Darlington manager Martin Gray is confident that Quakers will overcome last week’s surprise defeat when they travel to Humberside for their first ever game against North Ferriby in the Vanarama National League North this afternoon.

Quakers lost their unbeaten record last Saturday when they were beaten 1-0 at home by AFC Telford United, a result that saw them drop out of the top three down to seventh in the table, with ten points from five games.

But Gray believes that his players have the ability to bounce straight back just as they have done from defeats in the past.

“The spirit in the camp is fantastic, it takes more than one defeat to knock these lads,” he said.

“There is a strong togetherness and will-to-win in the dressing room, and they want to put things right from last week. We have worked on a few things in training this week, not having a midweek game has helped in that way.

“We have played well away from home in recent seasons, and so far this season we’ve won at Salford and drawn at York. But that’s not to say that we think it will be easy to win at North Ferriby – it won’t be. We’ve had them watched on a couple of occasions, they won at Blyth last week, and from the reports we’ve had, it looks as if they’re in a false position.”

Central defender Dominic Collins, who unlike most of his team mates has played at Ferriby before, said; “We’ve had a really positive start to the season. Obviously we’re disappointed with the Telford game, but at the start of the season we would have settled for ten points from the first five matches. Maybe the Telford game came too soon after a good away trip and a good away performance at York.

“That’s not an excuse, but maybe we weren’t quite normal last Saturday. It can be difficult if you’re playing two games per week and then go to work the next morning. We’re looking to put things right at Ferriby, it’s given us a little kick where it hurts most.

“We’ve got plenty of goals in the team, but all the defenders know that we have to keep clean sheets, so then the likes of Josh Gillies and Mark Beck can score goals and win the game. We know that we have to keep clean sheets, and make it difficult for other teams to score against us. We’ve kept two clean sheets this season, both away from home, and we need to keep more at home. I’ve looked back at the goals we’ve conceded, and they’ve been poor goals from ourselves, we should have been able to keep them out.

“We’ve done well away from home. We’ve not lost away from home this season, and that’s something that must continue. “ Ferriby have had their ups and downs in recent years. They have steadily climbed the national system since they lost to Whitby – then managed by Quakers’ chief scout Harry Dunn – back in 199,7. They won the Northern Premier League in 2013, lost in the National League North play offs in 2014 won the FA Trophy in 2015, won the play offs in 2016 but were relegated straight back down last season.

They lost their first four league games this season, before they won 1-0 at Blyth last Saturday.

Central defender Gary Brown is almost certain to return to the Quaker squad today after recovering from the head injury he sustained at York City eleven days ago.