THE first of Darlington’s six pre-season friendlies takes place today at Shildon, an opportunity to start building match fitness and a chance to earn a contract for the handful of trialists currently with the squad.

Quakers began their pre-season a week last Tuesday, training at East Durham College in Peterlee, where manager Martin Gray has been casting his eye over players in a number of positions who are hoping to earn a deal with Darlington.

Former York City striker Richard Brodie is among those hoping to give a clearer indication of their abilities at Dean Street, though this time of year is geared towards fitness, rather than results.

“They’re already in good shape,” said the manager. “We’ve got to get them working with the ball, but there is still some leg work to do – overall you’ve got to get the balance right.

“Pre-season is about getting some minutes in and hopefully not getting any injuries.

“Players go to the gym themselves now and they’re in such good shape anyway. You haven’t got to give them four or five-mile runs any more.

“They do their own work involving cardiovascular and weight training, so when they’re with us we try to give them as much ball work as possible but with a bit of running too.”

Gray will field a strong starting XI today and at Newton Aycliffe on Wednesday, a game which was originally designated as a youth-team fixture.

The manager explained: “Whoever starts on Saturday will play for an hour, and whoever doesn’t start will get an hour on Wednesday.

“I wanted to get an extra game in for the first team, so we’ll go to Aycliffe on Wednesday and get some minutes under our belts.”

Midfielder Tom Portas may be involved on Wednesday as he nears the end of rehabilitation from a long-term ankle injury.

“Portas probably won’t play on Saturday, but he might get 20 minutes at Aycliffe, depending on how he trains before then,” said Gray. “I’m being guided by the physio on that one.

“He’ll train on Saturday and on Tuesday. If he gets through that okay he might play on Wednesday.”

Today’s game was arranged as part of the transfer that saw David Ferguson join Darlington from Shildon midway through last season.