THE campaign comes to a conclusion next weekend, but first up for Darlington is an Easter doubleheader and a chance to do something they have not done all season: win three games in a row.

On Good Friday they bid to beat Bradford PA at Blackwell Meadows (3pm), and doing so would give make it three wins on the bounce for the first time since February last year.

It says much for Quakers’ lack of consistency that the highest number of wins they have put together is two, something they have achieved three times this season.

Buoyed by beating FC United of Manchester 2-0 and Boston United, also 2-0, manager Tommy Wright said: “We want to finish strong. We don’t want to finish 18th in the league, we want points on the board and to finish as high as we can.

“It’s too easy to say the lads are bad players – it’s consistency that has been our main problem, stringing results together and putting games to bed.”

They are aiming for a win against Bradford at the third time of asking having lost to them at home in the FA Cup 1-0, and drawn 2-2 away in October when Jordan Nicholson scored twice.

Whereas Darlington are playing for pride, Bradford have a play-off place to protect, sixth in the table about five points ahead of in-form Blyth, who are eighth.

Mark Bower’s team have slipped down the table, however, having been top earlier in the campaign and the only success in their last five games has been a win over bottom-of-the-table Nuneaton Borough.

Wright added: “When we went there we were 2-0 up after 16 minutes. They have made changes since then because of the budget, but they are still in the play-off mix so they have a team that we should respect.

“But at the same time we can take confidence from two wins on the spin, two clean sheets, and we have to go and put in a performance in front of our own fans.”

Ten-goal Nicholson may find himself out of the starting XI today and Wright will be tempted to give Kit Elliott his first start, but he must decide whether the teenager is able to having been in Poland this week with Huddersfield Town.

The 18-year-old was part of an under-19s squad travelled to Poland, and were due to play two matches but the first was cancelled.

He played for 40 minutes on Wednesday against Miedź Legnica, coming on as a first-half substitute and then being substituted in the second half, before returning to West Yorkshire on Thursday.

Elliott came off the bench for Darlington last Saturday at Boston as one of three half-time substitutes - Nicholson, Tom Elliott and Alex Henshall all withdrawn - and helped turn the game in Quakers’ favour by scoring the first goal.

“The way he wears his socks and his shirt, he’s a scruffy get and he looks like a rugby league player!” joked Wright.

“He’s an old-school hustle and bustle centre-forward that backs in.

“We’ve not seen much of him because he’s not trained with us much, but he showed us against FC United what he was about for ten minutes, and against Boston he did great.”

Darlington beat Bradford PA 2-1 at home last season, a game that Wright watched from the Blackwell balcony having just been appointed as Martin Gray’s successor.

Last week’s win was his 20th at the helm, coming after some tactical switches and substitutions following a first half that Wright was less than pleased with, leading to some strong words during the break.

“I told the lads before the game that shirts are up for grabs, it is going to go on merit and performances and I stand by that,” he said. “Our second half performance was great.

“The first half wasn’t good enough, we got a reaction and I’m pleased for the lads because they took it on board, they didn’t shy away and ground it out.”