DARLINGTON today embark on a testing five-game fortnight by aiming to make it three wins in a row – four days later than anticipated.

Having trounced Luton 5-1 last weekend on the back of beating Bournemouth, Quakers were full of confidence ahead of Tuesday’s fixture at Accrington Stanley.

But the game was unexpectedly postponed hours before kick-off following a hastily arranged pitch inspection carried out by a local match official.

His verdict was that water on the pitch, following snow the previous day, was in danger of freezing closer to kickoff time.

An Accrington official has since claimed the game should have been played, and Darlington certainly wish it had been as not only were they high in confidence but also had an almost fully-fit squad.

That was in contrast to fifth-bottom Accrington, whose form has been poor in recent weeks – losing five of their previous seven games – and so low have their numbers been that last weekend they were forced to fill their substitutes’ bench with untested teenagers.

Ahead of facing fellow promotion chasers Shrewsbury at the ProStar Stadium, Penney is trying to reflect on Tuesday’s postponement in a positive light.

“We were a bit frustrated that we weren’t able to play,”

he admitted. “Especially as we had just had a good win and were looking to follow that up with another good result.

“We quite fancied our chances, because of the Luton result, but it was not to be. But you could say that it’s better that it was called off because otherwise we could have ended up playing on a boggy field.

“And, in hindsight, you could say we’re now better prepared as we’ll be just as fresh as Shrewsbury, who didn’t have a game in midweek.

“We’d only got as far as Scotch Corner when the game was called off, but there had been the expense of the prematch meal and hiring a coach for the day.

“I’m not sure whether the club can claim any of that back. The financial implications are an issue, but as a manager the condition of the players is always most important.

“My biggest concern is keeping the players fit and in their best condition. We only had a light session on Monday in preparation for the game on Tuesday, but then that game was called off.

“So we then had a session on Wednesday to make up for Tuesday.”

Today’s game signals the start of a demanding spell, in which all but one of the next five opponents are in the current top ten.

The only exception are Rotherham, Quakers’ visitors on Tuesday, who would be in the promotion reckoning were it not for their 17-point deduction.

In seven days comes a trip to eighth-placed Dagenham, then a Monday evening match at fourth-placed Bradford before leaders Wycombe visit the Arena.

With 22 matches to come, the period could hardly be described as make-or-break, but it will play a significant factor in Darlington’s final position.

Penney said: “There’s going to be a lot of big games and a lot of points available in a short space of time.

“All our next few games are against top sides.

“Shrewsbury have a very good home record and even though Rotherham are near the bottom of the table they would be top five or six if it wasn’t for their points deduction.

So they should not be underestimated.

“We’ve also got Dagenham, Bradford on Sky, then the leaders at home. So this is a big period and it is important that we keep everybody fit.

“We’ve won twice in two games so we’re full of confidence and hopefully will take that into Saturday’s game.”

Penney intends to field the same XI that beat Luton, but new signing Danny Carlton is likely to replace Seb Carole on the bench.

Carole left this week and is training with Huddersfield, but manager Lee Clark said: “Seb still lives in the Leeds area and was looking to train with a club in order to maintain fitness and sharpness.

“We were happy to help him out, but there are no plans to take things any further.”

The Shrews have the best home record in the division and Penney is aware his side face a tough test at the ProStar Stadium, where Darlington play for the second time, having drawn 0-0 there last March.

Penney added: “They’ve got a fantastic home record, winning nine out of 12 home games in the league. Away from home they’ve had a lot of draws, including one at our place.

“It will be a tough game and Shrewsbury are going to be one of the sides that are going to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.”