock bottom and likely to stay there due to their poor goal difference even if victorious this evening.

Like The Northern Echo's Darlington FC Facebook page

They have taken only one point from seven games and scored only twice, whereas Martin Gray’s team have put three successive wins together and found the net 16 times, including three at Halesowen Town on Saturday.

“It’s another massive game on Tuesday and we’ll need the same mentality as Saturday,” said Gray.

“We did more than enough to deserve the win. We defended well and if we’d taken our chances we would’ve had the game won by half-time.”

Asked about the first meeting with Ramsbottom’s since April 2014, he added: “That’s gone now, nobody will be thinking about that game, and there’s a lot of new players in both teams now who weren’t at either of the clubs back then.”

The vast majority of the Ramsbottom players involved in the crunch clash 17 months ago have moved on, many of them decamping to Salford City midway through last season, as did joint-managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, while seven of the 14 Darlington players used have since left.

Referee Kevin Mulraine sent off two Darlington players – Jordan Robinson and Stephen Thompson – but it was the tackle on Leon Scott by left-back Owen Roberts which provided the biggest taking point as it saw the Quakers midfielder taken out of the game inside the first 15 seconds.

Scott will get the nod again this evening if Portas has not yet recovered from the hamstring strain which kept him out of action at the weekend, while Gray is also concerned about Lewis Gibbons.

He was subbed at the break at Halesowen and should he be unable to start Adam Mitchell would continue at right-back where he played for the second half on Saturday.

The Northern Echo:

Striker Graeme Armstrong put Darlington ahead with a header at Halesowen, his third goal of the season, despite not yet being fully fit.

Gray is easing him back into action following major abdominal surgery in May, substituting him in each game and resting him for the match at Colwyn Bay nine days ago.

Armstrong said: “Martin and Brian Atkinson continuously ask me how I am and I appreciated not having to go to Colwyn Bay. Two games in three days would’ve been too much for me, and I suppose I’m at an age now when I’m sensible enough to admit that, even though I want to play every game.

“Martin made the decision, I would never say I want a rest. I didn’t want to stay at home, but it was Martin who said I should stay at home and rest for the Blyth game two days later.

“It’s three goals in five starts and I’ve come off in every game, so I’m overachieving at the minute, not just in the goals scored but in games played.

“I never expected to start the second game of the season, that’s for sure, I was looking towards the end of September or middle of October. But the problem with the injury was that very few people get it so it was difficult to say when I should be back.

“I wasn’t expecting to be back and scoring goals this early, and it is early because I still feel discomfort, so I’m trying to take my time and not get carried away.”

It was while being rested for the trip to Colwyn Bay that veteran defender Alan White found his scoring touch when given an opportunity up front.

“Whitey has taken a little bit of pressure off me to play every game and we’re lucky to have him with Adam Nowakowski getting injured so early in the season,” added Armstrong.

“Whitey has been coming on and having an impact in games and I totally understand keeping lads fresh for the next game and I’m probably one of those that needs a rest towards the end of a game if possible.

“I want to play as minutes as I can, but I understand that Martin wants to protect me. I’m not 100 per cent, I know I can do better because I do start to tire as the second half goes on.”

Saturday’s clean sheet was Quakers’ second of the season, an achievement that came largely due to solid defending and Armstrong was keen to laud his team-mates.

“I thought we defended very well, our defence was tremendous,” he said. “The centre-backs might get the plaudits, but I thought Ian Watson was tremendous. He’s been the player we know he can be.

“We’re scoring goals, another three on Saturday, Stephen Thompson is flying, he scored again, and the frightening thing is we missed Tom Portas. He is a massive player for us, but Leon Scott was tremendous.

“Considering we’re missing Portas, Terry Galbraith and Adam Nowakowski, I think it shows we’ve got a squad which is the best in the league.”