DAN BURN and Michael Smith are shining examples to Darlington's burgeoning youth team of what they can achieve.

That is the view of Craig Liddle, who cites the duo as being an inspiration to the club's next crop of local talent.

Burn and Smith both left The Northern Echo Arena this year, for Fulham and Charlton respectively, having come through the ranks under Liddle, and his current youth team can do little wrong at present.

Their victory over Shrewsbury Town in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday was their seventh successive win in all competitions and came in front of a raft of scouts representing various Premier League clubs.

The 2-0 win secured a tie in the third round at Newcastle United, while they are second behind Hull City in the Youth Alliance North-East division, and the team's success is providing a welcome boost to supporters who have serious concerns over the club's future.

Liddle said: "If everything sorts itself out off the field then hopefully these lads are the future of the football club. I keep telling them every day that they've got to be ambitious. Obviously first they've got to break into the first team at Darlington, but look at what can happen then. We've seen Dan Burn and Michael Smith move on to bigger and better things. That's the target. Get them into the first team and then move on.

"All the top Premier League clubs were at the match and that reflects on what the boys do week in, week out.

"A lot of them have big futures in front of them if they continue to progress the way they are.

"If big clubs are coming to watch them then I'm doing my job right, the people underneath me are doing their job right and the players must be good enough to draw that sort of attention."

Liddle is also taking care of first-team affairs until chairman Raj Singh appoints a manager, a position that means he is having to deal with questions from concerned teenagers about the club's stability.

He added: "I'd like to think the youth team lads would like me back full-time with them instead of doing bits and pieces here and there.

"They've got concerns because it's their future on the line, but if the worst did come to the worst there'd be a whole host of clubs willing to take them. I've not had any parents on the phone, surprisingly. I try to be honest with the players, just as I am with the first team, I try to keep everybody in the picture.

"The parents know they can ring me at any point, but I keep the players aware of what's going on. It's important that they keep doing what they're doing on the pitch and in training."

The youth team play tomorrow at Rotherham United, a game that has been brought forward 24 hours so Liddle can be on the sidelines, after which he will head to Kent to join up with the first team ahead of their game at Ebbsfleet on Saturday.