As well as a starting XI, another selection Alun Armstrong must make before the Good Friday game with Curzon Ashton is his team’s penalty taker.

Last Saturday against Alfreton, Jake Cassidy and Junior Mondal saw their penalties saved, making it four spot-kick misses in a row.

Darlington had scored their ten previous penalties in succession, the previous miss being when Stephen Thompson hit the post at home to Bradford PA in September 2019.

“We’ll have chat before the game,” explained the manager. “I’ve got to pick the team first, and then I’ll ask the person I’ve got in mind if they’re feeling confident.

“In my entire career I don’t remember having a penalty competition, and I didn’t miss one when I was playing.

“I don’t know how many I took, I never kept stats, I didn’t bother with all that malarky, but I know I never missed one.

“You need the right technique and we do plenty of finishing drills, but it’s about confidence too.

“The longer this thing goes on where someone hasn’t scored it becomes more nervous for the next one.

“It doesn’t matter how many competitions you do in training because that’s not the same conditions as a game.”