THE manager may have changed, but the target remains the same for Darlington.

A place in the play-offs is the ambition for Tommy Wright, who today takes charge of his first Darlington game since being appointed as manager eight days ago.

He watched last Saturday’s win over Bradford Park Avenue from the Blackwell Meadows balcony, the three points lifting Quakers to tenth and two points outside the top seven.

Finishing in the play-offs was also the ambition last season, one fulfilled too, though they were unable to take part in the promotion decider due to not having sufficient covered seating.

Supporters are closing in on the target of £50,000 to pay for the roof of a seated stand, with £15,525 raised by yesterday, while on the pitch the aim for the players is promotion.

“Play-offs are the target,” said Wright, whose team travel to Blyth Spartans. “Once I’d spoken to directors David Johnston and John Tempest about their ambition and plans for the club to get back into the Football League, I want to be the person that does that.

“The lads were massively unlucky last year, to actually finish in the play-off places but be denied the opportunity to go up must’ve been the biggest kick in the teeth for them.

“I know it upset Martin Gray because I spoke to him at the time, and from a playing point of view I bet they felt really low.

“Now, plans are in place and the infrastructure is right.

“There’s good players here – all the promotions they they’ve won – and a real belief that we can go up again.”

Wright’s watching brief alongside assistant Alan White seven days ago meant an audition of sorts for the Darlington players, who met their new manager prior to kick-off.

His first impressions were positive, although he was already familiar with the team having seven days earlier been in charge of the Nuneaton Town side that had defeated Darlington 2-1.

He has also used the Scout 7 software, available to clubs in non-league to watch video of rivals’ matches, a system which relies on clubs sending in footage.

“I think Stephen Thompson was unbelievable on Saturday, Josh Gillies showed moments of absolute class, Tom Portas really impressed me and you’ve got Nathan Cartman up front who will make little runs in behind,” said Wright , who can call on Gary Brown today as he has been given the all-clear to play.

“I like to play quick, passing football, to move people about and play through teams. I’m sure it’ll be a brand of football the fans will enjoy.

“I knew a lot about the lads anyway from doing scouting. The Scout 7 platform means that, if you really put the hours in, you can watch every single game that a club has played. You pick up patterns and what individuals do.

“What I picked up about Darlington is that the lads worked really hard for each other, they’re a physically strong team and hardworking.

“Going back to the last game I had at Nuneaton, Darlington started so badly so that’s when you start looking at character and body language, and I could see that those boys did not give up. That’s a massive thing for me, to be able to look at someone in the eye and know I will get a never-say-die-attitude – that’s what makes you a man."

There are a number of former Quakers at Croft Park, including Blyth boss Alun Armstrong, who was in contention to replace Gray.

In the squad are Peter Jameson, Ian Watson, Jordan Watson, Andrew Cartwright and Dale Hopson, all of whom have had spells with Quakers in recent years.

Hopson has been an immediate hit since joining in the summer, scoring eight goals in 16 appearances and winning Spartans’ player of the month prize for September.

While Gray signed Hopson for Darlington in December 2013 and selected him plenty of times in the latter half of the season – making 21 appearances, ten as a substitute – the midfielder never established himself and left to join Whitby Town where he became an integral player.

Blyth are third in the table, their most recent home game being a 6-3 win three weeks ago against Wright’s Nuneaton, and they have adapted well to the National League North having followed Darlington in winning the Evo-Stik Premier League title.

Quakers pipped them to the title in 2015-16 thanks in part to beating Blyth both home and away that season, Lee Gaskell scoring the only goal of the game in a crunch clash at Croft Park between Christmas and New Year.