A DARLINGTON victory on Saturday at Stockport County, a team going for the title, would represent Quakers’ best result of the campaign and provide a fillip in what’s been a sorry season.

Entrenched in the bottom third of the table, all concerned are desperate to move on and draw a line under 2018-19, a season in which a recurring theme has been an inability to hold onto a lead.

Promotion-chasers Chorley, Bradford PA and Altrincham are among those to have benefitted from Darlington’s vulnerable nature when ahead.

Quakers have led 17 of their games at some stage, either by a goal or two-goal margin, but have won only nine of their 38 contests in all competitions, which partly explains why they languish in 17th with six games to go.

“We’ve given away a lot of two-goal leads which has ultimately cost us points away from home, but the challenge is there,” said manager Tommy Wright ahead of the trip to second-top Stockport.

“For 92 minutes we were beating Chorley, who are top of the league, we were 3-1 up against Altrincham, and we were 2-0 up against Bradford Park Avenue, so I know we can compete against these teams. We beat Telford at home 3-0.

“We’ll be going up against a team at the top end of this league that have aspirations to win the title, and we need to make a good account of ourselves.

“I think we can cause an upset and if we play like did on Wednesday I think we will get results against teams.”

Quakers have a nine-point cushion above the relegation places, however, they will have an eye third-bottom FC United, who are expected to beat Nuneaton Borough.

The midweek defeat at home to Chester, watched by Stockport boss Jim Gannon, continued Quakers’ poor sequence – two wins in 11 games – but Wright remains upbeat about his team.

He said: “I don’t think there’s any team in this league where if we show up and put on a performance that reflects ourselves, I don’t think there’s many teams are better than us.

“We can compete with anybody, but it is about managing games and erasing the individual errors that have cost us this year, not our build-up play, not our shape.”

It is Wright’s loyalty to his players that led to him not making any substitutions on Wednesday, something that also happened at home to Nuneaton Borough in December, though on that day Darlington had five children on the bench.

Against Chester Alex Henshall and new signing Osagi Bascome were among the subs, but Wright felt his team were playing well so stuck with his starting XI throughout, explaining: “We tweaked the system during the game, Wilson Kneeshaw went outside and Jordan Nicholson came inside, and I thought we still looked a threat, but maybe I’ve seen something that others haven’t.”

He must make at least one change to this starting XI today as Omar Holness serves a one-match ban for being sent off seven days ago at Nuneaton.

His absence raises the possibility of Tom Elliott returning to midfield with Ben Jackson, on loan from Huddersfield Town, coming in at left-back.

Wright added: “Omar misses out so we will make adjustments there, and Will Smith won’t be available because he is out for two-four weeks, so we will look at our options.”

Due to commitments to their parent club, Jackson and striker Kit Elliott, also on loan from Huddersfield, have rarely trained with Quakers since signing two weeks ago, which could explain why Wright has been reluctant to throw them into action.

Whoever plays today will face an examination of their character as Stockport, chasing Chorley for top spot, will be backed by another large and vociferous crowd.

The former Football League club average 3,754 at Edgeley Park, comfortably the highest in the division, and last weekend the gate was 6,064 for the second leg of the FA Trophy tie with AFC Fylde.

“Their fans will be right behind their team because they are going for the title. The challenge is there for the lads, playing on the big stage,” Wright added.

“In this league there is no bigger stage than Stockport away, I think the lads will be champing at the bit ready for Saturday.”