DARLINGTON go into Saturday's game rejuvenated and having made three signings since last week’s collapse at Hereford, manager Tommy Wright refreshing the squad ahead of the final eight games.

In contention to make their debut at Blackwell Meadows against Chester - weather permitting, there will be a 9am pitch inspection – are Ben Jackson and Kit Elliott, two teenagers who joined on loan from Huddersfield Town yesterday.

They have followed Jamaican international Omar Holness in this week becoming a Quaker, giving Wright a few more options and the squad a lift.

Left-back Jackson is 18, and striker Elliott is 17. Their loans are classed as work experience, which are for players on academy scholarships, and have no end date.

Jackson, from Stockport, is described by Huddersfield as a “very versatile player”, able to play at full-back or on the wing on either side.

He has been a virtual ever-present for Huddersfield’s Under-19 and development sides this season, scoring twice in 32 starts and a substitute appearance.

Elliott, who turns 18 next week, is from London and has been with Huddersfield’s academy since last summer.

He has been capped by England at Under-16 level, and is understood to be a strong striker, netting twice in 15 starts and 11 substitute appearances this season for the Under-19s.

With Joe Wheatley sidelined and Romal Palmer having sustained an injury that saw him substituted during the first half last week, Holness is in line to start.

Brought to the club’s attention by finance director John Woolnough, Holness spent a short time on trial with Quakers and has previously played in the USA for Real Salt Lake and Bethlehem Steel.

The trio’s arrival further changes the complexion of a squad that has undergone changes throughout the course of the season, this week seeing Williams Kokolo recalled by Sunderland while recently Liam Hughes and Ben O’Hanlon left too.

Wright, at least publicly, has rarely bemoaned losing players such as Reece Styche and Dave Syers, but points out that Darlington are in a transitional period.

He said: “We’re a football club that’s going through a transition, that's still suffering a little bit of a hangover.

“It was never going to happen overnight, but we’ve had to sell players to balance the books, and haven’t had continuity.

“If you look at successful teams, they have an infrastructure on place and they keep players year after year. We haven’t had that yet, but it will come again.

“At the present time it is frustrating and it has halted our progress a little bit while we catch up with what everybody else is doing.”

What Darlington needs now is a morale-boosting win. They have slid down the table by winning only won one of their last nine games, last weekend losing 4-2 to Hereford having led 2-0 at half-time, culminating in the club’s board issuing a statement acknowledging fans’ frustrations.

Quakers’ hierarchy asked for support from the fans in the final eight games, asking them to encourage the team and Stephen Thompson has done likewise, the club’s longest-serving player.

And with Wright having borne the brunt of supporters’ ire, Thompson also admitted that the team needs to take their share of responsibility for what’s been a poor season, Quakers currently lying seven points above the relegation zone.

Now is time to put action into words against play-off hopefuls Chester, who are managed by a couple of familiar faces that will be looking to capitalise on Quakers’ poor form.

Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley were Quakers’ nemesis during their time in charge of Ramsbottom United and Salford City, always a thorn in the side until Darlington started to win a couple of matches against them.

They got the better of Darlington once again when the teams met in December, however, and ahead of today’s game Johnson said: “They’re on a tough run but they’ve picked up a points against the likes of Chorley recently so we know they can hurt even the best teams in the league.

“There is a fragility about them though in terms of confidence and hopefully we can capitalise.”

They certainly capitalised on Darlington’s slack defending on December 1 when Chester won 3-1, debutant striker Akwasi Asante scoring a hat-trick despite the hosts having a man sent off.