Without too much fuss Darlington Railway Athletic have surged through the local Saturday afternoon leagues in recent seasons, whilst collecting a tidy haul of trophies in the process.

Each promotion to a higher division has brought about a new, and tougher challenge.

As the honours list has lengthened - now standing at two divisional titles and four cup wins in the last four seasons - an almost constant reassessment of the club's aims has followed.

When manager Dave Woodcock arrived at the club in 1998 he, alongside secretary Martyn Jackson, set the club's sights on promotion from the Darlington and District League which was promptly achieved in '99, and since then the RA have continued their rapid ascent.

Now sitting in a comfortable fourth position in the Wearside League, the RA now have a new set of ambitions, but this time they're thinking bigger than just another promotion.

Plans are firmly in place for a Brinkburn Road facelift which, once completed, would bring their home patch up to Northern League requirements; and a place in this league would fulfil the second part of their masterplan.

The RA harbour plans to improve their ground to match their Northern League ambitions, and those plans are firmly in motion with a stand and floodlights already bought for an undisclosed fee from fallen neighbours, Cleveland Bridge.

Having received planning permission from the council earlier this year, it is anticipated the stand and floodlights will be in place in time for next season.

However, at present, the stand resembles a gigantic unwanted Meccano set: lying in pieces ready for construction while the lights are also awaiting installation.

Although a longer term aim, permission has also been granted to build changing rooms and an artificial pitch, but the new stand and floodlights alone are a great indication of the club's high ambitions.

"If we hadn't been allowed permission to put the floodlights up we'd have had to say 'we've come as far as we can'," said Martyn. "But now, if we get the chance, we can move on."

Dave added: "It is another goal now. I don't know how many years it's going to take but if we can get this ground up and running, we will be able to look at it as some achievement."

In true grassroots style Martyn and Dave even assisted in dismantling the stand at Cleveland Bridge who are now competing in the Teesside League having long since departed the Northern League.

Martyn explains: "They Cleveland Bridge took the stand down and agreed to bring it across here to us, except for the stantions, so one Saturday morning me, Dave and the centre-half went over with our own burning gear and finished the job off, brought the stantions back over here in a wagon.

"It's a shame because the Cleveland was a lovely set-up," added Dave.

If the ground itself isn't currently up to Northern League standard, the pitch certainly is. In fact, the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United, who've all encountered pitch problems in recent years, would pay good money for a surface of Brinkburn Road's quality.

Throughout RA's resurgence the fabulous playing surface has remained constant. Tended by David Eccles, the pitch is renowned as being of bowling green quality, and is probably as good the pitch at the town's other, football ground, Feethams.

A pitch of this kind can only assist RA's performances as Martyn and Dave target a place in the illustrious Northern League; a level the club graced for six seasons in the early 1920s.

In this, the Darlington Railway Institute's 90th year, the pair talk enthusiastically of their Northern League plans for the RA, but Dave admits the goal may take a little longer to reach than the Wearside League did.

He said: "If we win the league next year, and everything's ready off the pitch we will go up into the Northern League. If we don't do it next year, we might do it the year after. If it takes two, three or even ten years, the sole ambition is to get the club into the Northern League.

"The standard of the Wearside League is excellent, it really is. You get some sides that are better than the Northern League second division. But getting to the Northern League would represent a great step up, a lot of lads want to be able to say that they play in the Northern League.

"It would be very hard to win the Wearside League but if we can do that and get in the Northern League within the next few years it would be a massive achievement."

Grand as the RA's plans are, the pair are adamant they aren't setting their sights too high. Although their dream is now within grasp, clubs in the past have made the leap into the Northern League too soon.

Dave cites Cleveland Bridge as a club who perhaps weren't ready, saying: "We're not going to run before we can walk, but if we do finally make the step, we have to make sure everything is right, that all the finance is in place."

Darlington Building Society are on board as shirt sponsors, but Dave concedes a little more assistance wouldn't go amiss.

"There must be a sponsor out there who would notice we're a Northern League club.

"We're not in financial crises, but it is hard. We do a Sportsman's Dinner once a year, we sell a programme, we do a raffle and we're doing that every week just to survive. Against Birtley my wife stood in the door for an hour and made over £80 selling the programmes and that money pays for the officials."

RA have certainly come a long way since Dave teamed up with Martyn in 1998, and the intention to erect a stand and floodlights bears testament to this.

RA have made progress both on the pitch and off it, with reflections on times gone by now providing light-hearted anecdotes.

"Without being nasty to what was here before, but what we have now has come from a pub side, says David.

"The first game after I took over I didn't know what to expect. I walked in an hour before kick-off and there's half a dozen players having a pint watching the racing!"

"Five years ago we used to take a £1 off the players for subs, now they're expecting RA t-shirts and tracksuits!" added Martyn.

Dave continues: "But we do everything properly now, we turn up an hour before the game and do a warm-up.

"This is the best set of lads we've ever had here. I'm not saying this side is better than the one which won all those cups, but everyone of them is a cracking lad.

"Sometimes you have one or two bad apples but you put up with them because they're decent players, but it's not like that here."

Given their Northern League hopes, plans for a new stand and floodlights, it could never be said that Darlington RA aren't an ambitious club.

Indeed, Dave can even imagine the day Brinkburn Road stages a televised match. "If we do go up in the next few years then we would play in the FA Vase and the FA Cup and I know it's a bit of a fairytale, but if you look at Harrogate Railway, they're the same standard as the Northern League and they played on TV," he said.

"We played Durham in a friendly one year and they beat us 6-1. I remember thinking I would love to emulate them, and do something like they've done, take a part of the town and build it up."

Durham City are now a thriving Northern League club in the top division with an impressive stadium.

Given Martyn and Dave's track record the dream of reaching their latest goals certainly appear well within their capabilities.

RA facing vital fixtures

Martyn Jackson and Dave Woodcock's side hold home advantage over the next two weekends, beginning with the visit of second-placed Birtley Town tomorrow, writes CRAIG STODDART.

Birtley are just a point ahead of RA who sit fourth, so the match will go a long way to dictating the final standings in the Wearside League.

With Third Division Darlington not playing tomorrow, there is potential for a bigger crowd than usual while the match presents a chance for revenge.

Although RA beat Birtley at Brinkburn Road earlier this month in a League Cup tie, tomorrow's game gives RA the opportunity to avenge a 6-2 League defeat inflicted on them at Birtley last September.

A week tomorrow RA host fifth-bottom Ryhope, while the Brinkburn Road-based club are still heavily involved in the Cup competitions.

Upcoming are matches in both semi-finals of the Sunderland Shipowners Cup and the Monkwearmouth Cup while a quarter final tie in the League Cup awaits.

Tomorrow's game kicks-off at 2pm and admission is £1.