AFTER being introduced to their new boss before Saturday’s win, Darlington players this evening get a taste of their manager’s methods when he takes training for the first time.

Tommy Wright and assistant Alan White were appointed on Friday, watching Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bradford Park Avenue from the stand and leaving Phil Turnbull and Gary Brown to take care of proceedings.

White occasionally offered some advice to the Darlington dug-out from the Blackwell balcony, but this evening is his and the manager’s first official engagement since being given the job.

As well as meeting the players before the game they also entered the changing room afterwards to congratulate them, and the players are looking forward to a new start.

“We’ve needed a new manager to give us some direction, because the past few weeks we’ve been stale,” admitted midfielder Tom Portas.

“They came in the changing room afterwards, said well done and that we’ll work on what they want to work on in training on Tuesday and Thursday.

“They want to make little changes, but overall they want us to play football like we have been doing since Browny and Phil have been in charge.

“We’ve got the players there to do it, it’s just a case of getting that solid mentality back into our game. Like on Saturday we had two solid banks and we hit them on the counter.”

The indications are that Wright wants to encourage the passing approach utilised at his previous club Nuneaton, who defeated Darlington 2-1 a week last Saturday.

“If the way Nuneaton played last week is any guide it’ll be very pleasing on the eye,” said Brown. “He was so clever the way he set his team up last week.

“Tommy has been in management a few years now, it’ll not take him more than five minutes to work out the lads in there. Me and Phil won’t have to do anything, we can concentrate on being players again.”

Brown has not played since August 28, therefore if he plays this weekend at Blyth Spartans he will have been sidelined exactly two months since being told not to play due to a concussion-related issue.

“I can’t wait to get my boots back on,” he added. “My target when I came back from London when I saw specialists a few weeks ago was the Blyth game, so hopefully I’ll make it.”