ALUN Armstrong admits Darlington are working hard to bring in new recruits but striking deals is proving difficult. 

The Quakers have brought in twelve new players over the summer but the boss is still looking to bulk his squad after their poor start to the season. 

They were beaten 3-2 on the opening day of the season against Alfreton, a result which was quickly followed by a 2-1 loss to Curzon Ashton on Bank Holiday Monday. 

They return to action tomorrow afternoon when they host Bradford Park Avenue at Blackwell Meadows but it's unlikely that any new players will be brought into the club in time to feature. 

While the Quakers boss is working hard to add reinforcements to his squad, he admits it’s proving difficult to convince players to come for a multitude of reasons and his search for new talent has seen him travel north of the border.

“I thought it might have settled down with the transfer window closing. I thought those who might have wanted to get in the league but couldn’t, we might have got them in. But it’s still extremely tough to get them out.

“Some don’t want to come to this level, some don’t want to go part-time, there’s all kinds of reasons I’m getting at the minute. I’ve made a few enquiries to loan players. Even in the league below, the lads don’t want to do the travelling and so it is extremely tough out there.

“I’ve been up in Scotland trying to pluck players from there. It’s not as if we’re not looking. It needs to be the right one by the way. There’s no point me bringing in a young kid who’s eighteen or nineteen who’s already exactly what we’ve got. It needs to be an experienced player who’s played a few hundred games who are used to this level.