Darlington have one of the best teams in League Two and should be disappointed if they aren't promoted this season, says midfielder Adolfo Gregorio.

Although manager David Hodgson wanted to be in the top ten at Christmas, he has played down such talk but there is no escaping the fact Quakers are in contention for promotion.

Despite some inconsistent form, including three consecutive defeats recently, Quakers sit sixth in the table and are nicely poised for a promotion push in the second half of the campaign.

With the momentum of back-to-back wins behind them, Darlington are at home to 18th-placed Oxford United on Saturday and Gregorio has lauded praise on his team-mates, saying: "Nearly every team says they have the best team in the division, but I really do think we have one of the best teams in the league.

"When we play we can really play and I think other teams know that, so they respect us.

"We have a team that could get promotion so if we do anything else but that you could call it a disappointment.

"We're going in the right direction now.

"We hit a speed bump in the previous three games. We played OK then but there were little errors that cost us and we can't afford to make those mistakes. But before those three games we had a very good defensive record.

"In the last two games we have conceded just one goal, so now we've got to build on that.

"We're are own worst enemy at times. When we don't play right we're just killing ourselves, but when we're on our game, passing and moving correctly, then we look good and can make things happen."

Unless the Californian signs a contract extension Gregorio may not even be around to see Darlington's fate at the end of the season because his deal expires in the middle of this month, but the 22-year-old would like to stay longer.

Gregorio has made a favourable impression since making his Darlington debut in September. He missed seven games after suffering from shin splints in November but recently returned to the starting line-up and played an integral part in the wins over Scunthorpe and Macclesfield.

He said: "I like to think I work hard and now I'm back in the side I'd like to keep it that way. I had the injury for a little while which meant I couldn't train, I couldn't even walk at times.

"It's not a something I've had before.

"Coming over from California, it's a bit colder over here and the ground is a little harder so that has an effect."

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