Craig Russell has yet to hit the net for Darlington this season - but the experienced frontman says he's not feeling the pressure.

Manager David Hodgson has placed faith in goalless Russell. He's started all seven games, but is still awaiting his first goal although he twice came close at Chester last Saturday while two headers on Monday against Cambridge United weren't far away either.

His last goal came 13 appearances ago - a great finish at Macclesfield in March that went a long way to maintaining the club's league safety in a season in which Russell initially played on a voluntary basis.

The goal drought is all a far cry from his time at Sunderland where Russell once scored four in a game against Millwall.

But since his Roker Park days, which ended with a move to Man City in 1997, the South Shields-born 30-year-old has struggled to match the same scoring feats.

He's spent the last seven years with seven different clubs, making 153 appearances and hitting the net on 14 occasions, but admitted: "I don't put myself under any extra pressure to score.

"In every game I go out and do my best, work hard and if I score that's great but I don't and the teams wins then nobody goes home any happier that me.

"Obviously I'm disappointed I haven't scored but we won on Saturday and got a point on Monday so long may it continue. If I don't score for the next few games but we them all then nobody will be bothered.

"This is probably the longest runs of games I've played up-front since I left Sunderland. Since then I've always been up-front one week, on the left the week after, then I'd be on the right in the next week.''

Russell added: "I actually played on the left a lot at Sunderland too. My Sunderland scoring statistics would be a lot better if they only showed the games I played as a striker.

"I've rarely had a consistent run of games upfront but I am now and I'm really enjoying it.

"The manager said to me in the close season that I was going to play in one position and one position only and I was really happy with that.

"I thought, right, I'm back upfront, hopefully I can get a few goals. Unfortunately that's not happened yet but results are more important."

Both of Matt Clarke's goals this season have come from Russell crosses, including one at Chester where Russell had an opportunity in each half, the second seeing the unmarked striker miss the target from 16 yards.

The first chance came following goof work from Ryan Valentine and Russell said: "I set myself ready to hit the shot but it took a touch off a defender on the way.

"Ryan said at half-time that he hit it too hard but it just took a touch on the way to me and that was enough.

"As for the second one, Brian Close played a great ball to me and I was in two minds over whether or not to take a touch and then smash it as hard as I could, but I hit it first time and it went just over the bar.

"I score them every day in training but the most important thing is that we won 3-0.

"I try and get involved in the build-up, linking-up with the midfield and I've managed to set Matt with two goals this season."

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