By Dan List

Darlington manager Mark Cooper has called for his team to maintain their high standards when they travel to Tamworth tomorrow.

Quakers impressed in their draw with Fleetwood on Tuesday and Cooper is setting that performance as the benchmark for his players.

"They were all a different class on Tuesday and I told them so, just as I told that they were rubbish last Saturday. Tuesday's performance means nothing if we go to and don't see the same level of commitment," Cooper said.

"Anyone who plays for me has got to play at that level now. You've got Aaron Brown, Adam Rundle, Paul Arnison and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson who didn't play on Tuesday, whoever plays has got to play with that level of commitment to stay in the team.

"If we can keep performing to that level then the results will come."

It took Quakers nine attempts to register an away victory at the start of the last campaign in what turned out to be a costly run.

Cooper, whose team laboured to a win last Saturday at home to Braintree, knows the importance of hitting the ground running this time around.

"On Saturday night I'd have said the team hasn't gelled, but on Tuesday night I'd have said they had," he admitted.

"Fleetwood were expecting to roll us over, but after 15 or 20 minutes they were having to change things.

"So I'm pleased with our start, but it only becomes a good start if we get good results in our next two games."

Darlington are next at home when Alfreton visit The Northern Echo Arena on Tuesday, but tomorrow's game at The Lamb will come too soon for a couple of injured players.

"We're not any further forward to getting Rundle or Brown back, we won't see them for another few games," Cooper explained.

"Bridge-Wilkinson missed three weeks of pre-season so it would have been a lot to ask of him to play two games inside four days so that's why he didn't play on Tuesday."

Michael Smith missed Tuesday game as he played a trial game for Watford's reserves against Reading and Cooper says there is a chance that the striker could be heading to the Hornets.

He said: "Watford like him and the two clubs are speaking at the moment.

"He played for their reserves on Tuesday and apparently did very well."

He has already been on trial at Stoke and it is understood several others keen to run the rule over him.