DARLINGTON are not a club that enjoys much success in the FA Cup, yet their teenagers are showing the senior players how it’s done.

Last month Quakers lost at Lancaster City in the second qualifying round, falling at the first hurdle for the second year in succession, and not since 2010-11 have they won more than one game in the competition during a season.

So it’s a source of solace and pride to the club that their teenagers are looking forward to its third tie of the campaign in the prestigious FA Youth Cup.

Made up primarily of teenagers studying on the club’s BTEC sports and sports science courses at Darlington College, the team take on Clitheroe in the second qualifying round tomorrow evening.

Coached by Andrew Jinks, the college kids started with a preliminary round win over Chester-le-Street, winning 4-2 after extra-time, and then overcame a highly-rated Shildon 2-1 in the first qualifying round.

They take on Clitheroe at Norton & Stockton’s ground (7:30pm) and, win or lose, the game represents a small piece of history.

It is the first time, since the current Quakers era of began in 2012, that their youth team has reached this round. “We’ve been in it for three years but never got this far,” said Jinks. “We tend to draw Gateshead and fall short.”

Manager Martin Gray said: “It’s a prestigious competition, it is now and it was when I was playing for Sunderland, and it’s a bit of exposure for them.

“It’s a big deal for everyone, the players especially, but the whole club are behind them. Our senior staff all went to support the team in the last round, I didn’t ask them to go, they went because they know how important the competition is to the club. The interest in our under-18s is immense.

“When I played in the competition the first-team manager, Denis Smith, turned up and it was the icing on the cake. It’s important to have a system in place, to see how the youth coaches are doing and to support them.

“I’ve heavily got involved in the last two Cup games, supporting Andrew. Hopefully myself and Brian Atkinson by being there can help Andrew progress in his career as well.”

Gray says Quakers value their youth side and hope to promote more players into the first team.

As well as the FA Youth Cup, several of Darlington’s youngsters will be given an opportunity in the Durham Challenge Cup on Wednesday, October 26 against Stockton Town alongside a handful of first-team Quakers.

The manager said: “It’s so important players progress from the youth team into the first team. We’ve had a few each season make their debut and we want more, it’s crucial for a club like ours.

“The youth team is the future and the college courses are the driving force for the youth team - we want as many local lads possible to come to us because they’re going to get a chance with us.”

Prior to 2012 Dan Burn, Scott Harrison, Curtis Main and Michael Smith were all in the club’s youth section and have gone on to forge careers in the EFL. Gray wants to see a pathway into Darlington’s first-team for the current crop of youngsters, which features Dale Milburn, Lewis Cocks, Jonty Gray and Brad Kilpatrick who are all studying as part of the Martin Gray Football Academy at Darlington College.

As well as playing football every day and competing for places in Quakers’ youth team, students on the course gain a qualification that can put them on the route to roles in the game such as coaching and physiotherapy.

The college offers sports and sports science BTEC qualifications assisted with coaching at MGFA, while in the summer 25 students and five coaches spent a week in Barcelona for the first of what’s planned to become an annual excursion.

They played two games against local opposition, drawing 0-0 and winning the other 6-3, and Jinks said: “All of the students have talked about how good it was, a class experience.

“They’re expected to get passed off the park by the second Spanish team they played. They were playing like Barcelona, passing it around in triangles, we were more direct and more physical and we won 6-3.”

*Later this month Darlington are holding a taster session for potential BTEC students at Eastbourne Sports Complex, Darlington.

For pupils currently in Year 11, it takes place on Friday, October 28 from 9am-12.