DARLINGTON’S two injured players are making progress toward recovery and manager Martin Gray expects them to be putting their boots back on soon.

Tom Portas and Arran Wearmouth have been on the sidelines for differing lengths of time, the former since the end of November after being on the end of a poor challenge against Stalybridge Celtic.

Callum Bagshaw inflicted an ankle injury that at one stage Portas feared would require surgery, but Gray last night said the midfielder is back in training.

On Portas, Gray said: “He’s back on the training ground and jogging, so we’re hopeful that it’s sooner rather than later.

“It was an ankle injury, a real nasty one.”

Wearmouth is pencilled in for a return in the new year.

He was a summer signing from Blyth Spartans, but had not kicked a ball before it transpired he required to repair a cruciate knee ligament, an injury sustained last season but undetected until he joined Darlington.

“He’s starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, so I’m pleased for the big fella,” said Gray.

“He’s found it hard to watch games, it’s sickened him.

“He came here with the expectations of getting in the team, so to go from that to not being able to train has been hard for him and got him down.

“I’m looking forward to him being fully back involved in training sessions, and he might play around January or February.”

Darlington face Salford City at Heritage Park tomorrow (3pm), a match which is expected to be Quakers’ last at Heritage Park, and is not all-ticket.

The clubs were promoted together last season, Darlington winning the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League title with Salford finishing 14 points behind in third place and going up through the play-offs.