Having recovered from the disappointment of missing out on a cup clash with Newcastle by drawing at Cheltenham in midweek, Darlington must pick up at least a point against high-flying Luton today to stay clear of the relegation dogfight.

Injury and suspension rob Darlington of their first-choice back four today, so the last thing Quakers need is the visit of the league's leading scorers and the team with the Third Division' best away record.

Simon Betts is suspended, having received a red card a fortnight ago at Kidderminster, while David Brightwell is out for a further two weeks with a calf injury sustained at Peterborough, which means makeshift centre-back Gary Pearson will play again.

This leaves Craig Liddle and Paul Heckingbottom as the only remaining regulars in the back four, but Liddle's fitness is still in question.

Although the skipper returns after recovering from an Achillies injury suffered at Peterborough which ruled him out of the Cheltenham game, he is not as fit as he'd like to be, having only returned from a broken ankle just seven days ago.

Up front, Barry Conlon will start but has been hobbling all week with a sore toe, while Danny Mellanby has been suffering from a sore back.

With Kirk Jackson sold to Stevenage Borough and Adam Marsh yesterday moving to Ryman Premier League Hampton and Richmond Borough, manager Tommy Taylor only has youngster Mark Sheeran in reserve as Clint Marcelle does not figure in his plans.

The Hatters inflicted a 5-2 defeat on the Quakers in October and, although Darlington fans present that Friday night at Kenilworth Road may not agree, Luton's attacking play was very entertaining, with French left-winger Jean-Louis Valois particularly impressive.

If he plays today, he could give Darlington's right-back, possibly Phil Brumwell, as torrid a 90 minutes as Scunthorpe's Peter Beagrie inflicted upon Betts during Quakers' 7-1 defeat in November.

But Valois isn't the only Hatter to have impressed for Joe Kinnear's men this term.

Catching the eye has been ten-goal striker Dean Crowe, while Carl Griffiths, Matthew Taylor and former Hartlepool forward Steve Howard have all notched seven goals each.

It's that kind of scoring form, coupled with the division's best away record, which has pushed them to second in the table. By contrast, Darlington's away record is the worst in the division.

Taylor isn't perturbed by the statistics and has confidence in his team, despite the changes enforced upon him, although the blunt attack of late has caused some concern.

Quakers didn't hit the back of the net during either of their midweek games and failed to pressurise the opposing defences on each occasion.

* Darlington are set to receive a £60,000 windfall after Burnley yesterday completed the signing of their former striker Robbie Blake from Bradford in a deal worth an initial £1m.

Quakers will cash in thanks to a sell-on clause after Blake agreed a contract that will keep him at Turf Moor until the 2006.

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