Just as two players have struck themselves off the Darlington sick list, four more are now doubtful for tonight's test at Luton Town.

Neil Wainwright and David Brightwell are back in the reckoning for a first team spot, but Barry Conlon, Danny Mellanby and Mark Ford - joint top scorers with four goals each this term - as well as Brian Atkinson have all been struggling for fitness this week while Neil Maddison is still ruled out.

The ex-Middlesbrough midfielder, who bruised his foot against Leyton Orient two and a half weeks ago, has got a sore spot which causes discomfort when he kicks the ball.

But all four of the injured party stand a chance of being ready for tonight, and assistant manager Mick Tait remains optimistic.

"Barry's got a real whack on his ankle so he's been struggling. But because it's a knock, once you get the swelling out of the way he's OK,'' he said.

"Danny Mellanby has missed training for two days and, again, he's had a whack on his leg but we're hopeful he's going to be alright. Brian Atkinson has got a slight ankle strain so he's missed training and Mark Ford has done his knee.

"They're all possibles. It's a fingers crossed job but they they've all got a chance of playing."

If Conlon declares himself unavailable tonight, Kirk Jackson will start for the first time this season having made seven substitute appearances this term.

Brightwell came through the reserve run-out unscathed but his deputy, Alex Jeannin will keep his place having impressed recently.

But the injury scares could hardly have come at a worse time. Tonight's match marks the beginning of five tough fixtures which could go a long way to determining how Quakers fare this season.

This month Darlington play four of the top seven sides in Shrewsbury, Mansfield, Hull and Luton while a Tuesday night trip to Swansea also beckons.

But Tait says Darlington have no reason to be wary. "We're going into these games with confidence now,'' he insisted. "The fear factor isn't there anymore.

"We've played better against the top sides so far. Most of the teams near the bottom come and have a little bit of a go and try to frustrate us.

"Luton are a very useful side and it's going to be a good test for us. It gives us a good test to see how much we've improved from last season."

Tonight's game sees former Tow Law and Hartlepool striker Steve Howard come up against his former boss Tait who helped the big hit-man forge a career at Victoria Park.

Howard has since played for Northampton Town before arriving at Kenilworth Road last season although his time at Luton looked at an end earlier this season when he was involved in an on-pitch bust-up during a match at York - with his own teammates.

In defiance to team instructions, Howard demanded to take a penalty - which he missed. The referee ordered the spot-kick be retaken, only for Howard to miss again.

Predictably, manager Joe Kinnear wasn't best pleased with the 6ft 2" heavyweight, but Howard has since remained in the first team despite rumours of a move to either Carlisle or Northampton.

Tait said: "I think he's a very good player. All the time I was there everybody said I should get rid of him, free him, he wasn't good enough.

"I stood alone among everybody at the club in wanting to keep him because I could see that he was going to come good."

* French trialist striker Cherif Abdelkadous, who didn't receive clearance in time to play in the reserves on Wednesday, has returned to France.

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