Darlington are lining up another loan goalkeeper should David Knight fail to recover in time for Saturday's game with Peterborough United.
The keeper left the pitch in great pain after suffering a hip injury on Saturday at Notts County and Quakers are waiting until Thursday before making a verdict on the youngster's fitness.
In the meantime manager David Hodgson is preparing to bring in another keeper on loan and, if so, Knight would be recalled by parent club Middlesbrough in order to create a gap in the squad for another loan signing.
He said: "What we have got to do is have a goalkeeper lined up in case David is not fit for Saturday. Ideally, David would be fit but we do not know at this stage.
"The poor lad walked off the pitch almost in tears on Saturday, it was that bad.
"There are three or four possibilities but ideally the keeper, if we sign one, would be from a club in the region."
Quakers' season has been permeated by injury set-backs with David Duke, who has spent more time off the pitch than on it, yesterday ruled out for another six weeks with a double hernia.
During an injury-ravaged first campaign with the club the defender has been missing since November after limping off in the draw with Rushden and Diamonds.
The 27-year-old was an almost ever-present in his five years at Swindon before joining Quakers in the summer.
Hodgson yesterday confirmed that David McGurk will play his first game for the club in ten months on Saturday in place of Shelton Martis.
The Dutchman was cautioned for the fifth time this season when conceding a penalty at Notts County so will serve a one match ban.
Darlington's reserves completed a league double when they won 2-0 at home to Hartlepool's second string yesterday afternoon with goals from Adrian Webster and trialist striker Guy Bates.
Webster, who also scored in the 2-1 win earlier this season, opened the scoring when he fired under Jim Provett in the ninth minute but Pool spurned four good opportunities of their own.
Darryl Clarke missed three chances including one shot that hit the inside of the post and rolled across the goal line, while Quakers keeper Jack Norton impressively tipped over a Lee Bullock header.
Bates has been on trial at Darlington for a month and he grabbed the second shortly before half-time with a neat finish.
The second half was a scrappy affair with Pool's Steven Istead wasting the best chance, firing wide when one-on-one with Norton.
Bates, 20, left Newcastle in the summer and has since been with the Newcastle which plays in the Australian national league, the Hyundai A-League.
James Beaumont, 21, another former Newcastle youth team player, also played yesterday and the midfielder is available to sign from Nottingham Forest.
American midfielder Marco John was on trial yesterday but Hodgson will not be following up his interest in him.
Darlington: Norton, Thomas, Pattinson, McLeod (Casson 65), Clarke, Hughes, Beaumont, Webster (Tait 80), John (R Logan 84), Bates, Parkin. Subs (not used): Lawson, McIntosh
Hartlepool: Provett; Craddock, Low, Jones, Brackstone (White 80); Istead, Bullock, Clarke, Marshall (Turnbull 68); Proctor (Foley 46), Daly. Subs (not used): Manson, Winter.
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