If something's worth doing, then it's worth doing well, so they say. That phrase probably best suits Barry Conlon's role as Darlington's talisman and striker supreme.

Aside from being a target man Conlon may not offer much else, but he fulfills that role exceptionally and without him Darlington would be in big bother. Ten goals for a team at the wrong end of the table isn't a bad return, and three clubs this season have already tested Quakers' resolve with offers for the forward.

As a striker Conlon might not tick all the boxes. For example you're never going to see the 6ft 3in bulky Dubliner dribble past three defenders before lashing home a curler from the edge of the penalty area a la Marco Gabbiadini, nor is Big Baz ever likely to slam home a spectacular overhead kick.

But if it's a man to lead the line you're after then Barry's the boy. He may not have scored on Saturday but at Division Three level Conlon remains a wonderful talent and he's a player Quakers would do well to hold on to come the summer when his contract expires, especially with several clubs having already expressed an interest.

As the target man he so obviously is, Conlon uses his strength and heading ability to hold the ball up in the final third, bringing teammates into play and this was evident on Saturday as he posed a threat throughout.

Although he failed to get on the scoresheet at Moss Rose, Conlon does know how to put the ball in the net - his Darlington goal ratio is exactly one in every three games (38 goals in 144 appearances) so it's no surprise Macclesfield, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday have all tried to prise away Quakers' biggest asset.

But if Darlington are to maintain the form which has seen them move away from the relegation zone, then they must keep hold of what was a £60,000 signing in 2001.

Saturday's first half saw Conlon have just two shots at goal and he was unfortunate not to opening the scoring with a low first-time left-footed effort which went over the bar following Ryan Valentine's precise cross.

Valentine's cross was a rarity as Conlon received little service, forced to create most of his shooting chances himself but he's well capable of this, especially when positioned with his back to goal.

Controlling a ball that's been hammered skywards by the goalkeeper is difficult enough, but even more so when a lumbering 6ft defender is climbing over your back - that Conlon is able to bring the ball under his control with apparent ease in this situation, and then create a chance, is a skill underrated by a minority of Darlington fans.

It's this same minority, yet to accept that the likes of Gabbiadini don't appear more than once-in-a-lifetime, who get on Conlon's back when he's going through a dry spell, as seen towards the end of 2003.

Although Craig Russell went on to bag the winner on Saturday, it was Conlon who was involved in the final third far more; winning countless headers, bringing teammates into play. At one point he played a cross-field ball into the path of Valentine -- while Macclesfield, as many Division Three sides have, found him so hard to defend against they resorted to fouling Darlington's No. 13 - the most fouled player in the divison.

He attracts more than his fair share of knocks from frustrated defenders who sometimes target Conlon - after-all, with his stocky build and bald head he's not exactly difficult to spot.

But a forward with Conlon's physical presence should look the part so it's only right and proper that he sports a skinhead which is in keeping with his no-nonsense approach.

Although not a skinhead by choice, at the age of 25 he's prematurely balding and thus denied the opportunity of cultivating a mullet-style haircut of the sort Clark Keltie has been growing during his three months out of the team. Being bald befits the image of the big and bruising forward.

This is in stark contrast to Macclesfield's Jon Parkin - a poorer version of Conlon, including the floppy haircut. Having failed in their £35,000 bid for Barry, Macc instead settled for strapping Parkin from York and on Saturday Craig Liddle kept him quiet until he was subbed after an hour.

Parkin's been used as a centre-back for York and perhaps, given his commanding prescence in the air, Conlon could also play at the heart of defence where he'd surely prove as difficult to play against as he is at the other end of the pitch.

His aerial ability is frequently used at the back when defending set-pieces and at 1-0 up with ten minutes to go, and with Macclesfield doing their best to snatch a leveller, the hosts fired a corner deep into Darlington territory, but Conlon was on hand head away to safety - Gabbiadini never did that.